Lovely handmade crafts

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

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
Accompanist / Piano Instructoryuri
Accompanist pianist × piano instructor × web writer. I began piano lessons at age four and, inspired by my piano teacher, decided to pursue music. I went on to specialized music programs in high school and university, where I discovered the appeal of accompanying instrumentalists and singers. Currently, alongside teaching piano, I work mainly in my home region of Aichi as an accompanist for flute, voice, choir, and more. Through lessons, my students often introduce me to trending songs, and my hobby is trying anything on the piano—Japanese and Western pop, commercial jingles, and beyond. Since 2021, I’ve also been active as a web writer, covering music and a variety of other genres.

As New Year’s approaches, you may find yourself wondering what kinds of games to enjoy with the kids.

Here, we introduce ideas for handmade spinning tops that you can easily make using familiar materials found at home.

Using items like bouncy balls, paper plates, plastic bottle caps, and origami paper, you can make them right away without any special preparation.

They’re designed to be easy for small children to spin, and you can have fun decorating them in bright colors, so the excitement lasts from the making process through playtime.

This New Year, why not have both kids and adults try making spinning tops together?

Handmade spinning tops with everyday materials! Easy ideas you can enjoy for New Year (21–30)

Paper-for-drawing spinning top

Top made from construction paper: Sakura’s craft room. Easy craft—make a spinning top that twirls! Perfect for New Year’s crafts!

Paper-for-drawing spinning top

Here’s an idea for a spinning top you can make with round chopsticks and construction paper.

Cut the chopstick to a length of 9 cm, then simply wrap it with strips of colored construction paper that are 1.5 cm wide.

It’s a simple and easy method, but it makes a sturdy top.

Secure the paper seams with tape, and when wrapping, apply wood glue on the inside so you can wrap it tightly.

Make sure to secure the beginning and end of the wrap especially well with wood glue—that’s the trick to making it durable for play.

It’s also fun to make them with different colors of construction paper.

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buzzing top

[Preschool Teacher] Let's Make and Play! How to Make a Whirligig (Bunbun Goma) ✨ [Nursery School/Kindergarten]

buzzing top

Bunbun-goma, or buzzers, got their name from the whooshing and buzzing sounds they make as they slice through the air.

Regular spinning tops you twirl on the floor can be tricky for younger children, but with these bunbun-goma they can have fun more easily.

They’re very simple to make: cut a milk carton into squares, draw your favorite pictures or patterns on the white inner side, stick two squares together, punch holes, and thread some twine through.

Twist the twine by spinning the top, then pull to unwind the twist, and the top will spin with a buzzing whirr.

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Anpanman

Here’s a handmade spinning-top idea that’s perfect for kids who love Anpanman.

It’s great because you can make it with materials you probably already have at home, like paper plates and plastic bottle caps! It’s designed so even small children can spin it easily, so why not try making it together? First, create Anpanman’s face slightly smaller than the paper plate.

Next, wrap a plastic bottle cap with vinyl tape to make the nose and attach it to the center of Anpanman’s face.

Fix another cap to the center of the back of the paper plate as well.

To finish, stick pieces of sparkly origami paper cut into squares around the edge of the plate—and you’re done! Don’t stop at Anpanman; try other characters like Baikinman too.

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jelly cup

Let me introduce an easy-to-make spinning top using jelly cups that spins really well! First, the trick is to choose jelly cups with rounded bottoms.

With this idea, you can combine them with plastic bottle caps to make four different kinds of tops.

They’re all very simple to make, so try making them together with your children and have fun.

For the finishing touch, decorate them with masking tape or stickers to give your tops a unique, original look.

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CD

Let's make and play with a 'CD spinning top' that spins really well! The black-and-white patterns will look like colors.

If you have any CDs lying around at home, why not repurpose them into handmade spinning tops? A CD and a marble can transform into a top that spins beautifully! The trick is to choose a marble that’s slightly larger than the CD’s center hole.

To make it, just apply glue around the center hole of the CD and fix the marble in place.

It will be easier to spin if you add a small piece of double-sided tape where you grip it, or use a finger cot for extra grip.

You can also design and decorate the disc—how lovely! Try making your very own original top in your favorite colors and have fun playing with it.

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Spinning top made from a super ball

https://www.tiktok.com/@hoi_oasobi/video/7340175612029504775

Why not try making a spinning top with two super balls? It moves in a very curious way—quite entertaining.

All you need are two super balls, one rubber band, and some vinyl tape.

First, cut the rubber band to make a strip.

Tape it securely to a super ball with vinyl tape so it won’t come off.

Once attached, tie a double overhand knot to make sure the rubber band won’t slip off even under centrifugal force.

Attach it to the other super ball in the same way and connect them.

That’s it—done.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Flyer

Let's make a spinning top using an advertising flyer

Flyer

Let’s try making a spinning top by combining two types of parts made from flyers.

For the shaft part, use a flyer rolled tightly into a thin, sturdy tube, then cut it to an appropriate length.

Next, fold another flyer to a width shorter than the shaft, wrap it around the shaft to build up volume, and you’re done.

It’s important to add plenty of volume, so connect multiple pieces of flyer while varying their widths.

It could also be interesting to observe how the spinning behavior changes depending on the width adjustments.

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