[Childcare] Playing with scrap materials: Toys you can make from recycled items
Cardboard toilet paper rolls, milk cartons, plastic bottles—there are many kinds of scrap materials that can be repurposed.
Many of you have probably used them as materials for crafts.
In this article, we’ll introduce play ideas for early childhood settings that use scrap materials, as well as toys you can make and play with using them.
At first glance, scrap materials can be hard to figure out how to play with, but that’s exactly why children can use their free imagination to play with them in all sorts of ways.
If you’re thinking of trying some play with children using scrap materials, please use this as a reference and give it a try!
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[Childcare] Play with recycled materials. Toys you can make from recyclables (31–40)
Floating Sea Otter
Introducing a cute otter toy you can make from a milk carton! Milk cartons are sturdy even when wet, so you can float it in the bath and play.
First, cut the milk carton in half, leaving about 2–3 cm above the bottom.
Open the cut section and use a permanent marker to draw the otter’s face and limbs on the sides.
Cut along the outlines, then attach a plastic bottle cap—like a seashell—to the otter’s hands and the inside of the carton, and you’re done! Tapping the bottle caps, which look like shells, makes a castanet-like sound, so it’s super fun and highly recommended!
Gacha Capsule Shower
Many of you may be holding onto toy capsules thinking, “I might use them for something someday,” right? Here’s a fun way to use toy capsules for bath time! Toy capsules already have holes in them, don’t they? This play idea makes good use of that.
It’s very simple: hold the capsule and submerge it in the bath water, letting it bubble as it fills up.
Once it’s full, tilt it like a watering can and pour the water out through the holes! Watching the capsule fill up is fun too, so it’s a great tip for kids who aren’t fond of taking baths.
catch-ball machine
How about making a fun catch-ball machine that shoots the ball and pawn with a satisfying pop? First, cut a circle in the center of a paper plate to match the diameter of a toilet paper tube, then cut away one quarter of the plate and overlap the edges to form a cone, taping it in place.
Next, cut slits into one end of the toilet paper tube, hook two rubber bands in a cross shape into the slits, secure them with tape so they don’t come off, and attach a ball made by wrapping tissues with tape to the rubber bands.
Thread the toilet paper tube through the hole in the paper plate and fix it in place.
Finally, make one more soft ball out of tissues and tape, and you’re done.
It’s fun to play alone, and making several to play with family or friends sounds great too!
chain drop
Let’s make a toy called a “chain dropper” using a milk powder can! It’s very easy to make.
Attach the parts of Anpanman’s face to the lid of the can, then cut out the mouth area with a utility knife.
After that, secure the lid with tape so it won’t come off, and just put the chain inside! Little kids love putting things into small holes like this—and they love pulling them out, too! It’s a simple toy, but it’s a classic favorite among children.
Give it a try!
Operation: Let the fish swim in the tray
Even kids who don’t like bath time might hop right in! Here’s the “Let’s Make Fish Swim on a Tray!” strategy.
Just draw fish with a permanent marker on the plastic trays that packaged meat or fish, cut them out, and you’re done! Float them in the bath and say, “There are fish swimming in the tub!” Wet trays stick to the bath wall, so besides fish, you can cut out letters for a little learning activity, or make your child’s favorite characters—lots of fun options! Try different tricks to make bath time enjoyable.
[Childcare] Playing with Recycled Materials: Toys You Can Make from Recyclables (41–50)
Marble Drop
Why not try making a marble drop inspired by Anpanman? The base will be a plastic bottle.
First, cut it into three equal sections, then insert a piece of thick paper between the sections and reassemble them.
Punch marble-drop holes in the thick paper and decorate it to evoke Anpanman.
You could also make the thick paper look like Anpanman’s or Baikinman’s face.
Once you add the marbles, it’s complete.
Its cute appearance and the sound of the marbles dropping will captivate children.
plastic bottle cap
The spinning top made by connecting plastic bottle caps with string has a unique wind-catching shape and a colorful look that really stands out.
Make a hole in the center of each cap, connect them with string to form a ring, and adjust the angles as you shape it into a circle.
Once it’s neat and round, attach round pieces of thick paper to the top and bottom center, make holes in them, and add the axle to finish.
If it’s too small and hard to spin, try increasing the number of connected caps or making the axle larger for an easier grip.
Also pay attention to which direction it spins more easily, and aim for a more stable rotation.
