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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Made with everyday materials! DIY claw machine ideas you can genuinely play with (11–20)
Three-pronged crane game operated with four strings
Let’s try making a handmade three-pronged claw using wire.
Attach twine to the wire claw; with a clever setup using four strands of twine, it can even pick up something the size of a chocolate bar.
Make three parts by wrapping straws around aluminum wire, then bring them together onto a single wire.
The key is to add weights to the claws so the weight naturally opens them.
Attach twine to the claws and connect them to the main body of the claw machine.
You can build the main body, roof, and base by cutting and assembling cardboard or thick paper, or by reusing empty boxes.
Create the roof section of the main body and add straws to the body to form channels for the twine so it can be pulled smoothly.
It’s an idea that’s fun not only to play with as a claw machine, but also to enjoy the process of making.
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.
Kids and adults alike will get hooked! Paper cup claw machine
A crane game you can make with paper cups that fascinates both kids and adults.
Punch small holes in the bottoms of two paper cups, fold them into eight equal sections, and alternate the folds back and forth.
Leave four of the sections as slits to create movable parts.
Next, insert a straw with cuts in it to act as the arms and provide movement.
Connect that straw section to the other paper cup, and you’ve completed a mechanism that can be operated like a crane.
By adjusting how you move it, you can enjoy grabbing prizes.
It’s relatively easy even for beginners at crafting, and the materials are simple to prepare.
It’s a fun idea that you can get excited about making together with kids—and have a great time playing with afterward.
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.