If you are looking for a very simple but fun recycled craft to do with kids then you can’t go past this egg carton caterpillar! This kid’s craft really is perfect for all ages. Bonus, you most likely have everything you need to complete this craft at home already. So get out the paints, prep an old egg carton, and create your own egg carton caterpillar!

Egg Carton Caterpillar

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This is a very popular craft activity and it is easy to see why. It is quick and simple to put together, keeps kids busy, and uses craft supplies that you probably already have at home. This craft is very simple so perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. In saying that, our girls aged 6 and 9 both loved thinking about their design and spent time on detailing with the paint compared to when they were younger and were very experimental with the paint.

As you can see in the photos one of our caterpillars was inspired by the book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This book was a favorite of mine as a child and now a favorite of our girls. A must for any book collection! You can paint yours to look like the very hungry caterpillar, a real caterpillar, or even a fun rainbow or patterned caterpillar. No matter how you paint your caterpillar it is sure to be one of a kind and totally great!

Materials Needed

• Egg carton.
• Scissors.
• Paint, we used acrylic paint. And brushes or sponges.
• Googly eyes, or paint on the eyes. We painted one set of eyes onto white paper and then stuck them onto the caterpillar once dry.
• Glue, if needed to stick on the eyes.
• Pipe cleaner.

Let’s Get Creating

Prep

Start by making the egg carton caterpillar base. To do this take your egg carton and scissors and cut out a long strip. The 12 egg cartons are perfect, simply cut in half and you can make two caterpillars. You can also use a 6 pack, cut in half, and staple the ends together so you have one long caterpillar. Our girls made caterpillars with a 10 pack egg carton, they are a little shorter than the ones photographed here but still just as cute and fun to make.

If needed give your caterpillar a little trim around the base so it lays flat. Next use the scissors (or another sharp object) to very carefully pierce two small holes on the head. This is where the pipe cleaner will be inserted through and much easier to do before painting.

Decorate

Protect your table and get out the paints. Have fun painting the caterpillars! If you like, paint on a face, or once dry stick on some googly eyes.

Once dry you can add on any extra craft box goodies, pom poms, stickers, or adhesive gems, would all look lovely.

Insert the pipe cleaner through one head hole and out the other hole. Cut the pipe cleaner to length.

Other Fun Crafts To Make

• Foil Butterfly Kids Craft
• Toilet Paper Roll Frog
• Cardboard Tube Butterfly Life Cycle Sensory Art
• Toilet Paper Roll Butterfly
• Recycled Bottle Bee Craft

Thank you for stopping by. We hope you enjoyed making this Egg Carton Caterpillar today!