A simple yet amazing craft using paper cups! An idea that’s also great for independent research projects.

Cute crafts for the kitchen

Great for free craft time too! 'Cute Crafts in the Kitchen for Elementary School Kids' (Gakken) – children, parents and kids, DIY, at-home activities

This is a craft project where you use everyday materials like paper cups, paper napkins, and water balloons to make small, play-kitchen-style items.

The book features recipe-style crafts focused on cute sweets such as ice cream, cupcakes, and pudding, making it feel as fun as flipping through a cookbook.

One especially noteworthy method is making a dome-shaped cup by pasting paper napkins onto a water balloon, letting it dry, and then popping the balloon.

Add toppings made from felt or origami to finish it off so it looks like a real dessert.

You can also customize paper plates and drink cups to create displays that look like a charming little shop.

It’s a visually delightful craft that sparks creativity.

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mutō

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Well-spinning paper cup top

[Playable Craft] How to Make a Simple, Well-Spinning Top (Paper Cup & Plastic Bottle Cap) [Easy Crafting with Recycled Materials] Fun at Home

This is a spinning top made with a paper cup that spins well and is fun to watch because of its colorful look.

All you need are a paper cup and two plastic bottle caps.

First, cut slits into the paper cup and spread them out like propeller blades, then attach an axle made by combining the two caps.

That’s enough to complete the basic shape, but it’s recommended to decorate the “propellers” with an eye toward how it will look while spinning.

The impression changes depending on whether you spread the propellers before decorating or decorate first and then cut the slits, so try out various patterns.

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kappamaki

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A flying octopus? Tako-copter

A flying octopus? A toy like a bamboo-copter made from a paper cup: the 'TacoCopter' #easyCraft #paperCup #flyingCraft

It’s a toy that combines paper cups and a round chopstick to spin like a bamboo-copter and soar into the sky.

By spreading “wings” that catch the wind and coloring it mainly red, it takes on a curious form—a flying octopus.

You’ll use two paper cups and a round chopstick: attach the chopstick and the octopus’s facial parts to a paper cup with only the bottom left to create a launcher.

Then cut slits into the other paper cup, spread it out to form propeller-like blades, and attach it to the launcher to finish.

Fine-tune the propeller angles to make your octopus fly even higher.

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kappamaki

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spool tank

[Simple Craft 013] Paper Cup Spool Tank — Goes Fairly Straight: Pincushion Tanks

Do you know spool tanks? They’re a classic DIY toy that looks like a spool with chopsticks attached.

The chopsticks are connected to the spool with a rubber band; when you twist it, it stores energy, and when you let go, it moves forward on its own.

How about making the spool part out of a paper cup? It’s bigger than a regular spool, so it’s more impressive, and you can have fun decorating it.

They can also run quite fast, so racing them makes for an exciting activity.

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yamamoto

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pinhole camera

[Easy! Parent-Child Experiment] Let's Make a Pinhole Camera [Great for Independent Research Too]

I’m going to show you how to make a pinhole camera that displays an upside-down image.

First, use a flattened paper cup as a template to trace onto black construction paper, cut it out, and glue it to the inside and outside of five paper cups.

Cut out the bottom of four of the cups.

Next, in the cup that still has its bottom, make a hole about 1 cm wide in the center of the bottom and glue aluminum foil over it.

Poke a small hole in the center of the foil and paint the surrounding area black.

Then cut a piece of tracing paper and attach it to the bottom opening of one of the cups whose bottom you removed.

Finally, stack the cups in this order: the one with the aluminum foil, then the three with the bottoms removed, and last the one with tracing paper on the bottom.

You’re done! Try looking at different things and have fun experimenting.

clock

Improvised Craft No. 15: “Paper Cup Matching Clock”

Let’s make a fun clock from a paper cup, where the hands tick when you move the straws! First, cut the paper cup about 3 cm up from the bottom, and use an awl to make a hole in the center of the bottom.

Next, write the numbers 1 through 12 on round stickers and attach them around the outside of the cup’s bottom to form the clock face.

Prepare two bendable straws, make small slits, then overlap the two straws.

Insert them into another paper cup that has holes in the center of the bottom and on the side.

Use another straw to go through the bottom and secure it in place.

Finally, stack the cup with the clock face over the cup with the straws threaded through, and tape them together to finish.

It’s a clever idea that makes good use of the straw structure.

Lantern

Let's make a lamp with a dollar-store LED and a paper cup♪

Let’s make a cute original lantern using a paper cup! Punch lots of holes in the side of the cup in any shapes you like.

Then stick colored cellophane of your choice on the inside to cover the holes—and you’re done! After that, just put an LED light from a dollar store inside, and your easy, original paper cup lantern will light up! It looks fancy, but it’s actually so simple that even elementary school kids can do it, so give it a try!

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SAKI

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