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Don’t throw away those tin cans – make these recycled tin can crafts for kids instead! Whatever the shape or size of your tin cans, you can make something!

You’ve heard of days like Elephant Day or Environment Day, but did you know that the humble tin can also has it’s own day? Yes, this thing we toss into the trash has its own special day on 19th January!

Even if you don’t have too many canned foods, it’s likely that you have a few cans in your home. Tin cans can come from soup, baby formula, pet food and many others. Why, even the artist Andy Warhol celebrated the soup can in his iconic painting!

So today, we’ve decided that rather than throw them away, we’ll go ahead and recycle tin cans to make these unbelievably awesome recycled tin can crafts. Perfect for kids to make and play with!

20 Recycled Tin Can Crafts for Kids to Make

1. Tin Can Owl Craft

Not only tin cans, but old bottle caps are also recycled in making these cute owls from I Heart Crafty Things! Along with yarn, felt, googly eyes and puffy paint, this is a project with lots of interesting textures.

2. Upcycled Tin Jewelry Box

No one is going to believe that this pretty little box is a recycled tin can! This craft is a wonderful example of how we can use a few random things to create something gorgeous that also makes an excellent gift!

3. Tin Can Planters

Tin can be quite useful even beyond their ‘use by’ date, as this project from The Best Ideas for Kids shows! The only tough part is drilling the holes; kids can paint and decorate the can and also plant some succulents in them.

4. Tin Can Bowling

Take those tin cans outdoors and have some fun tossing a ball at them! A Girl and a Glue Gun paints some old tin cans to make them look better than new, and shows us how they can give you hours of fun and exercise!

5. Recycled Tin Can Monsters

Turn your old tin cans into cute and colorful monsters like these ones from Hello, Wonderful. The fun part here is this is great if you don’t want to get your hands messy with paint – just wrap the cans in felt and decorate!

6. Tin Can Frankenstein

Speaking of monsters, we can’t forget about good ol’ Frankenstein, can we? So here we go – a tin can Frankenstein craft from My Very Educated Mother, easily made with some green paint, a cupcake liner, googly eyes and corks!

7. Tin Can Robots

You may have seen several tin can robots, but I’m sure you haven’t seen these ones from Creative Jewish Mom! No, these guys are unique, what with their sombreros and all those colorful bits and pieces!

8. Tin Can Organizers

You can feel mighty proud of your decorated tin cans when they’re sitting on your desk all pretty and keeping it neat and organized! This craft from Uncommon Designs Online shows us how you can use fabric, pom poms and buttons to dress up plain old tin cans.

9. Tin Can Love Bug

How cute is this love bug from A Little Pinch of Perfect? It’s a great idea for Valentine’s Day and adding the wings completely changes it’s character – it’s very hard to believe it’s just a can!

10. Tin Can Turkey Windsock

This turkey windsock from Fun Family Crafts is perfect for fall, when turkeys are the ‘in’ thing and there’s a breeze around. It also makes for excellent decor that’s perfect for the seasonal theme!

11. Washi Tape Tin Can Vase

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Washi tape and tin cans are a match made in heaven. You can do all kinds of designs on tin cans with Washi, and it won’t take you more than a few minutes, like this vase from Simply Designing.

12. Tin Can Bird Feeders

As spring approaches, the birds start flying around and these tin can bird feeders from Garden DIY will ensure they are well fed! This is an easy project, and the addition of colorful beads turns this into cute garden decoration as well!

13. Homemade Tin Can Lanterns

This project from Kids Craft Room needs some work from an adult, but it’s all worth it in the end! The light looks beautiful as it comes through the holes, which you can make into any pattern that you like.

14. Ombre Tin Can Wind Chimes

If you can manage to get your hands on tin cans of different sizes, be sure to make this wind chimes project from Cheap Crafting! The ombre colors are so pretty, especially set against all that green background.

15. Tin Can Drums

There’s not a kid alive who doesn’t enjoy banging on things. So why not recycle trash and give them something more ‘legit’ to bang – like a tin can drum! Get all the instructions to make this drum from Fun Family Crafts.

16. Free Printable Animal Tin Can Pen Holders

Maria Palito goes high on the cuteness factor with these adorable animal tin can holders! And the best part is – no painting required – just download the printable and wrap it around the can – it’s done!

17. Tin Can Telephone

No matter how smart your phone is, it’s still no match for the charm of an old-school tin can telephone! Glued to My Crafts recreates the magic of our childhood with this fun craft that requires just cans and a string!

18. DIY Tin Can Stilts

If you’re going to be walking on stilts, why not look good while doing it? Check out Coffee Cups and Crayons to know how to pretty up your plain tin can stilts and be the envy of the neighborhood.

19. Tin Can Dragonfly

These little dragonflies are so cute, you want to pet them! Punk Projects turns long tins into cute outdoor decor by painting the tins and adding features. Wire gives them those delicate, wispy wings.

20. Tin Can Mini Shelves

Tin cans into shelves? Sounds confusing, but Blue Bear Wood shows us it’s not so! These cute little shelves make the perfect place to highlight your precious collectibles or action figures – or that difficult-to-find Lego minifigure!

Some of these projects don’t even look like they’re made from recycled cans, do they? And that is the magic of craft!!