[Let’s Make and Play!] Handmade Toy Ideas You Can Create Yourself
Kids love new toys, don’t they?
They figure out how to play, add their own twists, and discover new ways to have fun.
Here are some ideas for making handmade toys that are easy to customize and adapt!
These ideas use materials you already have at home or can pick up at a 100-yen shop, so they’re all things you can start making right away.
It’s great for adults to make them, and there are plenty of ideas kids can make themselves, too.
Original, one-of-a-kind toys become extra special—and even more fun!
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[Let’s Make and Play!] Handmade Toy Ideas (151–160)
underwater soap bubbles
Here’s an idea for underwater bubbles that also leads to learning.
First, fill two cups with water and add a few drops of dish soap to each.
Mix well, then use a straw like a dropper to suck up the soapy water from one cup and drip it into the other.
You should see bubbles form under the water.
Try thinking about why this happens as you do it.
If the bubbles don’t form well, adjusting the amount of soap often helps.
Infinite Tissues
Recommended for kids who are in the phase of pulling things out and playing! Let me share the “infinite tissue” idea.
What you’ll need: an empty wet-wipe container or tissue box, and kitchen cloths (dishcloths).
Kitchen cloths are sturdier than tissue paper, so they’re a great choice.
Tie the corners of the cloths together to connect about 10 pieces, then put them in the box! Your child will likely be absorbed in the game of using their fingers to pull them out.
You can also enjoy a variation by threading them through a toilet paper roll!
milk carton
This is a spinning top made from an opened milk carton, with four wings spread out in all directions.
As you cut each wing, try to keep them the same size and aim for a shape that spins more easily.
To improve spin, cut the tips of the wings at an angle and attach a plastic bottle cap in the center as the axle.
It’s recommended to build it with the inside (white side) of the carton facing up, as it makes pen decorations easier.
To keep the wings straight and stable, you can also reinforce them by layering thick paper or cardboard.
Target game made from a milk carton
Let’s make a target at home with things you already have! Here’s an idea for a target game using a milk carton.
Milk cartons are a great material because, with a bit of creativity, you can turn them into all kinds of homemade toys.
This time, we’ll make a shuriken (throwing star) target using a milk carton.
You’ll need a milk carton, scissors, and a motif made from drawings or construction paper.
Just cut the milk carton and set the pieces down, and they transform into a target! It’s also fun that you can attach your favorite illustrations or motifs.
Sugar-filled soap bubbles
Let’s make and play with sugar-added bubble solution that’s hard to pop! Sugar has a hydrophilic property, meaning it holds onto water molecules and doesn’t let them go.
This time, we’ll introduce a bubble solution recipe that takes advantage of that property.
Add 48 g of sugar to 100 ml of boiling water, stir well, and dissolve completely.
Next, add 50 ml of laundry starch (liquid glue) and 10 ml of dish soap, then stir gently to avoid foaming.
Let it cool thoroughly and your bubble solution is ready! Prepare a straw or similar tool and give it a try.
Watch together as the bubbles stick to various surfaces—like the ground or plants—without popping!
Thread-spinning top
Let’s try making a cool, fast-spinning pull-string top! It’s a perfect craft idea for kids, too.
This top can be spun just by pulling a string, even if you don’t have much strength.
First, create the top’s shape with Perler beads (fuse beads), then insert a chopstick with a sharpened tip into the center of the top.
It will spin well as is, but by adding a mechanism with a straw to pull the string, you can make it spin even more powerfully! Winding and pulling the string might feel a little tricky at first, but give it a try and spin your top in style!
[Let’s Make and Play!] Handmade Toy Ideas (161–170)
Paper Cup Windmill
Here’s a paper cup windmill you can make using a common paper cup.
Prepare a paper cup, a chopstick, a felt-tip pen, and a thumbtack, and let’s get started.
Use the felt-tip pen to mark the rim of the cup into eight equal sections.
From each mark, cut a slit downward to create eight cuts.
Fold each cut section outward at an angle to form the rotating blades.
Folding them diagonally improves airflow and makes it easier to spin—this is the key point.
Poke a hole in the center of the cup, then use the thumbtack to fix it to the chopstick, and you’re done! Wrapping the blade sections with vinyl tape as decoration will make it look more vibrant.
