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 (11–20)
A water gun made from a dish soap bottle
When you finish a dish soap bottle, please keep a few instead of throwing them away.
That’s because they’re super useful for water play at the pool.
It’s economical and eco-friendly, too.
First, decorate the empty bottle with any design you like.
You can draw pictures on it or make it sparkle with vinyl tape.
And that’s it—done! So easy, right? After that, just fill it with water and press the bottle’s pump to squirt water—your “dish soap bottle water gun” is complete.
It’s sure to be a hit when playing at the pool.
Water gun powered by a bicycle pump
A water gun made with a bike pump is fun to build and fun to play with.
Since there are many steps, kids who like crafts will enjoy getting creative as they make it.
Even if you’re not good at crafts, it’s easy to make together with an adult’s help.
The parts you need are an empty plastic bottle, a pump, a spectacle (bent) straw, a pencil cap, a clothespin, and rubber bands.
You can buy the pump and the bent straw at DAISO, and since you attach the parts with vinyl (electrical) tape, you don’t need anything special.
Once it’s done, try it out at the pool right away.
Fill it with water and push the pump, and the water will shoot out.
PET bottle water gun
A PET bottle water blaster is easy to make and fun to play with.
First, peel off the label from a PET bottle and draw your favorite design on it with a permanent marker.
Once you’re done, fill the bottle with clean water and put the cap on.
Next, make a very small hole in the cap.
This step can be dangerous, so young children should ask an adult for help.
Once the hole is made, it’s finished.
When you squeeze the bottle tightly, water will spray out from the hole.
Try aiming a little farther away and see how far you can shoot the water! It’s fun to compete by moving the target gradually farther away.
electric water gun
Splatoon is a game that’s hugely popular not only with kids but also with adults.
If you’ve ever played it, you’ve probably thought, “I want to try that in real life.” These days, you can even find water guns with tanks that resemble the ones in the game at variety shops.
But this one is actually handmade—and it’s an electric water gun! It’s understandable to think, “There’s no way a beginner could make that,” but when you look at how it’s built, it’s fun to see it uses items like hoses, pasta containers, spice bottles, and even pen tips—the kind of things that make you go, “Wait, you can use that?”
Crab water gun
Here’s how to make a crab-shaped water squirter that’s perfect for small children to play with.
You’ll need a milk carton, a straw, red duct or vinyl tape, a pen, and so on.
Cut out a section of the milk carton and wrap the body round and round with red tape.
Use the cut-out pieces to make the crab’s claws and legs; attach the claws to a straw and fix it to the top of the main body.
To finish the body, crease the sides so it can be pressed flat.
Fill it with water and squeeze the body to squirt water out of the straw.
With a bit of creativity, you can make other creatures besides a crab!
an empty mayonnaise container
Even an empty mayonnaise bottle can be turned into a water gun.
When your mayonnaise or ketchup bottles are empty, wash them thoroughly and let them dry.
It’s a good idea to keep a few in stock.
The inside of a mayo cap has holes, but the outside doesn’t, so use an awl to make holes on the outside as well.
Be careful when using the awl to avoid injury.
Fill the bottle with water and squeeze the bottle—your mayonnaise container transforms into a water gun! It’s a handy idea you can make right away when you want a water gun for playing in the pool or any water play.
Homemade Water Gun Ideas (21–30)
Water gun using a balloon and a straw
Here’s an idea for a water gun using a balloon and a thin tube.
It’s a very simple water gun—just a thin tube inserted into a balloon.
The water inside the balloon shoots out through the tube, and you can easily control it by pinching the end of the tube to stop the water and relaxing your fingers to let it out.
Filling it with water is a bit tricky, but even small children can play with this.
It could be fun for everyone to play together and show their individuality by using different balloon shapes, sizes, and colors!
In conclusion
Were there any DIY water gun ideas that you’d like to try making or challenge yourself with? I mainly introduced water guns you can make from scrap materials or things you have at home. Choose ones that seem easy to play with according to your child’s age!