Skip to Content

15 Things to Craft & Make Using Newspapers

Even though we only get the newspaper once a week, we always seem to have a pile of it lying around the house or tossed in the recycle bin.

In fact, that was my inspiration for our DIY Eiffel Tower project!

Why go out and spend money on building materials when you have some great stuff around the house, right!

So, since I know that newspapers are easy to come by and usually just recycled once read, I thought we’d share some inspiration for a few high fun, low cost summer projects for kids!

 


 

Building Materials for Kids:  Newspapers

A few things I LOVE about using newspapers for projects — they are light and easy for kids to manipulate; they can be bent, folded and easily shaped and you can create in black & white or color (using comics and inserts).

One downside — inky fingers 😉 

But it cleans off quickly so don’t let that deter you.

Newspapers are also wonderful for crafting and building so don’t be afraid to branch out and let the kids use their imaginations!

Here are a few creative ideas to inspire you along with affiliate links for some items we love to use when building!

 

BUILD with newspaper!

Construct a Geodesic DomeModern Parents, Messy Kids

And these Newspaper Builders Rod Tubes & Connectors make building towers & domes SO easy!

Or Build a Newspaper PyramidWendolonia

Or errect your own Eiffel Tower with newspapers!

 

Make your own Pirate HatSkip to My Lou

Then sail off in a Newspaper Pirate Ship! — Huffington Post

 

Spend the afternoon at the park with a Newspaper KiteLiving Well, Spending Less

 And I adore this newsprint building challenge from Zoom on PBS — how tall of a tower can you build?

 

CREATE with newspaper!

Send a letter to a friend in a newspaper envelopeArtistic Endeavors 101

Or make your own jewelry with this 4M Recycled Paper Beads Kit!

Weave a newspaper basket to hold special treasures — Craftionary

You can also make newspaper planting pots to start your favorite garden seeds — Mama’s Nook

Girls will love making a newsprint hair bowChild Care is Fun

 

PLAY with newspaper!

Create these beautiful Newspaper BonnetsRed Ted Art

And this newspaper vest is great for imaginative play! — DLTK

Or make an awesome paper mache mask that you can decorate any way you’d like! — About Style

And the kids will enjoy burning off some energy with this fun Spiderweb GameHands on: As We Grow

 

 

      

Looking for more ways to use things from around the house? 

These two books are CHOCKED FULL of ideas for crafting, tinkering & creating with kids!

Green Crafts for Children: 35 Step-by-Step Projects Using Natural, Recycled, And Found Materials

Tinkerlab: A Hands-On Guide for Little Inventors

 

Looking for more inspiration? Try these 12 Great Building Materials for Kids !

 

building materials for kids 

 

MORE CREATIVE FUN:

Make an Under the Sea Ocean World

Engineering Books & Resources for Kids


Do you have a favorite building material?