Handmade games: DIY craft ideas you can make and play
We’ve put together a collection of DIY game ideas you can make and play.
Crafts are great not only for indoor play, but also for activities in childcare settings and as summer break projects for elementary school students.
And if what you’re making is a game, kids can enjoy playing with it even after the crafting is done—which they’re sure to love.
In this article, we introduce a variety of games you can make by hand.
If you’re looking for handmade game ideas, feel free to use this as a reference.
Since they’re handmade, it’s also fun to set your own rules and difficulty levels!
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Handmade games: Craft ideas you can make and play (91–100)
Dollar store Minecraft block
Grass-covered dirt blocks are a common sight in the world of Minecraft! There are also plenty of others, like cobblestone and wood.
How about making different types of blocks and giving them as a gift? Drill a hole in a square wooden block and embed a small magnet.
Paint and decorate the outside, and you’re done! Since the magnet is embedded, you can stack or attach the blocks together.
It takes some effort to make, but it’s a great way to enjoy the world of Minecraft outside the game, so I highly recommend it!
Cool rubber band gun
Let me introduce a strong and cool rubber band gun.
Prepare 17 bendable straws, a clothespin, tape, and scissors, and let’s make it.
Take two straws and tape their bendable sections together to secure them.
Attach one clothespin to the gap of the joined straws to create the base.
When bundling straws, secure them tightly so the stacked pieces don’t shift.
Stack eight straws by grouping them in sets of four, extend the bendable sections, and build the structure.
When attaching parts together, make sure the straws are firmly fixed so they don’t slip.
Once it’s finished, hook on a rubber band and give it a try!
Handmade Games: DIY craft ideas you can make and play (101–110)
Wobbly Ghost
Let’s toss shuriken at the ghosts! Here’s a fun idea for wobbling ghosts.
Ghosts are usually seen as scary, but let’s use construction paper to make cute ghost targets! You’ll need balloons, construction paper, twine, ribbon (raffia/suzuran tape), scissors, glue, tape, and colored pens.
The ghosts hanging from the twine sway back and forth, so it’ll be tricky to aim with your shuriken.
Making the ghosts together with your kids is part of the fun, too!
ice cream
Here’s an idea for a toy that lets you play ice cream shop! You can make it using felt, magnets, cardboard, and stuffing.
Basically, you stuff cotton into felt cut into circles or half-circles to create the ice cream scoops and cones.
A sticker-type magnet attached to cardboard is placed in the flat part of the cone and the bottom of the ice cream, so when you put the ice cream on the cone, it sticks and won’t fall off easily.
Make different kinds of ice cream by changing the felt colors and toppings!
a spinning target
Also great for shuriken practice! Here’s an idea for a spinning target.
Hitting a target with a shuriken can be tricky, right? This is a fantastic idea for when you think, “I want to practice!” What you’ll need: two milk cartons, two bamboo skewers, a straw, construction paper, scissors, glue, a pen, an awl, and craft adhesive.
The mechanism that spins when the shuriken hits is unique and fun! If you’re making it with children, be careful when handling the awl and bamboo skewers.
How far can the rubber stretch? game
Here’s a game-style experiment that makes learning fun: the “How far can a rubber band stretch?” game.
In this activity, you test how far a rubber band can be stretched.
Tie a rubber band so that it connects a bucket filled with weights and a rod, then pull only on the rod.
The goal is to see at what point of stretching the rubber band snaps.
It’s not only educational, but also exciting as you feel the suspense of wondering when the band will break.
Be sure to learn about the properties of rubber along with the experiment.
A soccer game you can make with straws
How about making a simple toy out of straws so you can enjoy soccer at home? It’s a fun, engaging game you can play together with friends or family! Another great point is that you can make it using familiar materials like an empty box and some straws.
Use the empty box to create the field and the straws to build the goals.
Attach straws to the player pieces you cut out from the box, and control them as you play.
It could be even more exciting to model the players after your favorite stars! This toy is sure to help kids develop dexterity and concentration.
We’ve shared detailed instructions in a video, so check it out and give it a try!