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!
- Handmade Lottery Draws Kids Will Love! A Fun Collection of Ideas to Make and Play
- Kids and adults alike will be captivated! A collection of DIY marble run ideas
- [Let’s Make and Play!] Handmade Toy Ideas You Can Create Yourself
- [Let’s Make and Play!] Handmade Ideas for a Target Shooting Game
- [For Elementary School Kids] Handmade Toy Craft Ideas
- [Childcare] Easy! Make a DIY target game. Playful craft and fun game
- [Lots of Ideas!] Handmade Target-Throwing Game
- [Make with Kids] Handmade Outdoor Play Toy Special
- [Children’s Club] Easy and fun indoor games. Exciting party games
- [For Kids] Today’s Handmade Craft Ideas
- [For Kids] Fun Indoor Game Ideas for After-School Day Services
- Adults will be hooked! A collection of craft ideas using toilet paper rolls
- [Indoor Activities] A Collection of Craft Ideas Recommended for Elementary School Students
Handmade Games: Craft Ideas You Can Make and Play (41–50)
pull-back car
This craft lets you experience the fun of a car you built yourself zooming forward powered by rubber bands.
Cut corrugated plastic (plastic cardboard) to match the size of the car body.
For the wheels, use bottle caps: make a hole in the center, then pass a bamboo skewer through to create the axle.
If you firmly attach this to the body with hot glue, it will start to look like a real car.
Hook a rubber band onto the rear axle and wind it by turning the axle forward, and you’re ready to go.
When you let go, the car surges ahead under the power of the rubber band.
You can freely design and color the body, so you can get particular about the appearance too.
Using everyday materials and a simple mechanism, it’s a hands-on project that’s both fun to build and a great way to learn, delivering dynamic motion.
Water Play Crane Game
@silk_haru3mama Playing a crane game while splashing around#HandmadeToys#Summer VacationSummer Vacation Craftwork#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.
A crane game operated with twine
A crane game you can make by combining construction paper, bamboo skewers, and kite string, with the fun focused on cleverly moving the arm.
Secure the arm firmly with a hot glue gun and devise a mechanism so it moves up and down.
Then thread bamboo skewers so it can also be operated forward, backward, left, and right, creating a structure that lets you aim for prizes from multiple directions like a real crane.
Once it’s finished, prepare a box for the main body and decorate the exterior however you like to create your own original game machine.
It’s an idea you can truly enjoy, offering the satisfaction of operating it by hand and grabbing prizes yourself.
A full-fledged crane game that even beginners can make
This is a crane game that delivers a stable finish by proceeding through the steps in order.
Cut the cardboard into individual parts, and thread bamboo skewers and string to create the movement mechanism.
Carefully securing everything with glue improves durability.
By combining binder clips and popsicle sticks for the arm, it can perform a gripping action, and using wooden dowels and boards expands the range of control.
The moment you lift a prize feels just like the real thing, and it’s sure to captivate not only children but adults as well.
It’s a practical idea that keeps material costs low while offering both a sense of accomplishment and plenty of play value.
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.
How to Make a State-of-the-Art Crane Arm
A crane game where you thoroughly assemble the arm is a craft that’s fun to build in itself.
Start by creating the arm’s frame, then attach the strap that supports the arm.
Add the part that grabs the prize to the tip and connect everything together to give it a crane-like shape.
To make it move, thread yarn through the arm, then run the yarn through the main box to set up a mechanism that transmits motion.
By changing the strength and angle with which you pull the yarn, the arm’s opening and closing will vary, helping you grab prizes more effectively.
The appeal lies in how the builder’s ingenuity changes the operability, and once it’s finished, the excitement comes from testing the controls as you play.
It’s a fun idea that sparks a spirit of challenge.
Easy cardboard target game
@niconico_mama [Sticky Target] Easy target game with cardboard ❤︎Target Shooting Game#AtHomePlayHow to spend time while the park is closed
♬ I Wanna Be Your Ghost (feat. Ghosts) (Sabi Ver.) – Gen Hoshino
Here’s an easy target game craft you can make with just cardboard and tape! Prepare a cardboard box in your preferred size, then either cut off the flaps or fold them inward.
Cut several strips of tape and stick them across the opening of the box with the adhesive side facing up.
That’s your target done! Get some balls made of a material that will stick to the adhesive but peel off easily—such as soft color balls—and try throwing them at the target.
If you throw well, the balls will stick to the tape!
Sticky target game
If you have cardboard, you can make it! Here’s an easy way to create a target game.
How to make it: prepare a box in your preferred size and stick strips of packing tape (with the adhesive side facing outward) across it horizontally.
That’s it—done! Then just grab something to throw, like soft color balls, and start tossing.
It’s a simple target, but with a bit of creativity you can make it really fun—that’s one of the best parts.
You can also enjoy it like a shooting gallery, so it’s fun to think about what to throw as you build it.
It’s great for both kids and adults, so before you toss out your cardboard, give this a try!
Rubber band gun craft made from cardboard
@nami_aidakko #Nami Manaka#CardboardCraftsRubber gunTranslation
♪ Original song – Komatsuna 🤍🥬 @study account – Komatsuna 🥬💗❕
A rubber band gun made from cardboard is a simple craft that parents and kids can enjoy together! Use thick cardboard, cut out the body following a template, and make the trigger using chopsticks or a clothespin.
Set a rubber band and it can actually shoot.
It’s quite safe, and all the materials are easy to find.
It nurtures children’s creativity, and adults can get absorbed too, feeling like a kid again with this target-shooting craft.
Decorating it to create your own custom gun is also recommended! Be sure to use this as a reference and have fun getting creative!
Cardboard Frisbee
@yuri_mama4254 Done in 1 minute! Super-flying cardboard frisbee Got a pile of cardboard? In that case… A cardboard frisbee you can make in one minute that flies amazingly and is so fun! ❣️ My daughter could launch it too ✨ Kids build problem-solving skills by experimenting to make it fly well 👏 Materials: • Cardboard • Rubber bands • Stickers, markers (for decoration) Tips for playing: • If the slits are cut at too wide an angle, the rubber band won’t catch well—be careful. • When launching, it flew better when the slits weren’t too far to the back (on your side). Check the video 😊 I’d be happy if you leave a comment saying, “We played!” 💕 Thanks for watching till the end ❤️❤️ Try making one yourself 😆 ☆－－－－☆－－－－☆－－－－☆－－－－☆ Hello 😊 I’m Riyu, an active nursery school teacher 🌷 I share at-home play ideas to solve “What should I do with the kids?” ✨ Instagram → @riyu_asobi There are posts only on Instagram too 😊 Come take a look 🎶 ☆－－－－☆－－－－☆－－－－☆－－－－☆#AtHomePlay #AtHomePlay #StayHomeTime Ideas for at-home play #HandmadeToys Craft play Craft Play Play ideas
Sakur a, Gently Fluttering – Southern All Stars
After cutting the cardboard into a circle, make a triangular notch in one spot.
Decorate the cardboard with stickers or drawings using a pen.
Hook a rubber band onto it and let go of the cardboard—it will fly.
You can make the target out of cardboard as well, or simply stack paper cups for an easy option.
The frisbee’s size is up to you, but if it’s too big or too small it can be hard to handle, so around 10 centimeters is recommended.