This Earth Day, I worked on a little project with my 3-year-old: a DIY superhero cape. He was so excited to become “Earth’s protector” — and I loved that we could talk about big ideas like caring for the planet in a way that felt playful and hands-on.
He wore it proudly around the house, yelling “Save the EARTH!” while zooming past laundry baskets, Lego structures and snack bowls.
It was messy, heartfelt, and so much fun!
Step-by-step instructions
A fun, hands-on Earth Day activity we did together — and a great way to remind little ones that everyone (even preschoolers!) can help save the planet.
Age: 3+ with adult help | Time needed: ~1 hour
Materials used:
- Large square piece of felt
- Printed Earth character (or child’s drawing)
- Assorted felt sheets (we used yellow and orange)
- Scissors
- Craft glue (or glue gun)
- Safety pins or string
Step 1: Gather your materials
The boy choose navy blue for his cape, so we bought a big roll of navy blue from Daiso. This one comes in just the right size. I didn’t even have to trim it into a cape shape. I also prepared assorted felt in orange (sun) and yellow (stars), and grabbed other tools like scissors, string (didn’t end up using) and these amazing child-safe safety pins from Daiso.
I printed a colouring sheet for him to colour, and he got so excited he even stuck Spiderman stickers on it.
Step 2: Cut out your superhero elements
We started by cutting out the decorated Earth character, then designed the layout together. We added yellow felt stars and cut out letters for the slogan: SAVE THE EARTH.
To save time, I didn’t bother with stencils. I just used a paper star cut-out and followed the lines. For the letters, it was a mix of freehand and roughly tracing over marker outlines — good enough for a cape made with love!
Step 3: Glue everything down
This was a great step to let my 3-year-old decide where things should go. He chose to fly through space — so we added stars and made the Earth the hero. Then, we used craft glue for the paper Earth and felt pieces. I let him press gently and leave it to dry for a few minutes.
Step 4: Add safety pin or string
We attached the cape with a safety pin — so glad to have this child-safety pins in Daiso! You can also use string or velcro strips to tie it around the neck loosely.
Step 5: Ready for takeoff!
The finished cape was a hit — and he zoomed around proudly yelling “SAVE THE EARTH!” A fun little project with a meaningful message.
This Little Season 