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

Origami spinning tops you can play with during the New Year!

Here’s an origami spinning top idea you can make once you know the “zabuton fold.” You’ll use two sheets of origami paper, so prepare your favorite colors.

First, let’s fold the first sheet.

Do a zabuton fold by bringing all four corners to the center, then repeat that same fold two more times.

For the second sheet, also do the zabuton fold three times, but flip the paper over after each fold.

After the third zabuton fold, flip the paper over and open out the corners that are gathered at the center to the outside.

This will be the body of the spinning top; the first sheet will be the handle.

For the handle, squash the areas between the corners so the center stands up, then insert it inside the body of the spinning top, aligning the corners as you go.

Now your top is complete—use the handle to spin it and have fun!

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sasashina

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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!

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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utatane

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Thread-spinning top

Simple Craft 053: String-Pulled Top — Can It Spin Even Stronger?

Let’s try making a string-pulled spinning top that whirls with a whoosh and looks cool! It’s a perfect craft idea for kids.

This top can be spun just by pulling a string, even if you don’t have much strength.

First, make the shape of the top with Perler beads (fuse beads), then insert a split chopstick with a sharpened tip into the center of the top.

It will spin well even with just that, but if you add a straw to create a string-pulling mechanism, you can make it spin even more powerfully! It might be a bit tricky at first to wind and pull the string, but practice a little and give it a cool spin!

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miyabi

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buzzing top

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

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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utatane

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plastic bottle spinning top

Make a spinning top from a plastic bottle

Let’s make a New Year’s handmade toy—a plastic bottle spinning top—using items you have at home or can get easily.

Heat and inflate an empty 500 ml plastic bottle in a microwave.

Adjust the size and shape as it expands by watching it in the microwave.

Cut off the bottom with scissors or a utility knife, insert a skewer or toothpick through the hole as the axle, and secure it.

Make two of the same, and decorate them with colored pens or tape.

You can use just one or combine both—either is fine.

Have fun making and playing with this New Year’s toy made from recycled materials.

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nikki

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Paper plate spinning top

[For Preschool Teachers] Az Sensei’s Easy Craft Play: How to Make a Paper Plate Spinning Top

Just glue a plastic bottle cap onto a paper plate! All you need are a paper plate, a cap, and some coloring pens.

Fold the paper plate so that crease lines form a cross.

After coloring with pens or drawing whatever you like, simply glue the plastic bottle cap to the point where the two creases intersect, and you’re done! Using bold colors will make the patterns pop beautifully when you spin it.

Since you don’t use scissors or any dangerous tools, it’s a great craft to make with young children.

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yuri

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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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miyabi

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