DRINKING STRAW CRAFTS FOR KIDS : Ideas for Arts & Crafts Activities with recycled drinking straws for children, teens, and preschoolers

Recent Arts and Crafts Projects for Kids

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Below you will find many arts and crafts projects and activities to make with plastic drinking straws. Using recycled drinking straws, you can make crafts projects such as kites, pictures, trees, flowers, airplanes, toys, etc.

Make Flowers with Drinking Straw and Cups

Who says that you can't make flowers with cups and drinking straws?! Well they are wrong. Get some colorful 3 ounce cups and some drinking straws from the store. Then just cut downwards all along the cup, as you see in the illustration above. Do this with a bunch of cups. Then you are going to place some glue at the bottom of one of the cut-up cups and then insert another cut-up cup inside that other cup. Now get something, such as a pencil, to poke a hole in the middle of the 2 cup-creations that you just made. Then fold the petals back on the cup (the petals are the sliced up pieces on the cups). Then stick your drinking straw in the center of the flowers that you created. Get some tissue paper (or cotton or something else if you don't have these items) and crumple it up into a ball and then glue it in the center of the flowers. To make this creation look even prettier, wrap it up with wrapping paper and a bow. Or you can stick it in a vase or a decorated water bottle.

Cup Tossing Game

If you don't have peanut allergies and noboby around you has them either, you can do this craft. Make a cup tossing game with the illustrated instructions above. Poke a small hole in the botom and the side of the cup. Then just loop a knot around a peanut or like item. Push the string through the bottom of the cup and tie a knot in the other end. Glue a drinking straw in the side of the cup as the handle. Let it dry and then toss that peanut in the cup.

Make Paintings with Drinking Straws

You can make these really cool straw paintings with either food coloring or with paint. If you use paint, just mix the paint with a few drops of water first to make it thin enough to work. First of all, protect your table with newspapers or with something else such as garbage bags. Next, put your sheet of paper down and drip the paint or food coloring down on the paper. Then get a non-bendy straw out and blow at the drops and watch them make funky designs. Let completely dry. An optional step is to turn the funky designs into drawings by trying to see people, animals, and other things in the shapes of the paint.

Make Bike Streamers with Bags and Straws

This is a great craft to decorate your bike's handle bars for free. Why pay a lot of money to get streamers when these turn out great. You will need a few different colored bags from a grocery store or department store. Cut strips that are about of 20" x 1/2 " from the bag. You will need 10 strips that size for each streamer....so you will need twenty in all. If you want the same amount of strips for each color, you will want to cut 6-8 strips from each plastic color bag. Then take 10 strips (some of each color) and then place them in between a straw, as seen in picture number 2 above. Go about folding the straw in 1/2 and tape together at the end, as seen in picture #3. You might want to get colorful duct tape...in white, red, or blue and then tape the straw nicely to the handle ... it will look so beautiful if you do. Have fun!

Even More Crafts with Drinking Straws

Make Mom a Plastic Straw Necklace - It is time to start thinking about making your Mom a gift. How about trying to make this pretty necklace for mother that can be made out of simple plastic straws. All you need is some yarn and some straws and some love for your Mom. The simple instructions follow.

Making a Valentines Day Pinwheel Sweet Candy Gift Box Craft for Kids - We will show you today how to make a complex looking, but very easy to do, Valentine’s Day Candy Gift box with sweets or candies.

Make Straw Flowers Garden Boxes - Learn how to make this gift flower box...the flowers are made with straws.

Trees Painted with Drinking Straws - This sounds funny...but you can use a normal drinking straw to blow air at paint to create a really cool looking tree. Find out here.

KIDS DRINKING STRAWS ARTS AND CRAFTS PROJECTS IDEAS A - B

Action Pals Crafts with Drinking Straws - - Kids are always in motion, so naturally their play is active. Children who craft their own action figures exercise both body and brain.

Aloha! Hawaiian Lei with Drinking Straws - - Longing for some warm-weather fun, even in the middle of the winter? Create a tropical feeling with colorful Crayola® Color Explosion™ lei!

