Make it with everyday materials! A collection of fun summer vacation craft ideas

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICsasashina
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. During my student years at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, I studied a wide range of fields including sound, lighting, and video technology, building a foundation in comprehensive stage production and creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, consistently building experience in production and engaging in a variety of music-centered tasks. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting and what I feel and discover through daily interactions with my kids. I hope my work can be of help to you, even in a small way!

Summer vacation crafts are exciting even just to think up ideas, aren’t they? Still, lots of kids probably find themselves wondering, “What should I make?” The truth is, there are plenty of fun, easy projects anyone can make using everyday materials.

With things like plastic bottles, popsicle sticks, and milk cartons, you can create pieces that will make your friends say, “Wow!” So this time, we’re sharing craft ideas that are perfect for summer vacation homework.

Take a look and get inspired by these playful projects that are fun just to browse!

Made with everyday materials! A collection of fun summer vacation craft ideas (171–180)

Cream soda trinket case

@n.annlee321
100-yen store DIY/arrangement ☺️✨Summer Vacation Craft #HandmadeToys Parenting #100-yen shop DIY
♬ Utopia – imase

When it comes to summery drinks, cream soda is a classic! So let’s make a cream soda-themed trinket holder.

This idea uses a flower vase sold at 100-yen shops.

It’s shaped like a rectangle topped with a half-circle, and it already looks like cream soda, doesn’t it? Apply green iridescent origami paper to the rectangular part and white masking tape to the half-circle to represent the drink and the ice cream.

Glue a cherry made from a pom-pom and a craft pipe cleaner to the outside, then insert a straw.

Add iridescent round stickers to mimic bubbles for an even cuter finish.

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sasashina

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An hourglass made of straws

@silk_haru3mama
Summer vacation craft 🌻 It's fun—when you flip it over like an hourglass, the straws flow down! ⌛️#Summer Vacation Summer Vacation Craft #AtHomePlay #HandmadeToys work Educational toy #craft
♬ Another Day of Sun from La La Land [ORIGINAL COVER] – SoundWorks

Let’s make a toy where short straws fall like an hourglass.

First, cut a wire to 40 cm and wrap it around a pencil to make a spring.

Prepare two small paper cups and make a hole in the center of each bottom; thread one cup onto one end of the spring and secure it.

Stretch the spring and thread short, cut pieces of straw onto it.

Then thread and secure the other paper cup on the opposite end.

To prevent the spring from expanding and contracting, bridge two chopsticks between the two cups and glue them in place, and you’re done! Decorate the paper cups and chopsticks with masking tape or stickers to make it cute.

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sasashina

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Bead and pipe cleaner ideas

@n.annlee321
▼For details on materials, click here▼ 📕My book has been reprinted—thank you so much! 😭🙏🥺❤️ The link is in my profile 🥰 🔎 “New Handmade Toys” (Available on Amazon, Rakuten, and in bookstores!) Learn through play! Simple, fun ideas 💡 ☆*:.｡.┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈.｡.:*☆ I share fun activities you can enjoy with kids☺️ I’m An 🌸 Bracelets made with beads and pipe cleaners ✨ Make them short and they work as cable ties too♪ (I use them all the time) You can decorate jars, use them as headbands for stuffed animals… so many ways to use them!!! Pipe cleaners keep beads from slipping, so they’re easy for kids to handle! Threading beads onto the wire helps kids focus and improves fine motor skills 😊 I tried different ways to finish the ends, and the method in the video is the simplest and cleanest! The tightly coiled pipe cleaner looks like a pom‑pom—so cute, right? 😆💕 You can enjoy arranging bead patterns and adjusting the length ✨ I used 30 cm pipe cleaners. Beads around 8 mm to 1 cm are easy for kids to handle! Pipe cleaners also fit through 6 mm beads, so choose what you like 🙌 Pipe cleaners will basically fit through anything except ultra‑tiny beads! ☆*:.｡.┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈.｡.:*☆ Thanks so much for watching 😆 I’m a mom of a 4‑ and 7‑year‑old who love making and playing (Toy Consultant & Picture Book Instructor). I share crafts, play ideas, and handmade picture books—fun things to enjoy with kids ♡ I’d be happy if we can be friends!#HandmadeToys work #I love crafts Childcare #LifeWithKids Life with children #AtHomePlay #EducationalPlay Educational Finger Dexterity Education #tiktok classroom
♬ Talking Box (Dirty Pop Remix) – WurtS

Thread beads onto pipe cleaners to make all kinds of little accessories.

