Made of paper! A fun collection of DIY toy ideas you can play with
This time, we’ve gathered lots of ideas for make-and-play toys using paper.
A single sheet might be thin and flimsy, but by layering or rolling it, you can create mouthwatering-looking foods, cute decorations, and toys that are fun to play with together with friends!
You can even make toys that look like the ones sold in stores!
Paper holds limitless possibilities—give it a try and make some fun toys!
Since paper has a rough side and a smooth side, be mindful of which side you use when making moving toys.
Made of Paper! A Fun Collection of DIY Toy Ideas You Can Play With (1–10)
Rubik’s Cube
We’ll show you how to make an infinite Rubik’s Cube that’s fun for matching picture patterns.
Prepare scissors, construction paper, and stickers with the design you want to use for the Rubik’s Cube.
Pre-cut two strips of construction paper to 8 cm × 2 cm, crease them into 2 cm × 2 cm squares, then cut and tape them together with cellophane tape to form a cube shape.
Protect the surface well by taping over it.
Make eight identical cubes.
Once they’re done, use tweezers to connect the cubes with tape, being careful about where you place the tape.
After checking that the cubes move smoothly, stick your stickers onto a 4 cm × 4 cm piece of construction paper, cut it into four equal squares, and attach them to one face of a cube.
Repeat the same process for the other faces.
Once all faces are covered, your Rubik’s Cube is complete.
Infinite smartphone
Let me show you how to make a reusable, erasable “infinite smartphone.” Prepare liquid glue, watercolor paint, a small food storage bag, colored pens, and thick paper (cardstock).
Cut the cardstock into a long rectangle and fold it in half.
On one side, cut out a window sized to fit the food storage bag.
Be sure to leave some extra space on both the vertical and horizontal sides when cutting.
Put a small amount of liquid glue and black paint into the food storage bag and knead it with your hands to mix.
Fold the opening of the bag about three times and seal it tightly with tape so the liquid won’t leak.
Apply double-sided tape to the inner frame and attach the food storage bag to fix it in place.
To finish, draw buttons and other details to make it look like a smartphone.
You can write and erase on top of the food storage bag, so you can enjoy it over and over!
paper squishy
Here’s how to make a fun-to-squeeze paper squishy.
Prepare construction paper, OPP tape, felt-tip pens, colored pencils, and cotton (stuffing).
Draw your favorite design on the construction paper, color it in, and reinforce it by covering it with OPP tape.
Stack two sheets of the paper and cut out the shape together, then use cellophane tape to seal the edges—leaving a small opening.
Stuff cotton inside, then seal the opening with tape to finish your paper squishy! It’s also fun to make them in different sizes—try both small and large shapes!
Gently Swaying Jellyfish
Perfect for summer hanging decorations! Here’s an idea for making jellyfish out of paper.
First, cut your favorite paper into strips.
Prepare nine strips of the same length.
Layer eight of them in a radial pattern and glue them together; with the remaining strip, glue the ends together to make a loop.
Attach the radial set to the loop to form the jellyfish’s round top.
Next, cut another piece of paper into a rectangle, and make fine slits with a craft knife, leaving about the top 1/5 uncut to create the tentacles.
Roll this into a tube, then connect it to the round top with thread—and you’re done! You can also add cute variations by threading beads onto the string, curling the tentacles, or trimming them shorter.
Mini paper bag
Here’s how to make a cute paper bag.
Prepare wire, yarn, beads, colored construction paper, a pencil, a ruler, double-sided tape, and scissors.
Use the ruler and pencil to sketch the bag’s dimensions on the construction paper.
After making fold lines, cut off unnecessary corners or round any areas you want with the scissors, creating your template while imagining the finished shape.
Glue the side edges together, then make four slits in the bottom section to divide it into quarters and fold them to form a box-shaped base.
Once assembled, insert pieces of thick paper cut to the size of the four inner sides to increase sturdiness.
Check that the bag closes, then make the closure by folding pink construction paper in half and cutting out hearts.
Glue the hearts together accordion-style to create a heart clasp, and attach it to the bag as the closure.
For the shoulder strap, thread wire and yarn together, string beads onto the yarn, and your bag is complete.
bi-fold paper wallet
Here’s how to make a bi-fold wallet.
Prepare colored construction paper, double-sided tape, scissors, your favorite stickers, and tweezers.
Fold the paper three times, alternating front and back, until it’s roughly the size that can hold a bill.
Open it halfway, mark 1 cm along the left and right edges, apply double-sided tape along the vertical edges, and fold it in half.
Attach double-sided tape to a small piece of cut paper to create the wallet’s closure tab.
Put double-sided tape on the opposite side of the closure, and reinforce the closing side with clear tape; now you can open and close the wallet.
Finish by sticking cute, favorite stickers on the front! It might be fun to make this for pretend shopping games.
bandage with gauze
https://www.tiktok.com/@cuty_diyorigami/video/7118655907587771650We’ll show you how to make a handmade bandage case and bandages with gauze.
Prepare gauze, character stickers, scissors, colored construction paper, and a keychain.
Stick the character sticker onto the check-pattern sheet, then attach gauze to the inside to complete the gauze bandage.
Next, cut the colored construction paper into the shape of a bandage holder and glue it together.
Once it’s assembled, punch a hole for the chain, thread the chain through, and place your finished gauze bandages inside.
Now you have your own original cute bandages and a bandage case!