Earth Day is right around the corner, and if you’re looking for a simple craft that ties in perfectly with your Earth Day lessons, this one is a must! This Earth Day craft is hands-on, low-prep, and results in the most adorable smiling Earths that look amazing displayed in your classroom or hallway.
I love using this craft with my students because it’s so much more than just a cute project. It gets kids thinking about how they can help take care of our planet — and honestly, their answers to the writing prompt are always the sweetest thing ever.
What is Earth Day?
Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22nd and is a day dedicated to raising awareness about protecting our planet. It’s a wonderful opportunity to teach young students about taking care of the environment through simple actions like recycling, picking up trash, conserving water, and planting trees.
Kids love learning about how they can make a difference, and it’s the perfect time to bring in hands-on activities that get them thinking about the world around them!
Earth Day Craft Directions
This activity is super simple to set up. Students cut out the Earth template (printed on blue paper) and then cover the land sections with small pieces of green tissue paper. The tearing and gluing is so good for those fine motor skills, and kids absolutely love the hands-on, slightly messy process of it all!
Once the tissue paper is in place, students add the eyes (printed on white paper) and a big red smile (printed on red paper) to bring their Earth to life. The end result is an adorable smiling Earth that the kids are always so proud of.
Earth Day Writing Optios
One of my favorite things about this craft is that it comes with three different writing options, so you can easily differentiate based on your students’ needs.
For older students, there’s a writing prompt that reads “I can make the Earth smile by…” where they can write their own response about how they help take care of the planet. Their answers are always so thoughtful — everything from picking up trash to turning off the lights to planting flowers.
For younger students who aren’t quite ready to write on their own, there are two options. They can glue on a pre-made phrase that says “I can make the Earth smile!” or they can unscramble the letters to spell the word “Earth” and glue them in the correct order. Both options still give your littlest learners a meaningful way to participate in the activity.
Earth Day Craft
If you’ve been following along for a while, you know I’m all about activities that are easy to prep but still packed with learning. This craft checks all the boxes. It works on fine motor skills, it connects to your Earth Day conversations, and it gives students a chance to practice writing — all wrapped up in one simple activity.
Plus, the finished crafts make the cutest bulletin board or hallway display. I always get compliments from other teachers when these are hanging up!
Craft Preparation
Getting this craft ready is as easy as it gets. Just print each template on the correct color of paper — blue for the Earth, red for the smile, and white for the eyes. I always use this paper for the brightest colors!
Next, cut up some green tissue paper into small squares (or let your students tear their own for extra fine motor practice!), set out some glue sticks, and you’re good to go.
Earth Day Craft
If you’re planning your Earth Day activities, you don’t want to miss this Earth Day craft! It’s low-prep, differentiated, and your students are going to have so much fun creating their own smiling Earths.
This craft pairs perfectly with your favorite Earth Day read-alouds and is a great way to wrap up a lesson on taking care of our planet. Grab it in my Teachers Pay Teachers store and get ready for the cutest Earth Day Craft display!