First curl one end of the pipe cleaner, then thread on a bead.

Insert the curled tip into the bead’s hole, pull the other side to lock it in place, and after that just add your favorite beads and form a loop.

Make it larger for a bracelet, or use flower-shaped beads to create a flower crown for a doll.

You can also use them for cable ties, tiny bottle decorations, and many other situations.

Because you’re using pipe cleaners, the beads don’t slip off easily after threading, making this an easy activity for toddlers and lower-grade elementary school children.

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sasashina

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Making felt flowers

@n.annlee321
Felt flower series ☺️ Pipe cleaners are pretty handy too 👍#tiktok classroom #StayHomeTime Life with children work
♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

Why not try making flowers that never wilt using felt and pipe cleaners? It’s very easy and cute.

First, cut petals out of felt.

Slightly fold the base of each petal and snip along the crease—this is where you’ll thread the pipe cleaner later.

Cut a light green pipe cleaner into three 4 cm pieces.

Lay two pieces in an X shape, then place the third straight across and twist to form the stamen.

Wrap a green pipe cleaner around to make the stem, and wrap a yellow pipe cleaner around the tip of the stamen to represent the pollen.

Finally, thread the petals onto the stem and glue them in place to finish.

Try making your favorite flowers!

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sasashina

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A box for doing hair styling

@n.annlee321
Perfect for practicing ribbon bows, braids, and using hair ties 🥰🎀#HandmadeToys #100-yen-shop #100-yen shop DIY Parenting Childcare Childcare Educational #EducationalToys braid Ribbon bow
♬ Shimokita – Gaiyu

Why not make a hairstyling box using a large empty box, felt, and yarn? It’s a great craft for kids who love tying or braiding doll hair.

First, cut out parts like the face, eyes, and mouth from felt, and stick them onto the box lid.

As if making a pom-pom, wrap yarn around cardboard, tie it at one point, then cut the looped ends.

Punch holes in the top of the face area on the box, thread the tied yarn through, and attach the “hair” around the face.

Make the side sections and bangs separately.

Also, secure the side hair at the upper left and right sides of the face.

Finally, decorate as you like with ribbons and more, and you’re done! Use the yarn as hair and enjoy styling it.

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sasashina

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Made with everyday materials! A collection of fun summer vacation craft ideas (181–190)

whipped resin

@chat_ange
A craft project for summer break that even lower-grade kids can make… Instead of shaker resin, it’s whip resin. I hope it catches on as a new term! I tried applying the trendy whip deco to a shaker resin piece. I haven’t seen this anywhere else, so maybe it’s a first?! 🤣 I’m thinking it might be easier than regular shaker resin—what do you think? It’s cute as is, but once the whip dries, it could be turned into a keychain too. I’ll upload a video when I make another one. If you still haven’t made your summer break project yet, I hope this helps as a reference! 😆Summer Vacation Craft #Summer vacation homework Free craft Use it freely for crafts.#WhippedResin #HowToMakeShakerResin Shaker resin Resin #ResinHandmade #ResinWork
♬ For children, daily life, crafts, fun, free research(1004474) – NakayamaNorikazu

We’ll show you how to make whipped resin that feels just like making sweets.

First, let’s create the base with resin.

Pour resin into a mold and cure it.

You can make the color however you like.

Once the base is ready, add the deco “whip,” then place decorative parts on top to embellish it.

When the whip hardens, it’s done! Using store-bought decorative parts is easy, but if you’d like to try making more with resin, take this opportunity to handcraft the parts as well.

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sasashina

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Handmade croissant craft

@n.annlee321
Pretty hard to do in real life, huh? 🥹#ElementarySchoolMom Summer Vacation Craft Parenting Childcare Handmade #100-yen shop DIY #100-yen-shop
♬ Touch – KATSEYE

Croissants, whose toasty aroma practically comes through just by looking at them, are a popular bread across generations.

Let’s recreate that delicious croissant appearance using materials you can get at a 100-yen shop.

For the base, cut a puzzle mat into three different sizes, then glue them together while creating steps.

Once the base is complete, apply double-sided tape across the entire surface and wrap brown yarn around it to mimic the look of a croissant.

Since the layered dough and variations in browning are part of a croissant’s appeal, experiment with how you wrap the yarn and also use paint to reproduce these details effectively.

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