Awesome Straw Plane Project with Drinking Straws - - This is a plane that has a drinking straw as a fuselage and it flies very nicely. I once made a rubber band powered propeller plane out of this design but I think a small electric motor (needs to fit in the straw) may be able to possibly make an RC plane like thing, or at least make it fly longer(also the motor will act as the nose weight).

Baby Big Eyes Arts & Crafts Activity - - Babies love colors and patterns. Catch their attention with this fascinating accordion-folded book for lots of fun together.

Basketball Hoop Game Project - - Follow these free instructions, submitted by Cami, for making a cool basketball hoop craft that is a game you can play once it is done.

Basket of Flowers Making Instructions - - All of these simple Valentine Flower Crafts for Kids projects can be adapted to suit other events and occasions throughout the year. Just feel free to add your own twist to the designs!

Beaded Curtains with Straws - - This craft teaches how to make a beaded doorway curtain.

Bike Streamers & Plates Straw activity - - Give your bike a personal touch. With these decorations, your handlebars and seat stand out whenever you ride!

Blackbird Pie Making Instructions - - Blackbirds are popping from this pie! Find out how Blackbeard's pirates are connected with the traditional rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpence."

Bridge Straw Builder Friendship Craft - - Build bridges and friendships! Plan and construct a bridge with this constructive lesson that’s inspired by a Maya Angelou book set in Paris.

Bubble Mania - - Time and again, science has shown us that first impressions can't be trusted. Consider the bubble: At first glance, it looks like the most fragile thing in the world. Yet under the right circumstances, it can be surprisingly difficult, if not impossible, to burst - as the two tricks here illustrate.

Bug Catcher - - If the buzz of a beetle sounds like the call of the wild to your kids, here's a great homemade bug catcher for their next backyard safari. It will let them vacuum the bugs they find into a plastic container for clear viewing. Plus, it keeps hands and insects apart, to protect bugs and budding entomologists alike.

KIDS DRINKING STRAWS ARTS AND CRAFTS PROJECTS IDEAS C - D

Cascade of Stars - - Make a cascading star mobile from paper stars, a drinking straw and yarn. When you're finished, you can hang this cute decoration from the ceiling.

Circles Lollipop - - Learn about circles and sizes in this easy-to-make lollipop craft.

Circus Centerpiece - - Throw a circus theme party! Streamers flow from this festive big-top to each place at the table.

Climbing Critters - - Kids can stage a rematch between the tortoise and the hare with this pair of string-climbing critters - or they can break new ground by facing off the animals of their choice.

Color Garden - - Discover the possibilities of painting with plastic wrap! This is a perfect activity to learn and practice color mixing.

Color Wheel Umbrella - - Learning the basics of colors and color mixing can be super fun by turning a color wheel into an adorable paper umbrella.

Communion Cup Christmas Bell - - Karen shares instructions for making a Christmas bell using a communion cup.

Constrawction Zone - - Looking for some instant fun on a rainy day? Grab a box of bendable straws and invite your child to try his hand at a building activity that takes all kinds of whimsical twists and turns.

Crepe Paper Roses - - How ingenious this craft project is! Using just straw and crepe paper, you could make your own version of a paper rose too.

Crowning Glory - - Our infinitely customizable crown begins with duct tape and flexible straws. We then topped ours with glittery pom-poms, pipe cleaners, and snips of garland. But, hey, it's a free country: embellish yours however you choose!

Dancing Lion or Dragon Toy - - Make a dancing paper lion or dragon toy for Chinese New Year. Traditionally, on Chinese New Year, two people wear a huge lion or dragon costume and dance. This toy is a tiny paper version of this traditional puppet.

Decorative Drinking Straws - - Keep your kids hydrated on a hot day with these craftastic drinking straws.

Design your own Racecar - - With Crayola Model Magic® Fusion™, you can customize your own sets of wheels! Whether you make an imaginary or real race car, this project will get your creativity revving.

