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)
Turn a plastic-bottle rocket into a water gun
This is the idea of turning a plastic bottle rocket into a water gun.
Plastic bottle rockets are a popular item for outdoor summer play, and they’re often handmade using plastic bottles, even as a favorite summer vacation craft.
A plastic bottle rocket works by filling a plastic bottle about halfway with water, then pumping air into it with something like a bicycle pump; the bottle launches by using the water pressure inside.
If you modify the rocket’s nozzle so you can open and close it yourself, it becomes a powerful water gun.
Water gun made from a snack tube
You can make a great water gun using materials and tools you have around you! Here, we’ll introduce a water gun you can make using a snack tube.
First, make a hole in the center of the bottom of the tube.
Next, wrap the tip of a pair of chopsticks with cloth, temporarily secure it with a rubber band, then tightly wind twine over it to fasten it in place—that’s it! It’s also fun to decorate the tube with your favorite stickers.
With this water gun, kids can enjoy the sensation of drawing in water and pushing it out, and they can experiment with changing the water pressure.
Encourage children to try making this traditional-style water gun!
A pistol-shaped electric water gun that uses a plastic bottle
At first glance, it looks like a simple pistol-shaped water gun with a cardboard piece attached to a plastic bottle—something you could throw together easily—but it’s actually a water gun that uses electronic components.
There’s a button on the trigger, and pressing it shoots water forcefully out of the bottle.
As long as you hold the button, the water keeps coming out, and it’s surprisingly powerful.
Since it involves electronic circuits and a soldering iron, it’s not exactly practical, but if you enjoy DIY projects with electronic parts, why not give it a try?
A water gun that uses a pressurized spray bottle
It’s a water gun made using a plastic bottle and a pressurized mister.
A pressurized spray bottle is typically used for light cleaning or watering plants, and lately, versions designed to work with plastic bottles are even sold at 100-yen shops.
By combining one of those with a thin tube, a plastic bottle, and a PVC pipe, you can create an impressive and powerful water gun.
The PVC pipe simply houses the tube and is mainly for ease of handling, so it could likely be substituted with something else.
It takes some effort, but it delivers power you can’t get from an ordinary water gun!
Modify a ballpoint pen
This water gun is made out of ballpoint pens! When you want to splash around at the pool, knowing this trick means you can whip up a water gun in no time.
To make it, prepare two ballpoint pens.
The recommended combo is one ZEBRA Sarasa pen and one slightly thinner pen.
The Sarasa pen will be the outer barrel, and you’ll need the refill from the thinner pen.
Wind a bunch of thread around the end of that refill, and you’re done.
Then just fill it with water like a syringe, and push the inner refill to squirt the water.
Isn’t that super quick? It’s really easy.
Even though it’s simple, it’s powerful, and it’s a handy item you can add to your pool-time fun using things you already have at home.
Hope this helps!
bamboo water gun
The bamboo water gun, which could be called the original water pistol.
Since you’ll be sawing and crafting with bamboo, please make it together with an adult.
Bamboo is available for purchase online.
This bamboo water gun has a surprisingly long range—water can easily shoot 6 to 7 meters.
When playing in the pool, set a target far away and try to knock it down.
Compete to see who can shoot the farthest or who can knock down the most targets—there are lots of ways to have fun.
Kids will love it, of course, but it’s also an item that lets adults enjoy themselves with childlike excitement.
Handmade using PVC pipes
This water gun is a handmade, push-style model made from PVC pipe.
PVC pipe is the kind used for plumbing and is sold at home improvement stores.
Since there are various parts and steps involved in making it, please build it together with an adult.
It’s a serious water gun, so I think adults can enjoy it just as much as kids.
Plus, once you’ve made it, you can keep using it every year—just replace the gasket during pool season.
It’s economical, and having a water gun really amps up the fun when you play in the pool together.
Please feel free to use this idea as a reference!
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.
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.
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.