Handmade Water Gun Idea Collection
Have you ever thought it’d be nice to have a water gun when your child is playing in the pool?
Sometimes you don’t need anything too fancy, and it might not be worth going out to buy one.
In those moments, we’ve got plenty of ideas for handmade water guns you can make and play with together.
Most use recycled materials you already have at home, so you can build them with your child and have a blast playing afterward.
We also introduce some bigger, more powerful versions and ones made with items from 100-yen shops.
They’re perfect not only for kids but for adults who want a fun water-play companion, too!
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Handmade Water Gun Ideas (1–10)
A water gun made from an empty jelly packet
You can even make a water gun using the empty pouch after eating jelly.
It’s very easy to make.
Just use an awl to make a water outlet hole in the cap.
If you want to add a handle, wrap wire around the mouth of the pouch, attach a piece of cardboard, and wrap it with vinyl tape—that’s it.
Adding this handle lets you shoot water more steadily.
Since the opening for filling is narrow and it’s hard to pour water in, a small funnel comes in handy.
With a bit of household scrap, you’ve quickly turned it into a water gun that’s fun to use at the pool.
Customize a 100-yen water gun
Among store-bought water pistols, this is the most familiar—the simple, old-fashioned type.
You can even find them at 100-yen shops.
Let’s modify and customize one of these simple water pistols to transform it into a more powerful version! Basically, we’ll take advantage of the mechanism where water passes through and you pull the trigger, attach an empty container to serve as a water storage tank, and customize it using pool noodles or tubes made from expanded polyethylene.
You can get almost everything at a 100-yen shop.
Water gun with a balloon and a plastic bottle
Here’s how to make a water gun using a plastic bottle, straws, and a balloon.
It’s very simple: put a balloon over one straw and secure the balloon to the straw tightly with cellophane tape so no air leaks when you inflate it through the straw.
Make a hole in the plastic bottle cap large enough to fit two straws.
Fill the plastic bottle with water, then inflate the balloon and insert it into the bottle; the air will enter the bottle and water will shoot out forcefully from the other straw.
Handmade Water Gun Ideas (11–20)
shower water gun
A shower-style water blaster you can make entirely with things at home.
All you need is a plastic bottle, a plastic bag, and some vinyl tape.
The key is to poke lots of holes in the plastic bag with a safety pin—those holes become the shower.
Insert the bag into the plastic bottle, add water, and you’re done.
Pull the top of the plastic bag and it turns into a shower water blaster.
Kids can make it too, so the making is part of the fun—highly recommended.
If you want a water gun for pool play but don’t feel like buying one, definitely try making this shower water blaster!
PVC pipe and plastic bottle(s)
A handmade water gun—this one’s the real deal.
It’s a DIY method using PVC pipes.
You’ll need a lot of materials, and the process involves drilling holes and cutting with a saw, so it’s geared toward adults, or a setup where adults handle most of the work and kids help with small tasks.
Big water guns are popular these days, but this will give you an even more powerful, serious water blaster.
Try using it for target games during outdoor activities like camping.
A water gun that sprays water when you blow into it
When you think of homemade water gun ideas, many of them use plastic bottles, right? This one also uses a plastic bottle and straws, but it’s designed so that when you blow into a straw, the water inside the bottle shoots out with force.
It’s very easy to make: poke a hole in the cap and insert a thin straw.
Then attach a bendy straw to the thin straw with vinyl tape so it can draw up the water inside.
Make a hole in the plastic bottle as well and pass the straw through it, then tape around the gap between the straw and the bottle to prevent leaks—and you’re done!
milk carton pump water gun
Have you ever made a water gun out of a milk carton? It’s a lot of fun to make and play with together with kids.
Here’s how: Pinch just below the four top corners of an empty milk carton and push out the two sides.
Then pinch the bulged parts with your thumb and index finger to form a pump shape.
Even if the top gets a bit crumpled, it’s fine as long as it works like a pump, so don’t worry about perfection.
Next, use a pencil to make a hole at the bottom to pass a straw through, and insert the straw.
Finally, use a strip cut from another milk carton to support the straw so it doesn’t slip down, and tape it in place—that’s it.
Pour water into the carton and press the pump to squirt water.
Draw target pictures on extra milk cartons, knock them down, and have fun.
You can make this with things you have at home, so give it a try!