18 Nature-Themed Crafts for Kids

With the weather warming up and school letting out soon, we're going to need to entertain our kids outdoors a lot more. Fortunately these nature-inspired crafts will keep kids busy for hours while giving them an appreciation for the natural world around us. Most of these activities are well suited for toddlers and preschoolers, but even older kids will enjoy the more complex activities like flower printing on tea towels or making a nature maze.

Many of these crafts are also inexpensive, because a lot of the materials can be found in our own backyards. We basically get to use nature as a craft store. And though some of the ideas result in longer lasting art we can put on the fridge, a lot of the crafts are designed to biodegrade. That way we don't have to find storage spots for them forever. Happy crafting!

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Floral Lantern

Using paper mache, kids can create this fun floral lantern. Just make a bowl out of the paper mache using a balloon to hold the structure, then paste on some pressed leaves and flowers. Pop the balloon to create the paper lantern, add an LED tea light candle (no fire risks here), and enjoy!

Rainbow Collection

Create a rainbow template for the kiddos using cardboard. Then, let them scour the backyard, or take them on a nature walk, to have them add the correct colored items to each slot. It's a fun way to get kids outside while encouraging them to learn their colors.

Cardboard Pictures

Another fun way to use cardboard is by drawing an animal like a lion or a vase for flowers and punching holes where a mane or a bouquet would be. Kids can stick dandelions or flower buds in the cardboard holes to complete the pictures. The flowers won't last forever, which means parents also don't have to figure out a way to store the artwork like with all the pictures kids bring home from school. Take a picture to save the memory of the artwork.

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Natural Glitter

@mothernatured Have you tried to make nature's glitter? It'd biodegrable, sensory and fun. We love crafting with it! #springcraft #naturecraftsforkids #natureplayideas ♬ original sound - Penny | Nature Play Guide

Real glitter is the bane of most parents' lives, because it gets everywhere and it never seems to go away. Nature's glitter, on the other hand, is biodegradable, free, and easily vacuumed up. To make the glitter, just cut leaves and flower petals into very small pieces. Then let the kids sprinkle the mixture over patches of glue on some coloring book pages.

Clay Prints

@ecowithrada Clay nature prints! Easy and sustainable activity for your kids and also very original gifts. #sustainable #ecofriendly #ecomum #ecokids #kidsartsandcrafts #ecocraft #ecofriendlyliving #ecoliving #sustainableliving ♬ original sound - EcoWithRada

For a longer-lasting nature craft, try these clay impressions. Kids can form ornaments or trinket dishes out of clay and create indents of leaves and flowers by pressing items into the wet material. Once the clay dries, the kids can even paint the plant impressions if they want.

Egg Carton Garden

This cute egg garden is simple to make. Gently crack the tops off some eggshells (a parent may need to help with this part) and fill them with soil and flower seeds. To create a caterpillar like Instagram user @happytoddlerplaytime did, paint the shells and add googly eyes and some pipe cleaner antennae.

Sun Catcher

These DIY sun catchers are easy for little ones to make. Use four popsicle sticks to make the front frame, then add a layer of plastic, a layer of leaves or flowers, another layer of plastic, and four more popsicle sticks to form the back of the frame. Glue or tape it all together and hang it in the window to enjoy for a short time. The foliage won't stay fresh, but it's a fun activity for a day.

Nature Snow Globe

@mothernatured It takes five minutes to make and your kids will love shaking it up and watching the butterflies twirl around. Which shape would you add? #naturecrafts #outdoorcrafts #natureplayideas ♬ original sound - Penny | Nature Play Guide

Another ephemeral activity is this nature snow globe. Have the kids put small pieces of leaves and seeds into a jar of water that they can swirl around. The snow globe can be made a little prettier by using scrapbooking hole punchers in fun shapes to cut out the leaves. It probably won't last for more than a few days, but the TikToker behind the idea, @mothernatured, reminded commenters that "nature crafts are made to biodegrade."

Bird Feeder

Kids will love making these bird feeders and then getting to watch the birds actually use them. The full instructions are on the One Little Project website, but basically children can cover an ice cream cone in peanut butter and roll it in birdseed before stringing it along with some cereal for the birds to enjoy.

Spray Paint Pictures

This craft makes use of negative space. Kids can place leaves on a piece of paper and spray watercolor paint (or real spray paint, depending on their age) over the whole paper. Then simply remove the leaves for a lasting piece of fun art. Get the full tutorial on the Hello, Wonderful website.

Rock Picture Frame

TikToker @workingmama_ posted this craft in reference to Father's Day, but it works as a nature craft all year long. Many children love to collect rocks, and this will put their collection to good use. The TikToker used popsicle sticks to make a frame, but parents can also buy a frame if they want the project to be a little sturdier. Then have the little ones glue rocks along the borders for a creative photo display.

Nature Hair

Draw a face on some cardboard and cut out the hair to replace with clear contact paper (sticky side up). The kids can stick their various leaf and flower finds on the portraits. The bonus of this activity is that by drawing different faces and hairstyles each time, it sort of makes it a brand new craft without much extra work on the parents' end.

Leaf Printing

Instagram user @go.ask.mum used watercolor paints to create these pretty pictures. Kids can paint the undersides of leaves and stamp them onto paper to leave behind leafy impressions. Regular acrylic paint would probably work as well, but the crafter preferred the watercolors for how vibrant and detailed the prints turned out.

Paper Squirrel

If there are pine cones in the yard or a nearby park, this is a perfect craft to use them. All the children need is an old toilet paper roll, a pine cone, a marker, scissors, paint, and some glue. For younger kids, parents may need to help draw the squirrel outline, but then the children can probably paint and decorate it themselves.

Nature's Alphabet

Help little ones study their letter shapes by building these nature alphabet boards. Kiddos can collect all kinds of leaves and sticks and rocks to form the different letters. If the children are a little older they may be able to do upper and lowercase letters. Younger kids can maybe search for just the letters of their own name.

Creative Tic-Tac-Toe

Here's another use for those rocks our kids love to collect. Painted rocks have been a fun craft for decades, but using them specifically for tic-tac-toe turns the craft into a long lasting activity. Simply paint half the set of rocks with one design and half with another so each player's pieces are distinguishable.

Hammered Tea Towels

@smittenkittenmuser Flower Pounded Tea Towels: An easy and fun project that makes a great gift! #fyp #naturaldye #mothersday #mothersdaygift #foryoupage ♬ April Come She Will - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Parents may have to help with this one since it requires some hammering and using an iron. But the children can definitely help collect fresh leaves and flowers to imprint the designs on the towels. Simply tape the items flat on the fabric and apply pressure with the hammer to leave a colorful residue. It's probably best to use the towels only for decoration once they're done.

Make a Maze

Kids can collect any nature items they want to make fun cardboard box mazes. They can glue their found objects to the box in pathways and then roll marbles along to try to reach the finish line. An old shoebox lid would be the perfect template for them to use to glue their items.