![[DIY] A Collection of Handmade Moving Toy Craft Ideas](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/6RvQDnm7uRc/maxresdefault.webp)
[DIY] A Collection of Handmade Moving Toy Craft Ideas
These days, the DIY sections at 100-yen shops and home improvement stores are incredibly well stocked! In the past, you had to walk all over the store to gather items, but now you can get everything in no time.
That just shows how popular the hobby of making things at home has become.
In this article, I’ve rounded up craft ideas on the theme of “moving toys”! I’ve focused on projects that even small children can easily try.
Be sure to read to the end!
[DIY] Handmade Moving Toy Craft Ideas (1–10)
Hoppy Frog
Make it, play with it, and have fun! Try the Boing-Boing Frog! It’s a charming craft idea you can make with everyday materials like toilet paper rolls and paper cups.
Gently flatten a toilet paper roll and cut it in two.
Cut one half into strips to make the frog’s legs and arms.
Attach the legs to the lower part of the other half-roll and the arms to the sides.
The key to this craft is bending the legs so they work like springs.
If you crease them well, the frog will hop with a boing when you press down on its backside! Give it a try with your kids or in a childcare setting and have fun making and playing!
Paku-Paku Clip
Would you like to try making a toy out of origami called the “Paku-Paku Clip”? Be sure to make it and play with it together with your child or friends! This origami involves a relatively large number of folds and some detailed steps, so it might be suited for advanced folders.
That said, you’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment when you finish! How to play: hold the bottom part with your index finger and thumb, and use your middle finger to open and close the top part.
It’s fun to make them with different colored paper, and you can even stick on eyes to make it look like a fish!
hand spinner
Here’s an idea for making a fun, spin-worthy fidget spinner out of cardboard.
It’s easy to make yet spins well, so give it a try! Use a 500-yen coin to trace a circle on the cardboard and create the fidget spinner shape.
Also, trace two more circles of the same size and cut everything out with scissors.
Decorate the fidget spinner as you like, then sandwich it between the other two circular pieces and use an awl or similar tool to make a hole in the center.
Insert a toothpick into the hole, trim off any excess with scissors, and you’re done.
If a child is making it, an adult should assist with the hole-punching step.
Tokotoko Paper Cup Rabbit
Let’s make a cute walking bunny toy using a paper cup, a battery, rubber bands, and construction paper.
Place the battery sideways, loop a rubber band over it from above, and tape it down.
Be careful not to tape down the two ends of the rubber band.
Next, cut two 1 cm slits in the rim of the paper cup, and make two identical slits on the opposite side.
Hook the two ends of the rubber band attached to the battery into the slits, and secure them with tape so they don’t come out.
Make bunny ears from construction paper and stick them on, then draw the face with a pen to finish.
Wind the battery by turning it, then set the cup on the floor or a table and try playing with it.
floating top
It’s like magic! Here’s a craft idea for a floating spinning top.
Attach magnets, circular-cut sticker paper, and a handle made from a split bamboo skewer to make the top.
After creating a circular base, attach magnets at equal intervals on both the top and bottom surfaces.
Make sure to attach the magnets so they repel the top when it’s brought near.
Once the base is placed inside a clear case, it’s complete.
Spin the top inside a transparent container on the base, and when the rotation stabilizes, slowly lift it upward.
Then lower the container, and the top will keep spinning while floating.
If it doesn’t work well, try adjusting the positions of the magnets or the balance of the top.
Paper Plate Aquarium
Let me introduce a super cute paper plate aquarium with fish that move! It’s a craft you can also use for pretend play, perfect for kindergarten or preschool projects, or to make and enjoy with your child.
Here’s how to make it: First, attach colored construction paper to a paper plate to create an underwater scene, and glue on materials like pebbles and pipe cleaners.
Next, draw fish on cardstock and attach a paper clip to the back of each fish.
Cut out the center of another paper plate, layer a piece of clear film over the opening, and glue it in place.
Put the fish on top of the decorated plate, then place the cut-out plate over it and staple them together to finish.
Now, use a magnet from the back of the plate to make the fish “swim” around!
yo-yo
Let’s try making a yo-yo using plastic bottle caps.
You will need four caps, modeling clay, a screw, and a braided cord.
First, use an awl to make holes in the centers of two caps.
Thread a screw through those holes, leaving a small gap between the caps, and tie the braided cord to the screw.
Pack modeling clay inside all four caps, then cover each holed cap with a non-holed cap, and secure them with tape.
Make a loop at the free end of the braided cord for your finger, and you’re done.
Using colored tape or decorating the caps with stickers will make it look cute.
Twisting Soap Bubbles
Here’s a craft idea for making a spinning bubble toy using holographic origami paper.
It spins like a bamboo-copter and looks very beautiful, so give it a try.
First, take a ring sticker and attach the ends of narrow strips of holographic origami paper around it in a radial pattern.
Do the same on the opposite side, then thread it onto a straw.
To prevent the sticker from slipping off, cut slits at both ends of the straw and flare them outward, then trim off the excess straw on the inside.
Thread the straw onto a bamboo skewer, secure just one point of the straw with tape, and you’re done.
Paper cup cracker
It’s sure to be a hit at birthday parties and events in kindergartens and preschools! This is a safe paper-cup cracker that uses no gunpowder.
Its cute appearance will definitely lift the kids’ spirits.
First, make a hole in the center of a paper cup and cut slits around the rim to divide it into eight sections.
If you curl the rim around a pencil to make it rounded, it looks super cute! Next, tie a rubber band to a chopstick piece cut to about 2 cm, and thread it through to the inside of the cup via the hole.
Finally, fold a piece of aluminum foil, thread it through the rubber band, and crumple it into a ball.
Add “confetti seeds” like cotton balls or small pieces of cut origami, and you’re done! Pull back the rubber band and release, and you’ve got a proper party cracker! Give it a try!
cardboard computer
A laptop that’s perfect for remote and at-home work.
How about a handmade computer for kids who want to use the same things adults do? It’s also very popular for pretend play, so give it a try with your children! Since it uses cardboard, it’s cost-effective, and the fact that it can fold like a real laptop is a big plus.
Make the screen and keyboard separately, tape them together with packing tape, and secure two ribbons on the left and right so it stays open! Another highlight is that you can put your favorite drawings on the screen.
It would be great to finish it off as a unique piece by painting the cardboard your favorite colors or decorating it with stickers and washi tape.