Simple yet amazing crafts made with milk cartons! A collection of ideas that will captivate elementary school children and toddlers.

House-shaped storage shelf

A tiny house-shaped storage shelf made from a milk carton

Don’t milk cartons look like little houses? Let’s make a house-shaped storage shelf inspired by that shape! It’s a fun summer break craft to do with your kids while thinking about recycling.

The basic method is to cut the milk carton and decorate it with things like craft bands.

When making the shelf section, you’ll be cutting right along the edge of the carton, so be careful when using a utility knife.

Feel free to decorate the walls, roof, and windows however you like! You can display it in your room as a miniature house or use it to store your favorite items.

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chair

Let's take on the challenge as a parent and child! Let's make a chair out of milk cartons.

Let’s collect the milk cartons you drink every day and make a chair! It’s a great parent–child project to try during a long vacation like summer break, steadily drinking milk each day.

First, cut open the milk cartons.

On the bottom side, cut diagonally with scissors to create a zigzag edge.

Do the same on the opposite side, then assemble the carton into a triangular prism and stuff it with newspaper.

Make 24 of these.

Combine them into parts—one part using 5 prisms and another using 7—and put the parts together to form a hexagonal chair base.

Reinforce the seat with cardboard, attach your favorite fabric, and you’re done! You can create various chair shapes depending on how you combine the parts, so give it a try!

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Block Puzzle

Block puzzles are well-known as educational toys.

If you want to make a handmade block puzzle with things you have at home, why not try using milk cartons? By using familiar materials, it won’t cost anything, and you can recycle at the same time—two birds with one stone! You can use the bottom of the milk carton and draw your child’s favorite characters or picture book-style illustrations.

Adjust the number of puzzle blocks to suit your child’s age and development.

Handmade toys are filled with love, and your child will likely be delighted and absorbed in playing with them.

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Camera craft

[Independent Research] Projecting an Inverted Real Image with a DIY Camera!

Let’s try making a camera using a milk carton.

A camera is handy for taking photos and preserving memories.

It’s a simple version, but you can make it yourself.

You’ll use a milk carton, a plastic bag, a magnifying glass to act as a lens, and black construction paper.

First, cut off the top and bottom of the milk carton.

On one end, fold the edges inward about 1 cm on all four sides, then cover it with a cut piece of plastic bag and secure it.

Next, make a tube out of black construction paper that’s just a little larger than the milk carton, and fold in the edges on one end in the same way.

Fix the magnifying glass there, and then insert the milk carton you prepared earlier into the inside of the tube to finish.

Take it outside and experiment to see how it looks!

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soccer ball

[Craft] Let's make a soccer ball out of a milk carton [Summer vacation project] soccer ball

Perfect for kids who love soccer! Why not make a realistic soccer ball out of milk cartons? It’s great for a summer vacation craft project, so take this opportunity to give it a try! First, prepare templates for pentagons and hexagons, then cut the milk cartons to match the templates.

You’ll need 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons, so it might be a bit of a patience-testing task.

Also, attach black colored paper to the pentagons.

Glue all the pieces together to form a soccer ball, stuff it with newspaper, and you’re done! It gets more challenging as it becomes more spherical, so don’t give up—keep at it!

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Let’s make a train out of a milk carton

[Handmade Toy] Let's Make a Train with 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!

Spinning Roulette

Try your luck by inserting a coin♪ A milk carton roulette that also works as a piggy bank

This is a craft using a milk carton that lets you enjoy a spinning roulette game! When you insert a coin, the roulette spins around and around, so you can not only play with it but also use it as a piggy bank.

It’s great that you can make it with familiar materials like a milk carton, bamboo skewers, and straws! Choose the roulette content—illustrations, emojis, numbers, etc.—to match your child’s age.

In kindergartens and nursery schools, try using pretend bank coins for even more fun.

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