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DIY Egg Carton Caterpillar Craft For Preschoolers

This easy hungry caterpillar craft is the perfect way to use materials you probably already have at home. Kids can make one like the Hungry Caterpillar or design a colorful, creative egg carton caterpillar.

red and green painted egg carton caterpillar craft with googly eyes and pipe cleaner.

Springtime is the perfect time for kids to create caterpillars. With just a little bit of help, preschoolers and kids of all ages can have so much fun making a recyclable egg carton craft.

Why You Will Love This Art Idea


  • KID FRIENDLY – With a little adult assistance, even the youngest of children can make a cute caterpillar craft.
  • EASILY CHANGE SUBJECT MATTER– If you don’t want to make a caterpillar, kids could make an easy egg carton flower, a cute egg carton turtle, and a bird mask craft.
  • PERFECT FOR SPRING – Read Eric Carle’s book or use this craft as part of a larger Springtime unit.

Supplies You’ll Need

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egg carton, paint, brushes, scissors, googly eyes and a pipe cleaner on the table.
  • Pre-Cut Egg Crates (1/2 of a cardboard one)
  • Googly Eyes
  • Tempera Paint or Acrylic Paint*
  • Pipe Cleaners
  • Scissors
  • Glue Bottle (if the googly eyes aren’t sticky)
  • Large Paint Brush

*We only used green and red tempera paint since we were reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar book by Eric Carle.

Before You Begin

Before early learners can make this fun craft, an adult should cut the caterpillar’s body from the egg cartons.

  1. CUT LID – Remove the top of the egg carton. You may want to save the extra lid to put the paint in.
  2. CUT CATERPILLAR BODY – Each caterpillar will be made of six egg cups. Cut your egg carton carrier part in half.
  3. TRIM EXTRA CARDBOARD
collage of egg cartons being cut.

Step-by-Step Instructions

partially painted egg carton, green paint and paintbrush on a table.

Step 1: Paint The Egg Carton & Let Dry

You can use Very Hungry Caterpillar colors or your own colors. The finished preschool project used yellow mixed with green for the body and red on the face.

orange glue bottle cap adding glue to the back of a googly eye.

Step 2: Glue On Eyes

Glue or stick eyes on the front.

hole poke in painted egg carton caterpillar.

Step 3: Poke A Hole In The Top Of The Head

Use a pen or tip of scissors to poke a small hole in the top of the head.

hand holding twisted pipe cleaner.

Step 4: Make Antannae

Cut a normal-sized pipe cleaner in half. Twist the bottom together.

hand holding egg carton with pipe cleaner sticking through.

Step 5: Add Antennae

Stick the twisted pipe cleaner through the head of the caterpillar.

hand holding a on cut out paper with egg carton caterpillar in the background.

Optional: Add Vowels Or Other Details

If you are working on learning the vowels then this is a great addition to your caterpillar. Add a,e,i,o,u to the 5 parts of the body.

green and red painted egg carton caterpillar craft.

Tips

  • Flipping over your “cardboard” carrier made it easier to cut.
  • Make sure you use good scissors.
  • Make an egg carton butterfly to go along with your caterpillar.
egg carton butterflies and egg carton caterpillar.

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Egg Carton Caterpillar Craft Tutorial

Preschoolers can make their very own hungry egg carton caterpillar craft.
Print Tutorial
red and green painted egg carton caterpillar craft with googly eyes and pipe cleaner.
Prep:5 minutes
Creating:15 minutes
Dry Time:15 minutes
Total Time:35 minutes

Equipment

  • Scissors for adults to cut egg carton
  • Glue Bottle if googly eyes are not stickers

Supplies

  • Pre-Cut Egg Carton 1/2 of a cardboard one
  • Tempera Paint we only used green mixed with yellow and red since we were talking about the Very Hungry Caterpillar
  • Paint brush
  • Googly Eyes
  • 1/2 piece Pipe Cleaner

Instructions

Prep Egg Carton

  • Cut cardboard egg carton in half and so it can sit nicely on a table.

Making Your Caterpillar

  • Use tempera paint to paint the body and face. You can mix colors or use colors like the Very Hungry Caterpillar.
  • Let the painted egg carton fully dry.
  • Glue on googly eyes. You can also draw on a mouth or other details.
  • An adult should poke a hole in the top of the head.
  • Twist pipe cleaner in half at the bottom to make two anntanae.
  • Poke twisted pipe cleaner in the hole in the head.

Notes

  • You can add feet with paper of pipe cleaners.
  • If studying the vowels in preschool, you could as a,e,i,o,u paper cut-outs on top of the caterpillar to help reinforce that concept.
Author: Erin Nutter
Cost: under $5

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