Sensory Deconstructed Crafting Activity for Kids

By:Jessica Ashcroft
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Try this fun and unique deconstructed crafting activity for kids that’s great for indoor fun, STEM learning, and sensory play!

Looking for a new way to enjoy crafts for kids?

Try deconstructed crafting!

This unique concept allows kids to get destructive and creative in one activity, all while turning cheap, old, and discarded household items into upcycled and recycled art projects.

This activity is great for summer camp, indoor rainy days, Sensory, STEM, and Montessori fun.

It’s also incredibly versatile!

You can tailor this challenge to any age, from toddlers and preschool kids to kindergarten, elementary school-aged, and beyond.

And you can change it up with different prompts and materials again and again.

Concept

This fun deconstructed crafting activity flips the traditional crafting idea on its head!

Instead of creating something new from raw materials, kids take something apart to explore how it’s made, learn about the materials, and repurpose the parts into something new.

It encourages curiosity, problem-solving, and creativity.

Deconstructed Crafting Challenge Prompts

Here are some cheap and common household items kids can take apart and use for their recycled craft projects.

1. Cereal Boxes, Paper Plates, Toilet Paper Rolls

Two cows made from painted toilet paper rolls with black, white, and pink paint, and googly eyes.
A rabbit made from a cut up toilet paper roll with a cotton tail.
A paper plate octopus with toilet paper roll ring tenticles.

Deconstruction: Pull apart and flatten

Crafting Ideas:

Cone Christmas tree materials on a table.
How to make a cone from cardboard.
DIY cone Christmas tree with gold ribbon on part of it laying on white table.
Image collage showing how to create a mouse out of a paper plate.
  • Paper Plate Mouse
  • Cereal Box Guitar
  • Toilet Paper Roll Fairy Houses
  • Paper Plate Butterflies
  • Cereal Box Bookmarks
  • Low Tech TV
  • Paper Plate Snake
  • Cereal Box Castle
  • TPR Butterflies

2. Egg Cartons

A painted egg carton made to look like holey cheese with mice made from egg carton mounds.

Deconstruction: Cut or flatten

Crafting Ideas:

Scissors lying next to cut up egg carton on white table.
Painted bunny faces and ears on brown paper bag.
Bunny portrait next to acrylic markers.
Four egg carton bunny portraits on table surrounded by flowers and bunny statue.
  • Hanging Fish
Image graphic showing how to make cardboard trees from recycled egg cartons.
  • Egg Carton Trees
  • Fairy Houses
  • Spectacles
  • Flower Crown

3. Old Clothes

Image collage of fabric scrap crafts including fabric flowers and jean hearts.
A bag made from cutup and upcycled jeans.

Deconstruction: Cut into strips, pull apart yarn, remove buttons, etc.

Crafting Ideas:

Yarn tucked into wrapped section of circle wreath frame.
Yarn bunny wreath hangs on hook over white door.
Piece of yarn tied in middle of yarn wrapped around cardboard.
Single piece of yarn tied around a group of yarn to create a ghost head.
Woman wearing pink skirt holds pink and white yarn ghost garland.
Using a tape measure to cut yarn for an Elsa braid
How to make an Elsa braid
Toddler girl wears an Elsa braid
  • Yarn Walking Sticks
  • Yarn Letter
  • Fabric Butterfly
  • Fabric Letters
  • Scrab Fabric Stuffies

4. Clay Pots

Deconstruction: Smash

Crafting Ideas:

  • Fairy Garden
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/914862421026647
  • Mossaic Pots

5. Old Toys and Electronics

Deconstruction: Disassemble

Crafting Ideas:

A toddler plays with a DIY busy board with various hinges and gadgets.
  • Busy Board
A toddler standing next to a homemade robot
  • Upcycled Robot

6. Cardboard Boxes

Collage of cardboard crafts, including doll houses, a hippie with pistachio shells for teeth, and Frankenstein's monster heads.

Deconstruction: Break down and/or cut

Crafting Ideas:

  • Puppet Theater
  • Play Dome
  • Zoo Animals
  • Pizza Oven
  • Storefront
  • Maze Ramp
  • Cardboard City

7. Plastic Bottles

Deconstruction: Cut or flatten

Crafting Ideas:

Pencil holders made from painted plastic bottles with animal faces (a fox and a rabbit).
  • Pencil Holder
Several different animals made from bottle caps and construction paper, including a crab, octopus, turtle, ladybug. and elephant.
  • Bottle Cap Animals
Image graphic for a post on how to make a rain gauge using a 2-liter bottle.
  • Turtle
  • Suncatcher
  • Plastic Bottle Flowers
  • Plastic Bottle Butterflies
  • Fairy Houses
  • Shark Catcher

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If you liked these deconstructed crafting ideas, be sure to check out these other unique craft projects for kids.

Pinterest graphic with an image collage, demonstrating a speed crafting art challenge for kids.
Pinterest graphic with text and a collage of mindfulness crafts for kids.
Pinterest graphic with text that reads, "Edible Science STEM crafts" and a collage of activity ideas.
Pinterest graphic with text that reads, "Glow in The Dark Science Crafts for Kids" and a collage of glowing STEM projects.

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