[Great for water play!] DIY plastic bottle toys: easy ideas you can copy
On hot days, you want to cool off and play with water, right?
It also helps prevent heatstroke, and I think kids love water-based play.
In this article, I’ll share DIY ideas for toys made with plastic bottles that are perfect for water play.
If you use empty plastic bottles, it won’t cost much, and you can actually make a surprising number of toys.
We’ve gathered ideas kids will love—like showers, fountains, water guns, and goldfish scooping—so use them as a reference and give them a try!
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[Great for water play!] Handmade plastic bottle toys: easy ideas you can copy (1–10)
PET bottle fountain
A fountain made with two plastic bottles is sure to be a hit for water play or at the pool.
Connect the bottles with a straw, and by moving the bottle filled with water up and down, you can make the water come out and control its force—perfect for playing with friends.
However, because you may need to use an awl when making holes for the straw or in the cap where the water sprays out, please be careful if children are doing the work.
It takes a little time, but you can also make the holes with a pushpin or a pencil, so if a child really wants to participate, we recommend using those safer methods.
PET bottle Shinkansen
For kids who love vehicles, they’ll be thrilled if you make a Shinkansen they can play with in the bath or pool.
By linking plastic bottles together and attaching magnets, you can easily increase or decrease the number of cars, allowing for many ways to play.
Since it’s made from plastic bottles, it can float in the tub, which is a nice bonus.
However, cutting plastic bottles with scissors can be difficult for young children, so adults should help with that part.
Goldfish scooping
Alongside water play and swimming pools, many children probably love goldfish scooping, a classic summer pastime.
By making goldfish out of plastic bottle caps and cutting the bottle itself to create scoops (poi), you can easily enjoy goldfish scooping at home.
It’s also a helpful craft for festivals at kindergartens and nurseries when it’s difficult to prepare real goldfish.
Since making the scoops involves detailed work with scissors, please be sure that an adult assists if children are doing the crafting, or consider having the adult make just the scoops.
[Great for water play!] Handmade plastic bottle toys. Easy-to-copy ideas (11–20)
Bath Rocket
Let’s make a rocket—popular with kids—using a plastic bottle.
Take an empty bottle and decorate it with colored tape of your choice.
Adding a window gives it a real rocket feel, so it’s recommended.
Besides the bathtub, it’s fun to let it float in a pool, and you can even enjoy playing with it underwater.
You could also make crew members out of aluminum foil or styrofoam and put them inside the rocket to make playtime even more exciting.
Enjoy a fun time with your bath-time rocket!
shovel
A scoop made from a plastic bottle is great not only for water play but also for sandboxes.
Since you need to cut out the side of the bottle with scissors or a utility knife, it can be challenging as a kids’ craft depending on their age, so an adult should do the cutting.
If you poke holes in the finished scoop with an awl, it can double as a watering can—perfect for making water play even more fun.
It’s a versatile craft that works with different bottle sizes, so you can enjoy trying various options.
Colored Water Theater with Plastic Bottles
A color-water theater using plastic bottles is sure to get kids excited, since they can watch the water change color right before their eyes.
You prepare a plastic bottle half-filled with water and a cap with watercolor paint applied on the inside; after sealing it, shake the bottle and the water will be dyed the color of the paint.
Since no stationery like scissors is needed for preparation, it seems safe for children to take the lead.
Plus, it’s a craft with lots of ways to enjoy it—like mixing the finished colored water to create new colors.
When you put it in water, the picture disappears! Plastic bottle magic
This is a handmade plastic bottle toy that’s perfect for fun family bath time.
Have the kids draw pictures and simply place them inside a plastic bottle—it’s an easy craft.
But when you submerge the picture-filled bottle in water, the drawings seem to disappear.
The kids will surely be surprised to see the pictures vanish.
Of course, the drawings haven’t really disappeared; it’s a game that uses water’s reflective properties.
It’s a great way to add even more fun to your water play memories.