Egg Carton Ant March: A Fun Toddler Craft (With a Few Silly Extras!)
Looking for a bug-themed toddler craft that’s easy, engaging, and actually holds their attention? You’re in the right place.
Sometimes you plan a craft… and sometimes your toddlers plan an adventure. That’s exactly what happened with this Egg Carton Ant March. A simple summer activity that quickly turned into a day filled with painting, marching, singing, and big imaginative play.
We used this for our Bug Week Mini-Camp, and it was a total hit. It invites kids to create, pretend, move, and explore, all while strengthening their fine motor skills and creative thinking.
Why Make Egg Carton Ants
Aside from being ridiculously cute, painting and building little ants hits a bunch of early learning wins:
- Fine motor strengthening (cutting, painting, threading pipe cleaners)
- Creativity and pretend play (build your own ant parade!)
- Science conversations (talk about insects, body parts, habitats)
- Movement and gross motor (marching and pretending to be ants = serious wiggles out)
Plus, it’s one of those crafts where a little imperfection makes it even better. Crooked legs? Giant googly eyes? Even cuter.
Egg Carton Ant Craft: Supplies You’ll Need
Basic Supplies:
- Cardboard egg cartons (cut into sections of 3 cups each)
- Paint (any wild color if your ants want to be fancy)
- Paintbrushes
- Pipe cleaners (to match your body color, or not. Go wild!)
- Googly eyes (because… obviously)
- Scissors
- An xacto knife (to poke leg holes — adult job!)
Optional Extras:
- Glitter glue for fancy ants (because, why not?)
- Tiny stickers to decorate the ant bodies
How to Make Your Egg Carton Ants
1. Cut the Egg Cartons
Use scissors to cut your egg carton into 3-cup sections.
Each little trio of cups will be one ant body.
2. Paint the Ant Bodies
Hand out the paintbrushes and let the kids paint their ant bodies whatever color their heart desires.
Bright rainbow ants? Neon green mutant ants? Totally allowed.
Pro Tip:
Keep some wet wipes handy…this can get messy…embrace the mess!
3. Add Legs and Antennae
Once the paint dries, it’s time to add the pipe cleaner legs and antennae.
- Use an xacto knife to poke three holes on each side of the cups.
- Thread pipe cleaners through the holes for legs.
(Older toddlers and preschoolers can help thread if you start the holes for them!) - Bend one piece of pipe cleaner and poke them into the top of the front cup to create antennae.
4. Glue On Giant Googly Eyes (or tiny ones)
Honestly, this might be the best part.
The bigger and sillier the googly eyes, the better!
My own 2-year-old is all about tiny…so he went for what he thought were ‘tiny eyes’ in his little high pitched squeaky voice.
- Use glue to attach two eyes to the front of the ant.
- (Optional but highly recommended: Give your ant a name. Toddlers are 1,000% more excited when their ant has a name.)
Take It Further: Extra Fun Activities
Sing “The Ants Go Marching”
After the ants are dry and ready, turn your living room or backyard into a full-on Ant Parade!
Sing the classic “The Ants Go Marching“ song as you march your ants around:
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah!
The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah!
(If you don’t remember all the verses, no worries — make up your own! Toddlers will happily hurrah along no matter what.)
Create an Ant Village
Grab blocks, pillows, cups — anything — and help your kids build a little “ant village” for their bugs to live in.
Use a sheet for a tent or tunnel.
Make “food piles” out of toys or crumpled paper for the ants to “carry.”
Create a “river” they have to cross (blue blanket or chalk lines).
It’s instant dramatic play, and it stretches a simple craft into an entire afternoon of learning-through-play.
Count the Legs and Antennae
Perfect math mini-lesson while you’re playing:
- Count how many legs your ant has (it should be six!)
- Count the antennae (two!)
- How many ants did we make?
- How many legs total? (Six legs times however many ants = toddler brain explosion)
Add Them To Your Sensory Table!
Bug Week Bonus: Extend the Fun
Egg Carton Ants fit perfectly with other Bug Week crafts and printables:
- Pair them with our beaded caterpillar on a leaf activity.
- Add them into your Bug Sensory Bin as extra insects.
- Use them alongside our ladybug counting printables for more math fun!
Related Posts You Might Like:
- Ladybug Craft for Toddlers Using Circles and Paper Punches
- Ladybug Rock Craft: Paint, Play, and Create a Backyard Bug Hunt
- Bee and Beehive Craft with free template
- Bug Counting Printables for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Ready to Start Marching?
Whether you’re painting neon ants, marching through the backyard, or building a whole underground bug city out of couch cushions, this simple egg carton craft is the perfect way to kick off Bug Week fun.
Paint. March. Play. Repeat.
Just don’t be surprised if your kids are still singing “the ants go marching” at bedtime…
