[Let’s Make and Play!] Handmade Toy Ideas You Can Create Yourself

vortex wind turbine

Kimie Gangi’s super simple “well-spinning tag pin spiral pinwheel”

Let’s make one using price tags! It spins round and round and is so much fun! Here’s an idea for a spiral pinwheel.

You’ll need construction paper, chopsticks, a straw, scissors, tape, price tags, crayons, and bird-scarer tape.

Draw a spiral on the construction paper, add colors and patterns, then cut along the spiral with scissors.

Combine a short piece of straw, a chopstick, and a price tag, and your spiral pinwheel is complete! You can also decorate it by adding shiny bird-scarer tape to the spiral pinwheel.

Soap bubbles made with a uchiwa (Japanese fan)

YouTube Kids uchiwa are the best—kids play with soap bubbles.

If you suddenly feel like playing with soap bubbles, the fan-frame bubble idea is perfect.

All you need are an old uchiwa fan and bubble solution.

First, peel off all the paper from the fan so that only the frame is visible.

Next, make your own bubble solution and dip the fan into it—that’s it.

When you wave the fan, bubbles will appear through the gaps in the frame.

It’s great because there are no complicated steps, and you can start right away.

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yamamoto

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Making bath bombs with candy molds

[Easy] DIY Cute Handmade Mini Bath Bombs Using Anpanman Gummy Molds [How To]

Fun to make, and a joy to use! Let me show you how to make bath bombs using candy molds.

You’ll need a dish or other container, a spoon, baking soda, citric acid, potato starch, essential oil, food coloring, water, and empty candy containers.

Anpanman gummy molds are so cute that it feels like a waste to throw them away, right? How about mixing the ingredients and hand-making your own Anpanman bath bombs? If you make them with kids, it’ll feel like a fun science experiment that gets them excited.

bodkin (drawstring threader)

Let's play with yarn threading for 2-year-olds

Let’s make a cardboard lacing activity! You’ll need cardboard, an awl, yarn in your favorite color, and chenille stems (pipe cleaners).

First, have your child draw a favorite picture on the cardboard.

Next, use the awl to punch holes along the drawing, then wrap the yarn around the end of a chenille stem—and you’re ready to go.

A key tip: bend and secure the tip of the chenille stem so it won’t poke little hands.

Tape the end of the yarn to the back so it doesn’t pull through, and enjoy lacing freely! It’s so satisfying to thread the yarn through all the holes.

Give it a try!

jack-in-the-box

[Demon Slayer] DIY at home: Remake a tissue box into a fun jack-in-the-box with a springing butterfly!! / Demon Slayer

How about a jack-in-the-box featuring your favorite character? You’ll need a tissue box, rubber bands, origami paper, and a printout of your favorite character.

First, cut out the rim of the box and make a slit near the center.

Fold it up to form the box.

Decorate the box with origami paper as you like.

Next, make the popping contents.

Cut a toilet paper roll into three pieces, make slits, and thread rubber bands through them.

The rubber bands will make them spring.

Attach your favorite character to these pieces.

To prevent them from popping out too soon, pack as many as you can into the box and close it gently.

As soon as it opens, the characters will spring up—just like a real jack-in-the-box! If you make one using a grandchild’s favorite anime character and give it as a gift, they’re sure to be delighted.

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buzzing top

[Wakuwaku-san’s Craft Workshop] Let’s make a “whirring spinning top” out of a milk carton!

Here’s an idea for making a whirligig (spinning top) from a milk carton.

You’ll need the bottom of a milk carton, an awl, scissors, twine, a permanent marker, and tape.

First, use the awl to make two holes in the bottom of the milk carton, spaced 1 centimeter apart.

Thread the twine through the two holes and tie the ends together.

If the twine is hard to thread, put a bit of tape on the tip to make it easier.

If you color the milk carton with a permanent marker or add stickers, the spinning top will look colorful and fun when it spins! Enjoy customizing the shape and design, too!

Anpanman fan

[DIY] Easy! Anpanman Uchiwa (Fan)

Introducing a fun idea for an Anpanman fan featuring a cool cape that spreads out! Here’s how to make an Anpanman fan.

You’ll need origami paper, construction paper, a pencil, a wooden skewer, craft glue, a ruler, scissors, tape, colored pens, and colored pencils.

The Anpanman fan has a mechanism: when you rotate the wooden skewer, Anpanman’s cape opens up, making it look like he’s flying—so fun, right? It’ll be exciting to make together with kids, too.

Give it a try!