Recommended for elementary students! A collection of fun craft ideas for 3rd graders

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked for 10 years as a kindergarten teacher and for 7 years as an after-school childcare instructor, then took a post as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I also engaged in activities that shared Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational play, working with many children. Afterwards, through freelance writing, planning, and editing work at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and conveying ideas. Leveraging the perspective cultivated in educational settings and my experience as an editor, I aim to deliver practical information—focusing on fields related to music and children—that values both input and output. Hobbies include instruments, singing, handcrafts, toys, drawing, traditional play, the outdoors, books, DIY, and crafts. Special skill: spinning-top tricks.

Third graders are growing in their ability to think for themselves and come up with ideas.

They’re full of curiosity and learn many things through play with friends.

It’s also a stage where working with their hands gives them a strong sense of accomplishment.

Here, we introduce craft ideas recommended for third graders.

We’ve gathered projects that spark creativity and are fun to make.

Each one uses everyday materials so kids can enjoy the process of creating something delightful.

Be sure to use this as a guide and try crafts that are enjoyable both while making them and after they’re done!

Recommended for elementary school kids! A fun collection of craft ideas for 3rd graders (111–120)

Handmade star wand

@n.annlee321
Replying to @miukanon0101 Star wand ☺️✨#tiktok classroom #StayHomeTime Life with children Tanabata #Summer Vacation
Shuwa-shuwa Honey Lemon 350ml – Sharou

Many girls probably love wands, don’t they? You often see them in anime with magical-girl themes.

This time, I’ll introduce an idea for making a simple wand.

Thread ten 2 cm pieces of straw and five beads alternately onto a 30 cm chenille stem (pipe cleaner), then shape it into a star.

Twist the two ends of the stem together to secure it, trim any excess, then take a 15 cm chenille stem folded in half, hook it onto the star, and twist it into a single rod.

Slide on a straw and glue it in place to finish.

It might also look cute decorated with washi tape, etc.

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sasashina

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Craft ideas made with origami and a shredder

https://www.tiktok.com/@n.annlee321/video/7068609584490892545

Let’s use the shredding function that cuts paper into fine strips to create various shapes.

We’ll use a hand-crank shredder, and by controlling where you stop shredding and other small tricks, you can make different parts and combine them.

Food motifs are an easy example: if you insert long, thin strips sideways and shred them even finer, they can look like a coating or breading; roll up long, thin strips and they’ll resemble shredded cabbage.

By layering parts and experimenting with how you bend them, you can also add a sense of three-dimensionality.

Think carefully about how to reproduce what you want to make.

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kappamaki

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Easy Spinning Top Made from a Milk Carton

@silk_haru3mama
Simple spinning top made from a milk cartonSummer Vacation Craft Summer Vacation Craft #HandmadeToys #HandmadeEducationalToy #Milk Carton Crafts #Milk carton #AtHomePlay work Simple craft Educational toy #Summer Vacation
Fuzzy Navel – Conton Candy

Here’s an idea for making a spinning top you blow on using a milk carton.

First, cut the carton about 1.5 cm up from the bottom, then make slits at the four corners and open it up.

Next, rotating the carton in a consistent direction from each corner, cut along the edges of the bottom.

Leave about 1 cm uncut at the ends.

Bend the sections you just cut inward so they gather toward the center, and decorate with masking tape or stickers to finish.

If you blow straight down from above, it will spin around and around.

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Picnic bag made from a box

https://www.tiktok.com/@sayacky_be.child/video/7505368642545093896

We’ll show you how to make an adorable picnic bag that’s a joy to open.

Prepare a one-piece box with an attached lid as the base.

Cut the box into your preferred picnic bag shape, then cover the entire surface with a makeover sheet that gives it a woven basket look.

Attach a handle and adhere fabric to the inside of the box to finish.

Any handle you like is fine.

As for fabric, a classic check pattern is always a good choice, but use your favorite.

Make some sandwiches and pop them in to complete a realistic-looking picnic bag!

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sasashina

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Simple salt sand art

https://www.tiktok.com/@watako.hoiku/video/7518559229125364999

This is about layering different colors of salt in a glass to create a picture-like, beautiful look.

Start by making colors that match what you want to create: mix paint into the salt to prepare it.

Once your colored salt is ready, simply layer it into the glass.

It’s best to pay attention to the boundaries between colors and avoid overmixing.

After filling the glass, press the layers to compact them—you can aim for more complex shapes this way.

Try various patterns to see what you can achieve.

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kappamaki

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paper cup hat

https://www.tiktok.com/@lunimama_asobi/video/7383701099234004240

If you’re looking for a craft idea that can double as a decoration, how about making a paper cup hat? Cut off the rim of a paper cup, then leave about one-third from the bottom intact and make many vertical slits starting from the rim side.

Spread the slit sections outward, then weave them by folding them up diagonally from the rim side to form the brim of the hat.

Decorate it with your favorite ribbon and you’re done.

The color and pattern of the paper cup will become the hat’s design as-is, so choosing the cups is part of the fun, too.

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sasashina

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Homemade Pakkuncho

@chibi_miran
How to Make a DIY “Pakkuncho” for First Graders ~Part 1~ The Drafting Edition Was Insanely Good lolGenius at crafts
♬ Jamboree Mickey! – Tokyo Disneyland

How about making your own version of your favorite snack package? First, buy the real product and carefully study its packaging.

Trace the shape onto construction paper or similar, and then recreate everything—the design and the text—just like the original.

After coloring it with pens or other materials, cut it out, assemble it, and you’re done.

It’s a task that requires patience, but the steps are very simple.

Find a package you love and give it a try!

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sasashina

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