RAG MusicPlay & Recreation
Lovely Play & Recreation

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!

Handmade Toys (1–10)

Paper Plate Balance Game

A fun parent-child craft game! Can you balance marbles evenly on a wobbly paper plate? #crafts #handmadetoys #easycrafts
Paper Plate Balance Game

Let me introduce a guaranteed crowd-pleasing, handmade recreation activity you can make and play with elementary school kids: the Paper Plate Balance Game.

Paint a paper plate in four colors—red, yellow, blue, and green—and attach capsule toy containers or paper cups underneath to create an unstable balancing base.

The rules use two kinds of dice: one regular number die and a special die with “colors” and faces like “x2” and “x3.” Players take turns placing small counters (like marbles or flat game pieces) according to the color and number rolled.

If you upset the balance and make pieces fall, you lose.

It’s easy to make, and a fun idea game that nurtures dexterity, concentration, and creativity.

Flower fidget spinner

@n.annlee321

A festive plum blossom hand spinner ☺️✨#2022#tiktok classroomLife with children#VideoYouCan'tHelpButWatch

♬ Relaxing cute everyday BGM – Hiraoka

How about making your own hand spinner that twirls between your fingers or on a desk, finished in a cute flower shape? Use two circles cut from cardboard for the finger pads, connect them with a toothpick to form the axle, and attach the spinning flower piece between them, leaving a slight gap as you assemble the axle.

The way it spins will change depending on the gap between your fingers and the rotating part, as well as the size of the hole the toothpick passes through, so try building it while experimenting with ways to make it spin longer.

Flower Hand-cranked Spinning Top

@n.annlee321

A hand-spun top that you spin with your palm ☺️✨Summer Vacation Craft#tiktok classroomLife with children#HandmadeToys

♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

Let’s make a hand-spun top that you spin vigorously with your hand, designed with a cute, flower-inspired look.

We’ll use a disposable chopstick as the top’s axle, and wrap long, folded strips of paper around it to form the shape of the top.

Everyone should clearly imagine their favorite flower and think about which colors of paper will best match that flower.

Wrapping the paper tightly is the key to making the whole piece sturdy and ensuring it spins well.

An hourglass made of straws

https://www.tiktok.com/@silk_haru3mama/video/7387370933188578568

Let’s make a toy where short straws fall like an hourglass.

First, cut a wire to 40 cm and wrap it around a pencil to make a spring.

Prepare two small paper cups and make a hole in the center of each bottom; thread one cup onto one end of the spring and secure it.

Stretch the spring and thread short, cut pieces of straw onto it.

Then thread and secure the other paper cup on the opposite end.

To prevent the spring from expanding and contracting, bridge two chopsticks between the two cups and glue them in place, and you’re done! Decorate the paper cups and chopsticks with masking tape or stickers to make it cute.

big cracker

[Elementary School Craft] Giant Party Popper 🎉 Playable Megaphone
big cracker

Here’s how to make a fun megaphone cracker.

First, cut off both edges of a clear file folder to separate it into two sheets.

Fold one of the sheets in half lengthwise and cut along the fold.

Next, roll one of the cut pieces into a tube, then tape this tube to the center of the larger remaining sheet.

Roll the sheet into a megaphone shape and secure it.

Then roll the other remaining piece into a long, thin tube, thread it through the center of the megaphone, and tape one end so it connects with a rubber band-like loop.

Prepare three pieces of plastic string cut to an appropriate length, attach aluminum foil to their tips, and crumple the foil into little balls.

Finally, tape the strings with the foil tips to the end of the inner tube that runs through the center.

And you’re done! A flashy, eye-catching megaphone cracker—give it a try!