Earth Day Classroom Activities: Reuse, Recycle, and Have Fun - post

Earth Day is a perfect time to help children learn how to care for our planet—one small action at a time. In this article, you’ll learn what Earth Day is, why it matters, and easy, fun activities for every age (from babies to school-age kids). You’ll also find ideas for both indoor and outdoor play that fit real classrooms and busy days. Along the way, children can practice simple Earth-friendly habits: reduce, reuse, and recycle in ways they can actually understand. For even more ideas, start here 15 Earth Day Activities for Kids on ChildCareEd.

What is Earth Day and why should we teach it?

Earth Day is a special day when people all over the world stop and think about how to care for our planet. It happens every year on April 22. Earth Day teaches children a simple message: small choices can make a big difference. 

Why Earth Day matters in child care and early learning:

• It connects learning to real life

• Children can plant, sort recycling, and practice saving water.

• It builds social-emotional skills
  Kids learn teamwork, kindness, and pride in helping.

• It supports many learning areas

  • Science: plants, animals, weather 🌦️

  • Math: counting seeds, sorting items ➕

  • Art: creating with recycled materials ♻️

Simple classroom wins you can try:

• Make a Pledge Board: one short promise from each child (or a class promise for babies/toddlers).

• Read a quick Earth Day book, then ask: “What is one thing we can do to help?”

• Turn one Earth Day activity into a daily habit (like “lights off” helpers or recycling monitors).
  (You can link “Earth Day Every Day” right here.)

 Turn yearly activities into everyday habits — see ideas in Earth Day Every Day.

How can we teach reuse and recycling to babies and toddlers?

With babies and toddlers, keep it simple, safe, and hands-on. Young children learn best by touching, looking, and moving. Use only clean, safe recycled items and natural materials.

Infant activities (birth–12 months)

• Treasure baskets 

  • Fill a basket with safe, natural items like:

    • fabric squares

    • wooden spoons

    • large pinecones (only if safe and too big to mouth)

  • Sit close and let babies explore while you narrate:
    “Soft fabric.” “Wood spoon.” “We can use it again.”

• Look-and-touch recycling talk

  • Hold up one safe item at a time and name it:

    • “This is a box.”

    • “We can use it again.” (#reuse)

  • Keep it short—babies learn through repetition.

Keep it short as babies learn through repetition.

Toddler activities (1–3 years)

Sensory boxes 

• Use a bin with safe textures such as:

  • clean fabric scraps

  • cardboard pieces

  • large lids or large bottle caps (only if they are too big to swallow)

  • dried pasta (toddlers only, supervised)

• Label bins (“Caps,” “Fabric”) and rotate items often.
  (This idea fits the repurposing tips in Creating Treasure from Trash..)

• Upcycled art 

  • 🟢 Paper collage: Glue big torn paper pieces onto a page.

  • 🌟 Stamp painting: Use reused cups, lids, or bottle tops to make prints.

  • 🍃 Nature prints: Press leaves or petals into paint and stamp them on paper.

• Sorting practice 

  • Use two bins and model the words:

    • “Paper here.” “Plastic here.”

  • Toddlers can sort big, safe items like cardboard and paper.

Simple words to say while you teach

Use short phrases toddlers can copy:

• “Use it again.” (#reuse)

• “Recycle.”

• “All done.”

• “In the bin.”

Safety first

• Avoid small items for children under 3 (choking risk).

• Store tiny recyclables away for older children.

• Always supervise sensory play and art materials.

For ideas on using recycled materials with different ages, see 'Junk' Art.

What are easy Earth Day activities for preschool and school-age kids (ages 3–12)?

Plan a mix of indoor crafts and outdoor exploration. These ideas are fun, simple, and educational—and you can adjust them for different ages and abilities.

🌱 Gardening (outdoor or indoor by a window)
Start a small class garden with pots, buckets, or raised beds. Children can plant seeds, water them, and track growth on a chart. See step-by-step ideas in How to Build a Classroom Garden.

♻️ Recycling Relay (outdoor or gym)
Set up bins labeled paper, plastic, and metal. Children work in teams to sort clean items into the right bin. Turn it into a friendly race to build gross motor skills and recycling knowledge. Adapt from Celebrate Earth Day with Gross Motor Play.

🎨 Upcycled Art: Use cardboard, bottle caps, and fabric to make sculptures or murals. Check Creating Treasure from Trash for inspiration.

📚 Story and Reflection: Read a short Earth Day book. Then ask: “What is one kind thing you can do for Earth?”
Children can draw one promise (turn off water, pick up litter, reuse paper) and share it with the class.

Where can I find more ChildCareEd activity ideas?

Want even more ideas with clear directions? These ChildCareEd resources include activities for birth through school-age, plus step-by-step details to help you plan, set up, and run each activity.

Earth Day Activities

Outdoor Earth Day Activities

Training and resources help. Consider ChildCareEd courses like Beautiful Junk: Using Recycled Materials to build confidence in upcycling and curriculum planning.