Craft a real playable DIY claw machine using everyday materials!

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked for 10 years as a kindergarten teacher and for 7 years as an after-school childcare instructor, then took a post as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I also engaged in activities that shared Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational play, working with many children. Afterwards, through freelance writing, planning, and editing work at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and conveying ideas. Leveraging the perspective cultivated in educational settings and my experience as an editor, I aim to deliver practical information—focusing on fields related to music and children—that values both input and output. Hobbies include instruments, singing, handcrafts, toys, drawing, traditional play, the outdoors, books, DIY, and crafts. Special skill: spinning-top tricks.
Editor-in-Chief, RAG MUSICHane Keisuke
Editor-in-chief of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. After working in a music studio and handling wedding sound, joined the RAG MUSIC editorial team in 2016. Experienced with a variety of instruments: marching band in elementary school, clarinet in junior high school wind ensemble, and drums in a band from high school onward. Drawing on my own musical activities and the experience gained through my work, I produce daily articles, including various song introductions, features on music festivals around the country, and live reports. In music, I enjoy not only rock from Japan and abroad but, lately, a wide range of J-pop as well.

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.

Make it with everyday materials! DIY claw machine ideas you can really play with (21–30)

Water Play Crane Game

@silk_haru3mama
Playing a crane game while splashing around#HandmadeToys #Summer Vacation Summer Vacation Craft work #AtHomePlay
Idol – YOASOBI

A crane game made with plastic cups for water play is a craft that really shines in the summer.

Cut slits into the bottom of a plastic cup, fold the sections back, and make a small hole in the center.

Thread a straw through the hole and secure it firmly with a hot glue gun so it moves smoothly—even underwater.

Float the finished crane on the water and use small toys or beads instead of prizes, and you can play a scooping game.

The unique sensation of operating it in water is fun, and kids will get absorbed in the challenge.

It’s a cooling, summertime-perfect idea for play.

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In conclusion

Among easy-to-start crafts, handmade crane games have a particularly deep appeal. The process of assembling each part and building a crane that actually moves is full of discovery and joy. There are many materials and methods you can use, but be sure to savor the sense of accomplishment when you finish—and the fun of playing with your very own original crane game.