[Let’s Make and Play!] Handmade Ideas for a Target Shooting Game
Starting with festival-style shooting galleries, target games are a popular pastime enjoyed by both kids and adults.
It’s a simple game where you just aim at and hit the targets with a ball or similar, but missing can be so frustrating that you can’t help getting hooked.
In this article, we’ll introduce a variety of DIY ideas for target games.
If you’re looking for handmade games that will delight children, why not give these a try?
Decorate the targets as ghosts or demons, and prepare different ways to knock them down—not just balls, but also toy guns, archery sets, air cannons, and more—to make things even more exciting!
- [Lots of Ideas!] Handmade Target-Throwing Game
- Ideas for Making a Shooting Game out of Cardboard! A Collection of Simple, Exciting Ideas for Kids and Adults
- [Craft] Handmade Ideas for Strikeout Targets [Recreation]
- Handmade games: DIY craft ideas you can make and play
- [Recreation] Fun! A collection of DIY ring toss ideas
- Handmade Lottery Draws Kids Will Love! A Fun Collection of Ideas to Make and Play
- [Handmade] Let's play with shuriken! A collection of homemade target practice ideas
- DIY whack-a-mole ideas—perfect for festivals and school fairs!
- [Childcare] Easy! Make a DIY target game. Playful craft and fun game
- DIY ideas for bingo cards
- Handmade toys with cardboard! DIY game ideas that will captivate kids
- [For Kids] DIY Snowman Craft Ideas!
- Fun at home! DIY bowling ideas
[Let’s Make and Play!] Handmade Target Practice Game Ideas (21–30)
Target shooting game with an air cannon
Fun for kids and adults alike! This is a shooting game you can enjoy indoors.
Punch a hole in an empty snack box, tie off a balloon’s mouth, and cut off the tip.
Stretch the cut balloon over the hole in the box, then put the original lid back on and secure it with vinyl tape.
Decorate the outside with origami paper, and your air cannon is complete! For targets, you can cut cardboard into any shapes you like and start playing right away, just like a shooting gallery.
It’s easy fun for both kids and adults, so try customizing it for different events and enjoy!
Let’s make darts!
Prepare several long strips of cardboard cut to a width of 3.5 cm.
Lightly spray one side with water to moisten it, then peel off the outer layer of paper.
Once the cardboard is dry, use glue and roll it up from one end into a spiral.
Keep adding strips and roll them all together.
That completes the target, so next we’ll make arrows using origami paper and toothpicks.
Use a toothpick as the arrow’s shaft, and glue origami paper to the back as the fletching.
Wrap tape around the tip of the toothpick as a weight, and it’s done.
Mount the target on a wall and try throwing the arrows to play.
Ball toss game
This is an easy, carnival-style shooting game craft made from cardboard that kids and adults alike can enjoy.
First, seal the cardboard box lid with packing tape.
Cut holes in the box.
If circles are tricky, feel free to make squares, triangles, or any shapes you like.
Next, make balls out of newspaper.
Tear the paper to your preferred size, crumple it into a ball, and secure it with packing tape—that’s it! It’s also fun to draw pictures or add colors as you like.
When children are making this, be careful to avoid cuts from box cutters or scissors.
Target game with paper cups and cardboard
This is a handmade cardboard target game that even little kids can enjoy! First, decorate a paper cup however you like, then cut four slits in it.
Secure two rubber bands into the slits.
Make holes in the cardboard that will serve as the target.
For small children, be careful when using scissors or other tools.
You can launch crumpled paper balls for fun, too.
Beyond paper cups, you can also try things like stick-and-rubber-band launchers—feel free to get creative and adapt it to your environment so kids and adults alike can enjoy it!
Strikeout for kids
@nami_aidakko Voice LibraryStrikeoutCardboard artShooting GalleryHashtag-like
♫ Dear Boy — Hump Back
This is a cardboard craft project for a strikeout game that’s super popular at festivals! First, choose a piece of cardboard sized to fit the children.
Cut out a 3×3 grid, then decorate the cut-out pieces.
Finally, adjust the cut-outs so they fit nicely into the frame.
It’s easy to make, and since it’s cardboard, it’s also great for use as a shooting game target! Share ideas, get creative, and have fun together—kids and adults alike!
Cannon cardboard target practice
An idea recommended for those who want to make serious cardboard crafts: the “Cannon Cardboard Target Game.” Both the targets and the cannon are made by assembling pre-cut cardboard parts.
The cannon is a fully featured build with adjustable angles, and inside it has a rod set up to push out a ball using rubber bands.
You pull the rod back and release it to launch the ball with force.
It’s also fun that if you hit the target just right, Bowser falls down.
Why not try making it with your favorite character?
Target game made with paper and string
A uniquely hooked target! Here’s an idea for a target game you can make with paper and string.
In the video they use a ball, but it also looks perfect as a target for throwing paper shuriken.
All you need are ribbon tape or string, and copy paper or construction paper with illustrations attached.
Handmade targets for shuriken often involve knocking something over or making it collapse, but the key to this idea is to hit the target and make it drop.
The mechanism is simple too—just hook it on—so it’s highly recommended!