Age 4: Simple and Fun! Handmade Toy Ideas

Dreamland with a magnet

Easy Craft: How to Make 'Dreamland with Magnets'

Learn about magnets while having fun crafting! Here’s a magnetic Dreamland idea.

The charm of this project is that you can make a mysterious, entertaining toy that moves using capsules and magnets.

You’ll need origami paper, a white board, construction paper, magnets, empty gashapon capsules, poster paper, a color wave sheet, glue, scissors, and pens.

Draw roads on the board and decorate with construction paper and the color wave sheet.

Put a car illustration on an empty capsule and place a magnet inside—then it’s done! Move the capsule with the car illustration by guiding a magnet from the back of the board!

Magnet and pipe cleaner toy

No.108 “Magnet and Pipe Cleaner Toy” [Handmade Toy by a Nursery Teacher]

Let me introduce a toy using magnets and pipe cleaners.

Prepare an empty 6-piece cheese box, bottle caps, pipe cleaners, a plastic sheet, drawing paper, string, clear tape, vinyl tape, and glue, and let’s make it.

Line the inside of the empty cheese box with drawing paper to create the base.

Cut the plastic sheet into a circle to make a window.

Choose the colors of the pipe cleaners, cut them to length, and place them inside the cheese box to get ready.

Put a magnet inside a bottle cap, and tape two caps together with vinyl tape so the magnet won’t fall out.

Make a hole in the cap, thread the string through, and create the magnetic part that will move the pipe cleaners.

By holding the magnet against the outside of the cheese box, the pipe cleaners inside gather and move, making it a fun toy to play with!

Climbing Santa Claus made with a paper cup

[Craft Play] Christmas Project: Let’s Make a Climbing Santa

Here’s a craft idea themed around Santa Claus climbing a chimney to deliver presents! First, prepare a paper cup with the bottom cut out.

Attach two short pieces of straw to the inside of the cup with tape, placing them diagonally opposite each other.

Next, thread a piece of string through one straw, then loop it back through the other straw to create a U-shape—that completes the mechanism.

Decorate the outside of the cup with a Santa Claus cutout made from cardstock, and you’re done! Hook the top of the U-shaped string onto something like a hook, then pull the two hanging ends alternately, left and right, and Santa will climb higher and higher! The best part is that it’s not just for display—you can actually play with it.

You might also draw Christmas-themed designs directly on the paper cup.

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Araki Jakkan

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snail

Art using marbles is gaining attention.

It’s fun to dip marbles in paint and roll them around on paper to create unpredictable patterns, and it can also lead to surprising results beyond your expectations.

Here, choose a round sheet of paper in your favorite color and roll marbles coated in colors you like to make a pattern on it.

We’ll use that as the snail’s shell.

Snails go well with rainy scenes, and the traces left by the marbles—like after a rain—should match nicely, creating a lovely atmosphere.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Panda’s Tambourine

Cute instruments can lift the mood! Here’s a panda tambourine idea to try.

You’ll need a paper plate, a straw, scissors, masking tape, panda parts cut from construction paper, and glue or double-sided tape.

First, cut the straw with scissors.

Next, fold the paper plate in half, put the cut straw pieces inside, and seal it.

Finally, attach the panda parts made from construction paper—and you’re done! It’s a charming, creative idea that will capture children’s interest.

Give it a try!