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10 Engaging Recycling Activities for Preschoolers

recycling activities for preschoolers

Recycling activities for preschoolers can boost their creative and problem-solving skills. It is also a great way to introduce them to the concept of recycling.

Recycling is one of the most popular environmental movements in the world today. It is a simple concept, but it is very effective at reducing waste and pollution. If you want to help preserve mother earth, it would be best to start by learning how to recycle properly. You should also encourage your preschoolers to learn the importance of recycling because it will help mold them to become responsible adults who care about the environment.

It’s never too early to start teaching kids about the importance of recycling! Not only is it good for the environment, but it can also be a great way to keep them entertained.

Here at Baby Steps Daycare, we are not only focusing on helping our kids grow and gain skills, but we also train and teach them the importance of recycling and saving our environment for future generations.

So, we’ve compiled a few activities for you to do with your kids that will hopefully help them understand the concept of recycling and how it can benefit their lives. These activities we’ve made are great for all ages and will help improve their fine motor skills as well as their memory.

The Benefits of Recycling Activities for Preschoolers

Benefits of Teaching Preschoolers About Recycling

Teaching preschoolers about recycling has several different benefits, including having them learn about the environment, improving their fine motor skills, and even helping them develop their memory.

  • Learning the EnvironmentThe most important benefit of teaching preschoolers about recycling is to help them understand how their actions affect the environment. By teaching them how recycling affects the environment, they will make more conscious decisions when they are out in public.
  • Fine Motor Skills – The whole process of recycling requires some careful hand movements. It will help improve your kid’s fine motor skills and coordination while developing them into well-rounded children.
  • MemoryLast but certainly not least, it helps improve their memory. By teaching kids how to remember the different types of recyclable materials, they will learn to retain information easier which is an advantage for them later in life.

Let’s learn how to have fun while teaching kids about recycling! Without the right activities, your kids might find it boring and not want to participate. As one of the leading preschool providers in Forest Hills, New York, one of our aim is to educate kids about the importance of recycling and how it can benefit the environment.

Below, we have compiled a few fun activities that will keep your kids engaged and interested in learning more about recycling. All of them require no special materials to make, but all of them will help improve your child’s memory, coordination, and fine motor skills!

10 Engaging Recycling Activities for Preschoolers

1. Make Seed Paper

Make Seed Paper

It is an excellent recycling activities for preschoolers. Together with your kid, recycle used paper and create colorful paper with wildflower seeds. Paint a message or design on it using colored markers. And tell your child to give it to someone he cares for to plant in the backyard or a pot. You can find the step-by-step guide by visiting Climate Kids.

2. Recycled Building Activity

Recycled Building Activity

It is a simple yet very fun activity for kids. Collect any used materials in your garbage bins. It could be egg cartons, cereal boxes, toilet roll tubes, or milk cartons – perfect for recycled building activity. Allow your child to build anything from his imagination using these materials. He can create bridges, towers, or walls. The good thing about Recycled Building Activity is the engineering and problem-solving he needs to create buildings.

3. Recycled Earth Day Craft

recycling activities for preschoolers

Earth day is a special day for mother Earth. It’s the perfect time to teach your kids about recycling, and this fun recycled earth day craft from No Time for Flashcards is a great activity for preschoolers to get involved with. All you need is a cereal box or any cardboard from your recycling bins, blue scrap paper, hole punch, glue, and green markers.

4. Cardboard Tube Marble Run

recycling activities for preschoolers

It is one of the best indoor recycling activities for preschoolers. Doing this activity helps kids learn about gravity angles, engineering, slopes, and problem-solving. To create it, you may need first to gather a lot of cardboard tubes from toilet paper and paper towels, then tissue boxes and painter’s tape. Find a place to set this activity like on a wall and refrigerator. For further instructions, try to visit Little Bins for Little Hands.

5. Easy to Create Bird Feeders

Bird Feeders

Create easy-to-make bird feeders from recycled materials and cardboard. Children can make simple models or more complex designs. Recycled materials like old cereal boxes, toilet paper tubes, milk cartons, and paper bags are ideal for making bird feeders. More about this craft idea you can find on The Homeschool Scientist.

6. Build Your Robot

recycling activities for preschoolers

Unleash your child’s creative side by building and designing his robot. Younger kids can enjoy using a wide range of recyclable materials like discarded boxes, buttons, paper tubes, straws and many more as they create robots with designs base on their imaginations. It is one of the best recycling projects for kids because it encourages your child’s fine motor skills while providing an opportunity to make something new. For general instructions, visit Ziggity Zoom Family. 

7. Easy to Make Gift Boxes for Preschoolers

Easy to Make Gift Boxes for Preschoolers

A clever way to transform plastic bottles into a fabulous craft. Your child will gonna love doing this fun project. Make sure to prepare all the materials needed, like a large plastic bottle with a ridged underside, glue, a large button, glitter, scissors, and tissue paper. And check Red Ted Art for complete instructions.

8. Paper Bag Painting

Paper Bag Painting

It is a great project to develop your preschooler’s fine motor skills. Together with your kids, turn your brown grocery bags into colorful paper bags using different liquid colors and chalks that can be found inside your home. Let your preschooler go wild with his imagination and creativity! For details, visit Art Bar.

9. Create a Mask

recycling activities for preschoolers

You can reuse your paper plates and create awesome crafts like a mask for your kids. It’s very easy and a great activity to boost your preschooler’s creativity. An example is a polar bear mask from Teaching 2 and 3-Year-Olds. But you can allow your child to make what kind of mask he wants to create. 

10. Creating Cereal Box Puzzles

recycling activities for preschoolers

Instead of buying your child some puzzles, why not make one for him? This brilliant idea from Hands On As We Grow can help develop your child’s cognitive and fine motor skills as they search for the correct cereal pieces to complete the puzzle.

These are only a few of the fun and educational activities you and your child can do to make recycling enjoyable and meaningful. We at Baby Steps Preschool hope you and your kids will enjoy doing these activities together. And we encourage you to spread the word about recycling and how it can help our planet become a better place to live in.