Dollhouse Furniture - - Aspiring interior decorators can transform household recyclables into their own line of original home furnishings.

Dough Bead Jewelry - - Create awesome giant salt dough beads and turn them into fabulous, bracelets, necklaces or anklets.

Drinking Straw Bead Necklace - - For handmade jewelry that's sure to stand out, try this drinking straw bead necklace craft. With appropriately colored straws it's perfect for national holidays like Canada Day or Independence Day.

Drinking Straw Bicycle - - This Instructable will teach you how to make a bike out of drinking straws and hot glue.

Drinking Straw Christmas Tree - - Simple idea for a charming little Christmas tree. Make a whole forest.

Drinking Straw Frame - - Recycle colorful straws and cardboard to create these cute little frames for small photos, such as wallet-size school pictures. This is great for kids to make and share with friends.

Drinking Straw Jewelry - - This craft is great for eye/hand coordination and looks great too!

Drinking Straw Kite - - If you think that kites are only made out of paper and strings, then think again. Straws, which are known to be lightweight, can also be used in making a straw kite. Let us show you how…

Drinking Straw Mobile - - This simple-to-make mobile is made from drinking straws, paper clips and construction paper. They look great hanging from the ceiling!

Drinking Straw Necklace - - The Drinking Straw Necklace lets you to shower your valentine with jewels.

Drinking Straw Ornaments - - You not only get to help our environment by recycling straws but you also get to make a beautiful craft project such as this one.

Drinking Straw Pendant Light - - This Contemporary Drinking Straw Pendant Light is a fun and fairly easy DIY lighting project that is sure to add great texture to your contemporary room.  It's also sure to be a great conversation piece!  After all, who would have thought that such humble materials as drinking straws could look so great!?

Drinking Straw Truck - - The placing of the straws is tricky but it’s a great lesson in fine motor and patience!

KIDS DRINKING STRAWS ARTS AND CRAFTS PROJECTS IDEAS - F

Easy Bubble Wand - - Here's how to make a kid-friendly bubble wand with just two bendy drinking straws.

Feathered Friends - - Create these fun handprint birds. Your flock doesn't need to be of the same feather- create variety with some owls, ducks, chickens, flamingos or ostriches!

Fireman On The Go - - Firemen play an important role in our community. This art project fosters awareness on community roles and also reinforces shape recognition and learning.

Fireworks Art - - Have a blast this Fourth of July with these explosive designs: bursts of paint that resemble fireworks in the sky.

Fishing For Letters - - Create, play, and practice the alphabet in this wonderful alphabet fishing art craft.

Fish Weather Vane - Seeing which way the wind blows is a breeze with this homemade weather station.

Flower Straw Crafts - - These tissue daffodils are super quick to make, and when you make a bunch of them they look really nice! These can be displayed in a vase as a bouquet, or tied to agift package.  These are a good craft for children, since they are fast and easy to put together.  All you need is yellow tissue paper and a green "bendy" drinking straw.

Foam Flyers - - Don't toss those Styrofoam food trays! Recycle them into a fleet of UFFOs: unbelievably fun flying objects.

Fridge Watching Witch - - This kitchen witch casts yummy spells on hungry Halloweeners. Mount her on your refrigerator for a spooky holiday decoration.

Friendship Locket - - Celebrate beloved friends by wearing their photos with yours in this lovely paper cup locket craft.

Fun Foam Flower Straws - - Get ready for your next party by making these festive flower drinking straws for your guests or let kids make their own as a party activity.  Easy kids craft.

KIDS DRINKING STRAWS ARTS AND CRAFTS PROJECTS IDEAS E - H

Garden Diorama - - Explore and re-create the exciting world of bugs and critters in this Garden Diorama craft.

Great Catch - - How many fishes can you catch? Learn numbers through this fun fishing craft.

Haiku Scroll - - Celebrate Spring in poetry, then turn the phrase into agift by printing and illustrating it on a homemade scroll.

