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Crafts you can make with 100-yen shop items! A collection of fun project ideas that elementary school kids will love

“Amazing crafts from dollar store materials!?” Eye-catching ideas like these are hugely popular among kids right now.

From original keychains and colorful lanterns to fluffy squishies, you can actually make surprisingly high-quality projects with materials you can find nearby.

Here, we’ll introduce fun craft ideas using dollar store supplies that even elementary school children can easily try.

Find your favorite project and enjoy making it!

Art and hobby crafts (11–20)

Cardboard 3D craft

Elementary school art project ideas: hands-on 3D creations using single-face corrugated cardboard
Cardboard 3D craft

Three-dimensional creations using single-faced corrugated cardboard make the most of the material’s qualities depending on the direction and shape of your cuts.

If you cut along the direction of the flutes, the cardboard bends easily; by changing the cutting direction, you can form pillar-like shapes.

Cut long strips and coil them or make rods to combine into towers, arches, or animal bodies—shape them freely.

Connecting multiple parts in three dimensions results in sturdy works.

Painting the surface or adding patterns enhances the finish.

Sculptures born from everyday materials convey the depth of making and the freedom of imagination.

Matchstick crafting play

Art project idea for 3rd and 4th grade elementary students: “Matchstick Art”
Matchstick crafting play

Crafting with matchsticks—creating any shape you like—is a fun hands-on activity that nurtures creativity and fine motor skills.

From arrows and railroad tracks to burst-like patterns reminiscent of fireworks, you can freely assemble designs from flat compositions to three-dimensional forms.

You can arrange matchsticks to draw patterns like a picture, or angle them to build a 3D tower—the key is that each piece emerges from your own unique ideas.

The materials are light and easy to handle, allowing delicate expression even with small combinations of parts.

Displaying the finished pieces side by side reveals a miniature world and sparks the imagination.

With new discoveries each time you make something and the creator’s individuality shining through, matchstick crafts are an idea you can enjoy again and again.

Funny Hundred Faces

[For Kids] Craft: “Funny Hundred Faces.” Easy to make and play with just paper and colored pencils. Art/craft/project ideas for elementary schools, kindergartens, and preschools. DIY activities usable in nursing homes and elder care. Introducing play tools you can make at home with your children.
Funny Hundred Faces

This “Funny Hundred Faces” activity is perfect for people who love drawing and have time to take it slow.

It’s a foldable where you open up a square-folded paper and the expression changes bit by bit.

Draw several different faces—smiling, crying, angry, and more.

You can use your teacher’s or friends’ faces as models, or your favorite animals like rabbits or cats.

If you make it with a big sheet of paper, it could even work as a simple mask.

Since the main focus is on drawing illustrations, have fun while you create it!

A piggy bank with a wagging tail

How to Make a Tail-Wagging Piggy Bank [Paper Clay, Swan, Creative Piggy Bank]
A piggy bank with a wagging tail

When it comes to classic summer independent projects, a “piggy bank” is a staple.

The “Yucho Idea Piggy Bank Contest” held by Japan Post Bank is also well-known.

You might think, “Have all the ideas been used up by now?” but every year a lot of creative piggy banks appear.

So, here’s one to introduce: the “wagging-tail piggy bank.” The simple mechanism is that the weight of the coin you drop in makes the tail sway gently.

If you expand on this mechanism, you could adapt the idea to things like a fishing game or a dinosaur’s neck.

We recommend using air-dry paper clay, which you can paint once it dries!

Let’s make a train out of a milk carton

[Handmade Toy] Let's Make a Train with a Milk Carton!
Let's make a train out of a milk carton

A must for train lovers! Let’s make a train using a milk carton.

First, cut off the bottom 5 cm of the carton.

Open up the remaining part and cut it into four large panels.

Accordion-fold each of the four panels and pack them into the bottom section.

Secure them firmly with tape so nothing comes out.

Next, tape magnets to both sides so the trains can couple together.

Finally, decorate the train with construction paper and seal it with packing tape to finish.

Try making trains in various colors and designs and connect them freely as you play!

locked treasure chest

Lockable Treasure Chest [Cardboard Crafting Recipe]
locked treasure chest

Treasure chests are kind of exciting, aren’t they? And this one even comes with a lock! It’s perfect for curious first graders because they can make it while learning how a lock works.

The process is to use cardboard to create the box, lid, and key parts, then assemble them.

As long as you cut and prepare the parts correctly, you can just glue them together and the build will go smoothly.

Since you’ll be using a hot glue gun to bond the cardboard, be careful to avoid burns while working.

There’s a URL in the video description where you can download the templates, so be sure to check it and give it a try!

Made with 100-yen store items! A collection of fun craft ideas that will delight elementary school kids (1–10)

Cute glasses with moles

[Craft] Super Easy and Cute Pipe Cleaner Glasses! Finished in 5 Minutes! How to Make Them [Straw]
Cute glasses with moles

Let’s make cute glasses using pipe cleaners and straws.

First, think about the shape of the glasses you want to make—try sketching it out.

Round, square, star-shaped—anything you like is fine.

Once you’ve decided on the shape, form it with the pipe cleaners.

A single pipe cleaner isn’t very sturdy, so twist two together into one before shaping.

After the frame is done, thread straws onto the parts that go over your ears, and you’re finished.

If you use the accordion section of the straw over your ears, the glasses are less likely to slip off.

Crafts to enjoy with 100-yen store hacks

@n.annlee321

100-yen store DIY/arrangement ☺️✨Summer Vacation Craft#HandmadeToysParenting#100-yen shop DIY

♬ Utopia – imase

Let’s customize some 100-yen shop items to make a cream soda stand.

For the base, use a flower vase.

Since the top is rounded, apply white masking tape there to represent the ice cream.

For the soda part, attach green iridescent origami paper and add round stickers to mimic bubbles.

Thread a craft pipe through a pom-pom to make a cherry, and stick it onto the base to finish.

You can use it to hold pens or clip memos.

Lots of soap bubbles with DIY

https://www.tiktok.com/@sachimama_asobi/video/7268883132554808578

Let’s have fun making soap bubbles using short-cut straws! First, cut a long strip of double-sided tape and line up the straws, sticking them onto it.

Apply double-sided tape to the other side as well, then roll the straws up tightly from the edge into a spiral and secure it.

Glue on a ring cut from a plastic bottle to serve as a frame, and attach a stick as a handle to finish.

Dip it in bubble solution and blow.

Bubbles will come out from each straw, creating a beautiful effect, and lots come out at once, so even small children can enjoy it.

An ehou-maki that makes you want to take a big bite

https://www.tiktok.com/@n.annlee321/video/7462282645934853383

You can even use it for pretend play! Why not try making an ehomaki that looks so real you’ll want to eat it? It’s super cute and looks just like the real thing! Cut a pool noodle and wrap black felt around the sides.

Take two circles of thick paper, glue white yarn onto them in a spiral to represent white rice, and attach them to the top and bottom of the pool noodle.

Then use felt and beads to make tuna, salmon, cucumber, salmon roe, and more.

Stick them on top of the “rice,” and you’re done!