Looking for a fun recycled craft that kids will love? These egg carton fish are a bright, playful project made from simple materials and a little imagination. Connect painted egg carton sections and add googly eyes to create cute and colourful fish that really wiggle and “swim” around!
This egg carton fish craft is perfect for ocean and lake themed lessons at school, and kids will love experimenting with colour, shapes, and movement. This recycled art project is also fun for a creative afternoon at home. So grab an egg carton and your favourite colour of paint, and let’s get started!
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How to Make Egg Carton Fish
Materials:
- Egg carton
- Acrylic paint
- Pipe cleaners (to match the paint)
- Googly eyes (10 mm)
Equipment:
Instructions:
Step 1: Find what you need
- Gather your supplies and materials.
Step 2: Cut the egg carton pieces
- Cut 5 “cone” sections from an egg carton. (The parts that separate the cups.)
- Then cut 2 rectangles from the side of the carton. Round off one of the short edges on each piece. These will be the fins.
- Round off the bottoms of 2 of the cones as close to the bottom as possible.
- Then use a craft knife or detail scissors to cut up at each “corner” so the sections are clearly separated. These pieces will be the head and the tail.
- Cut the remaining 3 cones shorter, trimming up near to the dents at each corner.
Step 3: Paint the egg carton sections
- Paint the head, tail, and 2 fins the same colour. (For us, our darkest shade of blue.)
- Paint the 3 body pieces, making each one a different shade of blue. Allow to dry, and add a second coat of paint to all pieces, if needed.
- Arrange your fish pieces how you’d like. We have the body pieces going from light to dark.
Step 4: Add pipe cleaner connectors
- To connect the fish together you’ll need 2 pipe cleaners. Cut each of them in half.
- Make a coil shape by wrapping each of the pipe cleaner pieces around your finger or a pencil. Push the ends of each “spring” down, creating a thicker section.
- Add hot glue to the flat end of a fin.
- Attach it inside the first body section. Then glue the other fin to the opposite side.
- On the same section, add hot glue to the top of the cone.
- Attach a pipe cleaner coil to the egg carton. Press the folded section down into the glue. Repeat on the other 2 body pieces.
- Flatten the tail piece and add glue inside to keep it together.
- Then add the last pipe cleaner piece to the top.
Step 5: Assemble the fish
- Begin assembly by adding hot glue inside the head.
- Attach the first body piece into the glue, ensuring the pipe cleaner coil goes all the way down to connect with the glue.
- Add the other 2 body pieces in the same way, and then attach the tail.
- Then add 2 googly eyes to the head of the fish, on either side of a “corner”. Our googly eyes are self-adhesive, but you can also use hot glue or tacky glue.
- Your egg carton fish is complete!
Helpful Tips:
- Punch a small hole and add string if you want to hang the fish as a mobile or decoration.
- Cut the egg carton sections ahead of time for younger kids to make the craft easier and safer.
What part of the egg carton is needed for making egg carton fish?
We used the “cone” section of the egg carton — the part that separates where the eggs sit. This allows you to create the tail and longer sections that look like scales.
But you can also use the “cup” sections if need be. They don’t have as much movement to them, but they’ll definitely work in a pinch.
What paint is best for making egg carton fish?
We recommend using acrylic paint. It covers the egg cartons well and it comes in lots of different shades and colours.
You can also use washable kids craft paint, but you may need a few coats to fully cover the egg carton sections.
Can I make this egg carton fish without googly eyes?
Of course! You can use a paint marker or puffy paint to draw on the eyes, or even cut them from craft foam, felt, or pieces of the egg carton.
How can I make each egg carton fish look different?
Kids can vary colours, patterns, and shapes to give each fish its own personality. Try drawing stripes or dots onto the fish, using different numbers of cones, or mixing different colours on the same fish.
These egg carton fish are a great way to turn everyday materials into something colourful and imaginative. They’re easy to make and endlessly customizable. Set out the supplies, let kids experiment with colours and shapes, and enjoy watching a whole school of fish come to life!
Here’s even more fish craft ideas:
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Low-Mess Crafts for Kids Book
72 cute and fun crafts that kids and parents alike can enjoy. All with as little mess as possible!
Where to buy:
You can purchase Low-Mess Crafts for Kids from Amazon, or wherever books are sold:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Amazon Canada
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