By: Jiwan Singh
Group photo of kids with their fathers
Little feet scuttering, fathers trailing behind with handmade cardboard cars tucked under their arms. The excitement in the room was hard to miss, before the first game had even begun. When was the last time a cardboard box made your child's day?
As part of Go Green SG 2026, Little Skool-House @ Yishun Community Hospital marked Father's Day with a morning of games built almost entirely from recycled materials, bringing preschoolers and their fathers together for a hands-on celebration of giving waste a second life. True to the spirit of the day, the event carried a fitting theme: "Play Today, Protect Tomorrow: Give Waste a Second Life!"
"Children are naturally curious and pick up habits quickly. Introducing sustainability and recycling at a young age helps them understand that their small actions matter, and that's an awareness we can foster early." – Ms Yasmin Ali Zorlu, English Senior Teacher.
Where "Waste" Became a Racetrack
Before the event, these fathers rolled up their sleeves at home, turning materials that would otherwise have ended up in the bin into handmade toy cars. On the day itself, the teachers of Little Skool-House @ Yishun Community Hospital came together to build cardboard roads and ramps with the preschoolers, and soon after, the race was on.
"I made a car with recyclable materials with my dad! It is important to recycle so we can make something for Father's Day," said Aildan Ajit, K1, Kim.
"Activities like this teach children lessons that go beyond recycling. They learn creativity, resilience, and problem solving, and they come to understand that their actions matter, even the small ones. That's how a sense of responsibility and stewardship starts," said Mr Ajit Gopal, Aildan's father.
Scoring Goals the Recycled Way
A rolled-up ball of newspaper was all it took to get a football match going. Fathers and children took turns lining up to get their shots, with a few of the fathers sneaking in some trick moves to show the preschoolers how it's done. Nobody seemed to mind that the ball was made from yesterday's news. It got the job done just fine.
Peekaboo, with a Purpose
Using recycled materials creatively, fathers turned used plastic bottles into tapping tools for a peekaboo game, popping stuffed toys through a repurposed box to entertain the preschoolers.
Building Up, Not Buying New
Fathers and children teamed up to pit against each other in a makeshift game of Jenga, stacking boxes as high as they could. Structures ranged from tall towers to long winding lines across the floor, with a few toppling over along the way. None of the boxes were new. Most had already served their purpose – be it to store groceries, or packed away in a storeroom – and here they were, given a new purpose of creating simple joys.
Stepping Stones, Literally Repurposed
Empty milk tins wrapped in newspaper formed a line of stepping stones for preschoolers to balance across, with their dads cheering them on, and a few brave ones giving it a try on their own. Small wobbles and careful steps were met with encouragement from the sidelines, turning balance and focus into part of the fun.
Old News, New Fun
Old newspapers were rolled and transformed into balls, funnelled through cardboard tubes. Preschoolers took turns sending the balls down the tubes, watching where they would land and chasing after the ones that rolled off course. It made for a full sensory play station, built without a single new toy.
"When we throw things away, it might cause climate change. I learned to recycle things so we don't waste stuff we don't need anymore," said Muhammad Ardani Pasareebu, K2, Peter.
By midday, the games were done and the boxes were sent off for recycling – but not before they had enjoyed a second life as playthings for our preschoolers. Nothing about the event was complicated. It was just fathers and children making use of simple household items to create simple joys while staying sustainable. That, in its own small way, captured exactly what Go Green SG 2026 is all about.
