Handmade toys with cardboard! DIY game ideas that will captivate kids
Looking for summer vacation craft ideas or fun toys the whole family can enjoy? With simple cardboard you have at home, you can handcraft all kinds of games—from nostalgic classics to original creations.
In this article, we’ll introduce DIY ideas for popular games everyone knows, like Whac-A-Mole and marble mazes.
Once you’re done, you can play with family and friends and it’s sure to be a hit! Try making cardboard toys and games packed with the fun of creating and the joy of playing!
Handmade cardboard toys! DIY game ideas that will captivate kids (1–10)
Spinning Marble Game
It’s a game where you shoot a marble like in pachinko and try to drop it into a target scoring hole.
It’s simple, but controlling the strength is tricky—if you hit too hard, it’s out—so even adults, not just children, may find themselves getting serious about it.
When forming the cardboard into a spiral, there’s a step where you make cuts with a utility knife; be careful not to apply too much pressure and accidentally cut it off.
It’s simple yet enjoyable for anyone, making it a cardboard craft we recommend for a wide range of situations—from children’s summer projects to recreational activities for seniors.
medal game
Among the medal games found in arcades, pusher games are especially eye-catching.
Also known as coin pushers, these large-scale machines can actually be recreated with cardboard so you can enjoy them at home.
Since you can make it using only easily available materials like cardboard, it’s also great for a child’s summer craft project.
While it’s hard to replicate mechanisms like a slot feature just like the real thing, you can still include a jackpot, so even young children can enjoy a satisfying experience.
It’s also fun to create original decorations as dazzling as those in arcades, so definitely give it a try.
Whac-A-Mole
From electromechanical arcade machines still found in game centers to home toys, the whack-a-mole game has been widely known to all generations since its debut in 1975.
Because it involves detailed work with a cutter and large-scale tasks like making gears, the hurdle is a bit high for small children, but as a summer craft project, it’s a rewarding theme.
By making gears in random shapes so the movement is unpredictable, or by having the person turning the winch change the speed to adjust the difficulty, you can play just like the real thing.
It’s a game whose rules are easy to understand for everyone from young children to the elderly, so it’s also a recommended cardboard craft for recreational activities.
Rock-paper-scissors game
Here’s an idea for a rock-paper-scissors game you can make using craft paper and magnets.
There are three buttons—rock, scissors, and paper—and when you press one, a spinning drum in the center stops so you can play the game.
The mechanism is simple: both the buttons and the drum have magnets attached.
When a button’s magnet connects with the drum’s magnet, the drum stops spinning.
Because you can’t predict where the drum will stop, you can play rock-paper-scissors over and over.
If you use a thin, flexible type, you could even make it out of cardboard!
Marble Maze
Here’s a cardboard toy that kids will be totally absorbed in! Build walls and obstacles out of cardboard, then tilt the board to guide a marble from start to finish—it’s a “marble maze”! Add clever mechanisms, design it stylishly, cute, and cool, and have fun making it!
Painful crocodile
It’s a luck-based game where you press the crocodile’s teeth one by one, and if the mouth snaps shut, you lose.
You can change which tooth is the “losing” one each game using parts on the back, so you can enjoy it just like the commercially sold toy.
Since you’ll cut out fairly small pieces with a craft knife and assemble them with a hot glue gun, it should be a rewarding challenge for a child’s summer craft project.
Care is needed if small children are doing the crafting, but once it’s finished, it offers a real sense of accomplishment and a fun way to get excited with family and friends.
Give it a try!
Wani Wani Panic
This project builds a Whac-A-Gator-style game out of combined cardboard pieces, where targets like crocodiles pop out of holes one after another.
The key is the bent wire hidden inside the base; its unique shape creates the targets’ distinctive popping motion.
It’s also recommended to make targets in various designs, not just crocodiles, to add the fun of anticipating what will appear.
The simple look composed of rectangular shapes makes it easy to customize freely, which is another highlight.
Cardboard vending machine
Let me introduce a cardboard vending machine that looks just like the real thing.
Insert a coin and press a button, and a drink will come out from inside.
Gather materials like milk cartons, cardboard, bubble gum, rubber bands, paper clips, plastic sheets, tape, glue, a ruler, scissors, and a utility knife, and let’s get making.
First, create the internal parts of the cardboard vending machine.
The key is to carefully measure and cut each piece and assemble them together.
Measure the base cardboard as well, and build while checking that it’s large enough to hold the drinks.
It also sounds fun to make your own original drinks!
table soccer
Table soccer is said to have originated in Europe around the 1890s.
Though its structure is simple, the game is surprisingly challenging.
If you can make it using everyday materials—mainly cardboard—it could be perfect for a child’s summer craft project.
Plus, for kids who aren’t very familiar with table soccer itself, it’s sure to be a hit as a game even after it’s finished.
Adding green fabric or colored paper to the field will make it feel more like real soccer, so it’s a fun craft to get creative with.
Air hockey
This project shows how to make the familiar arcade air hockey game using cardboard.
The key is the puck; if you make it glide smoothly, the game will feel fast and exciting.
The overall field is basically a piece of cardboard with walls and goals attached, and laying down baking paper will make the puck slide even more easily.
The puck contains a marble inside; as the marble rolls, it helps the puck glide across the field.
The larger the field, the more strategy and back-and-forth the rallies will have, so it’s important to consider that balance when you build it.