Craft a real playable DIY claw machine using everyday materials!
A crane game that kids and adults can’t help but get hooked on! Why not try recreating it as a handmade version you can play anytime? Using familiar materials you already have at home, you can make a realistic crane game.
From the arm’s movement to the claw opening and closing, there are plenty of playful mechanisms.
Options range from battery- and motor-powered electric versions to manual versions operated with twine, with varying levels of difficulty.
You’ll enjoy the building process, and once it’s finished, you can have an exciting time playing with family and friends.
Here’s how to make your own handmade crane game.
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- A simple yet amazing craft you can make with straws! An idea that will have you completely absorbed
Can be made with familiar materials! DIY crane game ideas you can seriously play with (1–10)
Magnet Crane Game
A crane game that uses magnets can become uniquely fun with just a few clever tweaks.
We recommend building a frame out of cardboard and attaching a clear plastic panel so you can see inside.
Install paper cups inside to hold prizes, and run a tension rod through the sides to create the crane’s range of motion.
Attach a magnet to the end of a string, and it turns into a mechanism that can lift prizes with metal embedded in them.
By turning a wooden rod to raise and lower the string, you can aim and drop with great control, making each attempt exciting.
It’s a compelling idea that lets you experience the fun of ingenuity while you play.
Simple claw machine with twine and clips
How about making and enjoying a crane game—just like the popular ones at arcades—by yourselves? Connect several straws to create the crane’s axle, and tie on a piece of twine with a clip attached.
Pass the axle through a box made by cutting out cardboard, and you’re done: by rotating the straw section, the clip will catch items inside and lift them up! Fill it with light items like empty candy boxes or small figures, and you can play again and again—an exciting game packed with fun.
Operate with 4 strings! UFO catcher
This is a crane game that lets you freely play with strings while also exercising fine motor skills.
Use construction paper to make the pillars and frame, and fix bamboo skewers to the base to attach the strings.
Hang a weighted arm made from construction paper there, thread fishing line through it, and set it up so you can pull from four directions.
When you pull the strings, the arm opens; when you release them, the weight causes it to naturally close—allowing you to play just like a real UFO catcher.
Finally, add a prize retrieval slot, and you’ll have a solid finished product that can actually grab and collect prizes.
Building it while understanding the mechanism makes it educational, and it’s a unique idea that encourages trial and error through play.
Made with everyday materials! DIY claw machine ideas you can genuinely play with (11–20)
Handmade crane game out of cardboard!
A claw machine made from cardboard is a perfect activity for kids who love crafts.
By assembling the cardboard into a box and cutting out windows so you can see inside, you can create the feel of a real arcade machine.
If you use pipe cleaners for the arm, it will move flexibly, letting you enjoy the sensation of grabbing prizes.
Fill it with plush toys or light trinkets, and each attempt becomes more exciting—you can even compete with friends and family.
You can adjust the difficulty by changing how you build it, and once it’s finished, you’ll experience both the satisfaction of completing it and the fun of playing.
It’s a creative idea that lets you enjoy an arcade vibe using familiar, everyday materials.
Fishing-rod crane game
Let’s make a two-pronged crane using materials like cardboard.
You’ll need cardboard, twine, bendable straws, duct tape, toothpicks, paper clips, glue, and so on.
Use an awl to make holes in the claw parts of the cardboard arm, and reinforce them by laminating three layers together.
Attach those claw parts to the base of the arm and secure them with a toothpick so they can move freely.
The parts that grip objects are paper clips.
Attach a control stick to the arm and connect it with string, and you’re done.
Projects like this can enhance creative thinking by helping you understand the mechanisms as you build.
A UFO catcher made with two paper cups
This is a paper-cup craft that lets you enjoy an arcade-like experience using only everyday materials.
Cut slits into the first paper cup, spread them open, and fix a straw in place to create an arm-like mechanism.
Punch a hole in the second paper cup and thread the straw through it to complete a movable arm.
Set lightweight toys or paper-made prizes in place, and kids can enjoy the excitement of aiming and catching them.
Playing with a device they made themselves boosts their sense of accomplishment and helps develop observation and problem-solving skills.
It’s a unique idea that’s both fun and educational, guaranteed to get everyone engaged.
Crane game using paper cups
Let’s try making a paper-cup version of the ever-popular crane game from arcades.
The crane game market has been growing year by year, and it’s said that more than half of total sales at amusement facilities come from crane games.
Now, once you’ve prepared two paper cups, use one to make the crane body and the other to create the arm.
It nicely recreates that unreliable, hard-to-grab feeling of the arm.
The real machines move up, down, left, and right with control buttons, but for this crane, you’ll have to operate even the opening and closing of the arm by hand.