DIY Activity: Pinecone Bird Feeders

A cosy winter craft for little hands (and hungry birds). These pinecone bird feeders are a straightforward winter activity that works well with toddlers and has a clear purpose at the end. We made ours with a two-year-old on a snowy morning, breaking the process into simple stages to keep things calm, focused, and manageable.

With January temperatures currently around –6°C and forecast to drop as low as –20°C in the coming days and weeks, birds need extra energy to get through the cold. Hanging up feeders is a small, practical way to help, and it’s a nice opportunity to involve young children in doing something useful for wildlife.

⏱️ Time needed: Around 40 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how many feeders you make and your child’s attention span.

We made these three in about 40 minutes, working at a relaxed, toddler-friendly pace. 🖌️ What you’ll need

• Pinecones (dry ones work best)

• Peanut butter

• Mixed bird seed

• Optional: sunflower seeds / nuts (great for variety)

• String or ribbon

• A blunt knife, spatula, or similar tool (we used ceramic tools because that’s what I had to hand – anything safe and spreadable works)

• A few bowls for dipping and pouring

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How to make the bird feeder:

1. Tie the string on first

Before any food appears, tie a length of string or ribbon securely around the top of each pinecone.

This gives your child something to handle straight away and avoids trying to tie knots later when everything is sticky. It also gently sets the tone that this is a process, not a free-for-all.

(We got a bit ahead of ourselves and ended up with sticky fingers trying to tie the first pinecone!)

2. Peanut butter stage

Now for the main event.

Using a blunt knife or spatula, spread peanut butter into all the little cracks and gaps of the pinecone. This is very satisfying work and something even a two-year-old can quickly copy once shown.

Parent tip: If you have a child who is very fond of peanut butter (mine certainly is), it helps to plan ahead. I found it useful to have a small side ramekin of peanut butter just for him. Otherwise, you may not work fast enough to get the peanut butter onto the actual pinecones before your toddler eats it all.

This is also where doing the activity in clear stages really paid off. At this point, the seed bowl stayed firmly out of sight. Only once all the pinecones were peanut-buttered did we move on to the seed stage. It’s very tempting to put everything out on the table at once before you start, but with toddlers that usually leads to chaos. Think magician, not craft table: only reveal the next “ingredient” when it’s time.

Once each pinecone was coated, I hung them up temporarily out of reach. This stopped my

child eating the peanut butter straight off them (you’d think he’d never been fed, not that he’d just had a full breakfast… and some of mine).

3. Seed dipping & pouring

Probably my favourite part! Once all the pinecones were ready, then the bowl of mixed seed made its grand appearance.

Each pinecone was dipped into the seeds and sprinkled over the top. Toddlers are surprisingly good at pouring, and very enthusiastic about it.

For the final pinecone, we brought out a separate bowl of sunflower seeds to make it a bit different. This was a big hit. My child especially loved pushing individual seeds and nuts into the tiny slits of the pinecone — oddly satisfying, even as an adult — and he happily used the spatula to prod seeds deeper so it was really packed out for the birds.

4. Wrap up warm & hang them outside

With all three feeders finished, we put on our winter jackets and headed out into the snow to hang them up.

Instant excitement, immediate sense of purpose, and a very proud toddler :)

5. Enjoy the view

They were an immediate success.

The great tits discovered them first (they’re very common in our area), and judging by the scenes that followed, they clearly told all their friends. We also had visits from a couple of blue tits and some tree sparrows, which was lovely to see.

Bonus activity (unexpected win)

After all the fun, we went back inside and my son helped hoover up all the seed that had been spilled. Craft activity and life skills in one morning? Outstanding.

Final verdict

⭐ 10/10 activity

• My son loved every bit

• Splitting it into stages kept things calm and focused

• It wasn’t overly messy

• You end up with something helpful for wildlife

• A two-year-old can easily grasp each step and feel properly involved

  
  

It’s also nice to finish with something that does something — not that purely arty crafts aren’t worthwhile, but this has that extra dimension of caring for nature and seeing real results. If you give this activity a go, we’d love to hear how it went — feel free to share in the comments or on Instagram and let us know which birds stopped by. You can also subscribe to our newsletter for monthly nature craft ideas, or follow our family account on Insta @Ladybird_family for more slow, seasonal nature activities with little ones.