Handprint Paper Flowers Craft - - These lilies are made from a child's handprint (on paper) stapled to a straw. You can make an entire bouquet of flowers for a great gift or Spring decoration.

Hawaiian Flower Lei - - Make Hawaiian flower lei from paper, drinking straws and yarn. When you're finished, you can wear these colorful lei.

Hawaiian Lei - - Follow the easy nstructions to make an easy Hawaiian Lei to wear!

Hoopster - - Most paper airplanes are flat but these paper hoops can really fly!

Hula Lei - - Leis or flower garlands are traditional tokens of welcome given to visitors and friends in the Polynesian islands. They're also used to accent a hula dancer's costume in the form of necklaces, headpieces, bracelets and anklets.

KIDS DRINKING STRAWS ARTS AND CRAFTS PROJECTS IDEAS - I

Ice Cube Necklace - - Here's a bold accessory that's part no-sweat craft, part personal A/C. Plus, after the ice melts, the owner's still got a great-looking piece of waterproof homemade jewelry.

Irresistible Egg Centerpiece - - Hunt no more for the perfect Easter egg project! The irresistibly beautiful crayo

KIDS DRINKING STRAWS ARTS AND CRAFTS PROJECTS IDEAS - J

Japanese Crane Fable - - What's the secret of the Japanese Crane fable? Explore Asian literature with feathers in this cut-paper project.

July Fourth Flag - - Celebrate the country's birthday with the fanfare it's due - waving a handmade fan that looks like the American flag.

Jumping Spider Puppet Craft - - Follow these directions to make a fun, jumping spider puppet.

Letter B Mask - - Make a mask with the letter "B"as the frame and decorate around the mask using the letters of the alphabet.

KIDS DRINKING STRAWS ARTS AND CRAFTS PROJECTS IDEAS - M

Mayflower Ship - - Follow our easy instructions on how to make your own version of the Mayflower Ship.

Model Car Factory - - Liven up a rainy afternoon by test-driving a fleet of homemade cars.

KIDS DRINKING STRAWS ARTS AND CRAFTS PROJECTS IDEAS - N

Number Necklace - - This is quite a delightful big bead necklace craft perfect for learning counting and numbers.

KIDS DRINKING STRAWS ARTS AND CRAFTS PROJECTS IDEAS - P - R

Paper Beads - - Make a fashion statement with these easy-to-make beads - perfect for accessorizing anything from a hat to shoelaces.

Paper Blow Gun - - A paper blow gun made from straws and paper. 

Paper Dreidel Craft - - This paper dreidel is great to use as a Hanukkah decoration or a holiday toy. The rules for playing dreidel are listed below.

Parachute Patterns - - Jump right in to this fun project that is patterned after real parachutes. Kids will fall for this creation that explores how colors can be arranged to create a design.

Party Pennants - - Kids' share their interests or favorite sports when they create their own party pennants. They make instant table decorations and perfect party favors.

Patriotic Twirler - - This colorful twirler is simply two flexible straws joined together, with a tassel of tissue paper taped to one end.

Plaster Of Paris Shapes - - Create these amazing Plaster of Paris shapes that can be used as big beads for any jewelry craft, as decorative in wind chimes and wall hangings, or as drawing and coloring tools.

Pocky Storage Tray - - This is a simple 3 tier storage tray made from the cardboard tray u get in big packs of chocolate pocky.

Potted Sunflowers - - Create three-dimensional potted sunflowers using our printable flower template. A simpler version of the craft is also illustrated for younger kids.

Recycled Garden - - Recycling is the name of the game when it comes to this project. At such an early age, kids will get to learn - and practice - the importance of recycling unwanted materials in our houses.

Recycled Robot - - In a time of recession, don’t you think it’s proper to NOT ask for your parents to buy you a new robot toy? You can instead make your own and feel great about your accomplishment.

KIDS DRINKING STRAWS ARTS AND CRAFTS PROJECTS IDEAS - S-U

Safari Miniature Golf Set - - Recycle old cardboard boxes into golf fun.

