Age 4: Simple and Fun! Handmade Toy Ideas
By the age of four, children’s imaginations blossom, and they become able to express their thoughts and feelings smoothly in words.
They also get better at using tools like scissors and glue, which further expands the range of crafts they can make.
So this time, we’re introducing handmade toy ideas that will captivate four-year-olds.
From moving toys to flying toys to sound-making toys, there are plenty of fun ideas that will capture a four-year-old’s heart!
Encourage children to use their free imagination and expressive power to make a favorite piece.
We hope they have lots of fun playing while enjoying communication with their friends!
- Craft activity ideas for 4-year-olds
- Recommended for 5-year-olds! Simple DIY toy ideas
- [Nursery/Kindergarten] Crafts you can play with after making them
- [For 4-year-olds] Ideas for group games and craft activities that can be done indoors
- May: Craft Ideas That Excite 4-Year-Olds!
- [For toddlers] Simple but amazing craft ideas — including toys they can play with
- For 4-year-olds! Introducing recommended indoor activities, group games, and crafts
- Let's make toys with paper cups! Simple and fun handmade toys
- Let’s make it with 3-year-olds! Fun handmade toy ideas
- [Childcare] Recommended for toddlers! Toy ideas you can make and play with
- [Childcare] Easy! Make a DIY target game. Playful craft and fun game
- Let's play with paper cups! Crafts and indoor play
- [For 4-Year-Olds] Fun to Make! A Collection of Halloween Craft Ideas
[Age 4] Easy and fun! Handmade toy ideas (21–30)
Paper cup rocket you can play with indoors
Let’s make a rocket you can play with indoors using a familiar material: paper cups! Since it’s made with paper cups, you don’t have to worry about getting hurt when you launch it.
First, prepare two paper cups and cut four slits into one of them.
Next, cross two rubber bands, tie them together, and attach them to the slits on the paper cup.
Your rocket is ready! Place this ‘rocket’ over the other paper cup and release your hand to make it fly.
It’s also fun to draw freely on the paper cups with markers or decorate them with construction paper and stickers.
Anpanman
Here’s a handmade spinning-top idea that’s perfect for kids who love Anpanman.
The charm is that you can make it with materials you likely already have at home, like paper plates and plastic bottle caps! It’s designed so even small children can spin it easily, so why not try making it together with your child? First, create Anpanman’s face slightly smaller than the paper plate.
Next, wrap a plastic bottle cap with vinyl tape to make the nose and fix it at the center of Anpanman’s face.
Also attach another cap to the center on the back of the paper plate.
To finish, stick pieces of sparkly origami paper cut into squares around the edge of the plate, and you’re done! Try other characters too, like Baikinman, not just Anpanman.
Bunbun top (whirligig)
How about making a bunbun-goma—a classic whirling toy that spins with a satisfying buzz—using a milk carton? First, open the milk carton and cut off the bottom.
Cut out another piece from a milk carton in the same size.
Draw lines to mark the center, then draw any design you like on the white side.
Glue the two pieces together, and use an awl to make two holes in the center to thread a piece of twine through.
It helps to tape the end of the twine with cellophane tape to make threading easier.
It’s an old-fashioned toy that lets you enjoy not only the sound but also the changing patterns as it spins.
Space Travel Game
Let me introduce a handmade space travel game.
Prepare 10 round magnets, round stickers, straws, and construction paper, and let’s make it together.
For the spaceship, attach a straw to a magnet, stick on a round sticker, and draw a rocket illustration.
Next, create a flight course for the spaceship on a base sheet of construction paper.
Cut black construction paper into circles and glue magnets at the center to make black holes.
Stick several of these black holes along the course, and you’re done.
Pilot the spaceship and try to reach the goal without getting swallowed by the black holes.
Musical Instrument Crafting: Guitar
We’d like to introduce a DIY musical-instrument craft: a guitar you can play once it’s finished.
Prepare four paper cups, three rubber bands, a felt-tip pen, tape, and scissors.
First, place the bottoms of two paper cups together and secure them with tape so they don’t shift.
Next, make three slits in the rim of each of the remaining two paper cups.
Insert these slit cups onto the taped-together cups, and hook the three rubber bands onto the slits so they don’t cross over like an X.
Finally, pluck the rubber bands to check that they make sound—that’s it! The steps are simple, so give it a try!
Paku-Paku Bear
Pakupaku Kuma-san: a bear face sewn onto a large piece of felt with a zipper for its mouth.
Next to the bear, items like rice balls, bread, eggs, and vegetables are attached with snap buttons.
You can unfasten them and feed them to the bear—it’s a toy, right? The actions of unbuttoning and buttoning seem helpful for developing fine motor skills, and seeing the bear eagerly eat everything might spark children’s interest in food, making them think, “I want to try the same thing,” or “I wonder what it tastes like?”
Cardboard mini car case
Even tidying up is simple! Here’s an idea for a cardboard mini car case.
Many kids love toy cars like mini cars, don’t they? This idea is perfect if you’re thinking, “I want to make a road for cars to drive on and give it as a gift,” or “I’d be happy if it’s easy to take toys in and out.” It’s unique because when you open the storage case for the mini cars, it transforms into a townscape with roads.
Adding a handle makes it easy to carry, which is a nice bonus.
Definitely give it a try!