A simple yet amazing craft using paper cups! An idea that’s also great for independent research projects.
We’re introducing paper cup crafts that will make you think, “I can make this myself!” With paper cups, you can create surprisingly professional projects like clocks, pinhole cameras, and even tyrannosauruses.
They might seem difficult at first, but the methods are actually very simple.
Here, we’ve gathered lots of fun paper cup crafts you can make with everyday materials.
It’s perfect for anyone who loves crafting, from adults to children.
Use this as a guide to create wonderful pieces with paper cups!
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A simple yet amazing craft made with paper cups! Ideas recommended for independent research (61–70)
Guitar
A cool, realistic guitar you can make from everyday materials like paper cups and toilet paper rolls! It’s a fun instrument craft that even lower elementary school kids can enjoy, so it’s perfect for a summer vacation project.
Combine a paper cup and a cardboard tube to build the guitar’s base, then hook rubber bands into slits to make the strings.
If you have time, try adding a mechanism that changes the guitar’s sound or make a pick! Use patterned paper cups or decorate it however you like, and you’ll have a one-of-a-kind, special guitar.
Frisbee
You can make a thin Frisbee out of a paper cup! Make eight straight cuts with scissors from the rim down toward the bottom of the cup.
Then just open it up to finish the shape! You can decorate the wing-like flaps by drawing on them or adding washi tape—totally fine! Even elementary school kids can do it in under five minutes!
Magic hand
Why not make a magic grabber with irresistibly unique movements? First, prepare two paper cups.
On one cup, cut slits to match the shape of a hand; once you’ve formed five fingers, fold them back to the opposite side.
Next, make a roughly 2 cm slit at the tip of a straw, and staple it to the center of the paper cup you cut into a hand shape.
Finally, poke a hole in the center of the bottom of the other paper cup and thread the straw through—your grabber is ready.
When you move the straw up and down, the paper-cup hand opens and closes so you can grab things like paper scraps.
It’s fun to use when tidying up, and it could work as a crane game, too!
Rocket
This is a rocket you can easily make with paper cups! First, place the bottoms of two paper cups together and tape them in place.
Next, slightly bend the middle of a paperclip.
Even elementary school kids can bend it easily! Attach the clip where the cup bottoms meet, aligning it with the curve of the cups.
Finally, attach three rubber bands, and you’re done! Hook the rubber bands onto the bent part of the clip, twist them around about three times, hook them on your index finger, and release your finger…
and it takes off!
A toy where beads bounce with your voice
Let’s make a toy that makes the energy of your voice visible.
You’ll use two paper cups (one small, one large), a plastic cup, and some small beads.
First, cut out the bottom of the small paper cup.
Next, make a hole in the side of the large paper cup and insert the small paper cup into it.
Then, use scissors to cut about 1.5 cm off the rim side of the plastic cup.
Finally, place the beads on the bottom of the large paper cup, cover them by stacking the plastic cup on top like a lid, and secure it with tape—done! When you put your mouth to the small paper cup and speak loudly, the beads will bounce.
That’s because your voice makes the air vibrate, and those vibrations are transmitted to the paper cup, causing the beads to jump.
It’s a perfect toy for learning how sound works.
puppet
Let’s make a simple marionette with mysterious movements using paper cups! Use a paper cup and a toilet paper roll to create the head and face.
Then use straws to make the arms and legs, attaching ping-pong balls to the hands and plastic bottle caps to the feet.
Connect everything except the head and torso with strings threaded through the straws.
Finally, attach the control strings to the head and other parts, and make the handle by crossing two chopsticks in an X shape.
Your marionette is complete!
Paper-cup hat
How about trying to make a tiny hat using a paper cup? Cut off the rim (the drinking edge) of the cup, then make thin, evenly spaced slits.
Crease each strip diagonally about halfway down, and from there, start folding and weaving them so they overlap with the neighboring strips.
It might seem a bit tricky at first, but once you get used to it, you’ll be fine—and it becomes fun as you go.
Tuck in the ends to finish the weave, then decorate with ribbon or felt.
If you use a craft-style paper cup, you can make a straw hat.