Salt Dough Snowman - - Create these jolly snow men sculptures to give your room a holiday atmosphere.

Scented Ornaments - - Spice up holidaygifts with whimsical cutouts that double as fragrant (but inedible!) tree ornaments.

Shadow Puppets - - Your kids can cast a shadowy show of their own with just a few of these simplified paper puppets.

Shape Flowers - - Turn ordinary shapes into extraordinary 3-D flowers. This creative craft is a fun and sure way to learn shapes. It is also a greatgift idea for mom on Mother's day.

Shimmering Fish Puppets - - Dive into this catch of the day. Kids read fish books and then act out the story with their creatures. Older kids research Izaak Walton, a fish expert born on August 9, 1593. Why is he still so well known today?

Shoe Box Zoo Box - - Bring a day at the zoo back home and give kids 'paws' for thought with their own 3D wildlife display. Open the cage on lions and tigers and bears... and watch kids go wild with new knowledge and untamed creativity.

Simple Sailboat Craft - - You can make these cute little toy boats in just a few minutes. They are great for preschoolers and kindergartners to practice cutting with scissors, drawing, and molding clay.

Soap Box Dragsters - - Powered by a blast of air, these little racers can really move, making a clean getaway as soon as you set them down! Kids can assemble a bunch, then host their own mini derby.

Soap Bubble Prints - - Normally, blowing bubbles with a drinking straw is taboo for kids. Not this time! In fact, that's half the thrill of making these marbleized prints.

Soap in a Cup - - This soapy salute to summer days ahead is a topgift pick for your child's best buds. It's also a lot easier than it looks. But because hot soap and a knife are involved, even big elves should be monitored.

Soda Straw Weaving Loom - - Did you know you could weave on soda straws! You may have a few unused straws from fast food restaurants in your car's glove box or a kitchen drawer. The Imagination Factory encourages you to help save landfill space by recycling them to make a simple loom.

Spring Flowers - - Once all the Easter eggs have been dyed, what can you do with those empty cartons? Let your kids recycle them into dozen of tulips and daffodils.

Star-Studded Leis - - These star-studded leis are a festive way to show your patriotic spirit.

Straw horn - - This is a cool horn my science teacher showed me how to make.

Straw Stars - - Weave straws together to make glittering straw stars. Who knew ordinary drinking straws could become glittering holiday stars? It's true - they can be works of art. 

Styrofoam and Drinking Straw Puppet Craft - - These simple puppets are made from Styrofoam trays and drinking straws. You can make animals, fruit, teeth, characters from stories, shapes, vehicles, and just about anything else.

Sunflower - - Don't let the kids get bored during the summer holidays. Check out these fun projects for them to make during the summer.

Super-Easy Noisemaker - - Ever wanted to just make some noise? How about looking for a way to annoy your friends? This is a awesomely easy and quick way to make a cool noisemaker. The noisemaker makes a annoying, loud buzzing sound. Enjoy!

Super Sailboat - - This pint-size - or, more precisely, liter-size craft offers a decent approximation of a high-seas sailboat. And since it's constructed from common household items, it's a lot cheaper than the real thing! Unsinkable thanks to its Styrofoam float, the boat also features a handy screw eye on the bow to which you can attach a fishing line for easy maneuvering or reeling in. Are you ready to make sail?

Table Top Turkey - - Make a turkey using paint, a hand print, and a few other supplies - submitted by Jill in Wisconsin.

Tiny Bubbles - - You and your child can send clouds of tiny bubbles skyward with this quick trick.

Ultimate Straw Rocket! - - What is the "Ultimate Straw Rocket"? Answer: A very easy to make rocket made from a drinking straw, and launched using air pressure. Almost everyone will be able to make this, it does not require any hard-to-find items, but also can it be made in very little time. Therefore will the rockets themselves be very easy to mass produce. They will fly high up in the air and then land on the ground, completely safe!