![[Great for water play!] DIY plastic bottle toys: easy ideas you can copy](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8J6TBITPpf8/sddefault.jpg)
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)
water gun
In any era, a water gun is the item that makes kids happy during water play.
These days, many water guns are sold at toy stores, but if you make one using just an empty plastic bottle and a straw, it’s inexpensive and you can create various types.
Since you’ll use an awl or screwdriver to make a hole in the bottle cap, adults should do the crafting for very young children.
Decorating with stickers is fun, but they tend to peel off easily, so if you want it to last, use cloth tape or vinyl tape, which also holds up well against water.
Plastic-bottle boat
A boat you can make using only household items like plastic bottles, milk cartons, disposable chopsticks, and rubber bands will be a big hit for water play or in the bath.
Since it doesn’t involve the common step of cutting plastic bottles, which many bottle crafts require, it’s easier for children to try.
It’s great that you can create a speedy toy by taking advantage of the buoyancy and lightness of the plastic bottle for the hull and attaching fins cut from a milk carton.
It’s a recommended craft that gets everyone excited—try making them with friends and racing them!
Colored Water Tower
A colored-water tower made by connecting plastic bottles and running colored water through them is sure to captivate children.
Watching the color gradually lighten as it flows downward, creating a gradient, will fascinate not only kids but adults as well.
As long as the water can flow, you might also enjoy arranging it not just as a tower but in a stepped or spiral shape to watch the flow.
However, since you need to cut openings in the sides of the plastic bottles to make holes, it’s safer for an adult to handle the crafting.
Foamy PET Bottle
A toy that lets you make bubbles with soap is something that not only children but also adults can enjoy, don’t you think? By rubbing soap onto the surface of a dishcloth attached to a plastic bottle and blowing through the bottle’s mouth, bubbles will keep forming, which is sure to get kids excited.
Since it uses soap, it’s not ideal for outdoor water play or the pool, but it might help kids who dislike baths find them more enjoyable.
It only takes a few materials and simple steps to make, but because you need to use scissors or other sharp tools to cut the plastic bottle, make sure an adult supervises the craft.
Octopus Shower
A shower shaped like an octopus will make water play and pool time even more fun for kids.
Since you can turn the shower on and off by opening and closing the cap, it offers a different way to play compared to a watering can, which is nice.
However, because you’ll need to use an awl to make holes in the plastic bottle for the shower, it may be better for an adult to make it rather than having a child do the craft.
It’s also recommended to do some safe tasks together with your child—like using red vinyl tape to create the octopus’s body and legs, or drawing the face with a permanent marker—to help them feel even more attached to the toy.
water table
Water tables have recently become a hot topic as educational toys on social media.
While there are many types available on the market, making one with plastic bottles lets you create an original shape and keep costs down—two birds with one stone.
With store-bought products, it can be hard to find the perfect fit for your child’s height and your setup location, but if you make your own, you can tailor the water table to your child and environment.
Just be sure to plan carefully—especially how the water will flow—since proper calculations are necessary.
Turtle’s plastic bottle bucket
A small bucket made from a plastic bottle and decorated with a little turtle is so cute you’ll want to take it to the pool or use it for water play.
Because it uses water-resistant materials like cloth tape, permanent marker, tinsel ribbon, and straws, it will hold up all summer long.
However, since making it involves tools like a utility knife, scissors, and a hole punch, be sure an adult provides help appropriate to the child’s age if kids are doing the crafting.
With a unique, original design, it’s the perfect item to show off to friends.
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.