Handmade spinning tops with everyday materials! Easy ideas you can enjoy for New Year’s too

How to make an easy spinning top from a milk carton

[Preschool Teacher] Easy New Year’s Activities You Can Make and Play! How to Make Spinning Tops and Kites ✨ [Daycare & Kindergarten]

Here’s an idea for making a spinning top using a milk carton, a plastic bottle cap, and a straw.

First, open up the corners and flatten the milk carton, then round-cut all four sides at a point 10 cm up from the bottom.

Decorate it by drawing pictures or adding stickers, and then attach the plastic bottle cap to the center of the milk carton.

On the back side, stick a short piece of straw at the same position, and it’s done.

The sides of the milk carton act like fins, making it easy to spin, so it’s great for small children.

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sasashina

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A playable spinning top made from a paper cup

[Craft] New Year’s Craft — Easy Spinning Top

How about making your own traditional New Year’s spinning top this year and playing with it? You can easily make one with a paper cup, a straw, and a plastic bottle cap, so give it a try.

Leave about 5 millimeters of the bottom of the paper cup and cut around it with scissors.

If a child is making it, please have a guardian watch to prevent any cuts.

Once you’ve made slits all the way around, spread them out and draw your favorite patterns.

Make a hole in the bottom of the paper cup, insert a straw cut to about 6 centimeters, and secure it to the cap—that’s it! Spend a fun New Year with a one-of-a-kind spinning top!

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Just paper plates and a bottle cap! A spinning top that even 1-year-olds can make

[Craft] Spinning top [Paper plate] [Ages 1+ ] [Easy]

Koma (spinning tops) are perfect both for New Year’s games and for everyday play.

This top is easy to make: paste small torn pieces of origami paper onto the surface of a paper plate, then glue a plastic bottle cap to the center.

A tip is not to use the paper plate as is, but to fold it in half twice to make creases beforehand.

Doing this creates a central shaft-like area, making it spin more easily.

Hold the cap and try spinning it on a hard floor.

For a more festive look, use not only solid-color origami but also traditional Japanese patterned paper.

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Cardboard hand-cranked spinning top

Kimie Gangi’s Cardboard Maru’s Transformation: “Hand-Cranked Spinning Top”

Back in the days when there were no video games or smartphones, kids played by hitting baseballs or kicking balls around.

Then you wonder—what did they do before baseballs and balls existed? They hopped on one foot, played tag, and in the end, they knew how to have fun within whatever environment they were given.

Feeling a bit nostalgic, why not make and play with a spinning top out of cardboard? It’s simple: just cut a circle from cardboard and insert a Frankfurt sausage stick or a pair of chopsticks.

Have fun painting it however you like! In an age when we have everything, a simple cardboard top might even feel refreshingly new.

Beautiful and fun origami spinning top

Speaking of spinning tops, personally I picture wood as the material.

If you’re from the beigoma generation, maybe iron comes to mind.

In fact, even in the Reiwa era, beigoma are quietly gaining popularity, and I’ve heard there are even superalloy versions on the market.

If you’re thinking, “Metal ones seem dangerous when you swing them around…,” then origami tops are a great recommendation.

You can enjoy making origami tops to match your crafting level, from simple ones made with a single sheet of paper to more advanced versions with a toothpick axle.

Some beautiful origami tops even use three or four sheets of paper.

If you’re confident in your dexterity, give it a try!

Coma with a Myakumyaku motif

Did you go to the Osaka-Kansai World Expo held in 2025? Although it was billed as a “no-lines Expo,” in the end people still had to line up; there were comments like not seeing many flying cars after all, and that it was so crowded it just left you tired.

But I believe the Osaka Expo offered emotions and excitement that far outweighed those negatives.

One of the stars of the Expo, Myaku-Myaku, was incredibly popular too.

It could be fun to make a spinning top in Myaku-Myaku’s colors—white, blue, and red—and use it to liven up your Expo memories.

If you can’t make a top with origami, simply painting a store-bought top in Myaku-Myaku colors works fine.

And if you can draw, definitely try illustrating Myaku-Myaku as well.

Make with Kids! Mini Gem Spinning Tops

Do you know your birthstone? It can vary depending on the tradition, but each month has an assigned birthstone—like garnet for January and amethyst for February.

The diamond for April feels kind of luxurious, doesn’t it? A spinning top decorated with those gemstones would be lovely.

For the body of the top, a simple coaster with the round bottom of a plastic bottle glued on is enough.

Then just decorate it with your favorite “gems,” and you’re good to go! I think little kids who love sparkly things will really get into it!