Making yo-yos that are super popular at street stalls!
When you think of summer, you think of “yo-yo fishing,” right?
Among the many food stalls lined up at festivals, yo-yo fishing is especially popular with children.
Catching the yo-yos is tricky, but it’s a beloved staple of Japanese festivals that everyone can enjoy together.
This time, we’d like to introduce how to make festival yo-yos.
We hope that through this activity, children can experience and connect with traditional Japanese summer culture.
If teachers can prepare the slightly difficult parts in advance, the activity should go more smoothly.
Please try making a variety of yo-yos!
- [Childcare] Fun craft ideas and craft activities perfect for summer
- [By Age Group] Goldfish Craft Ideas! Enjoy Fun Time with Kids
- Recommended for childcare! Game and activity ideas to liven up a summer festival
- [Nursery/Daycare] Recommended for Summer Festivals! A Collection of DIY Game Ideas
- [For 4-year-olds] Crafts to make with preschoolers in July and August: Creative activities that let kids feel the summer
- Easy DIY Fishing Game! Craft Ideas Useful for Childcare
- Origami perfect for summer. Fun and easy for kids to make!
- [For 5-year-olds] Let’s enjoy summer! Summer craft ideas for 5-year-olds
- Preschool: Lantern craft ideas to make in summer!
- [Craft] Make and Display! A Special Feature on Ideas for Making Koinobori (Carp Streamers)
- [For 3-year-olds] A roundup of craft ideas to enjoy in summer! Introducing various motifs and techniques
- Fun for childcare! Summer Festival Trivia Quiz & Fun Facts Questions
- Fun summer activities for kids: ideas you’ll want to try in childcare and at home
Making yo-yos that are super popular at festival stalls! (1–10)
Summer Festival Yo-yo Making
At summer festivals, there’s a game where you use a rod to fish out water balloons floating and bobbing in a pool.
But preparing a big pool can be a bit of a hassle.
In those cases, I recommend making ‘yo-yos’ out of construction paper.
Cut four strips of construction paper, then arrange them so they crisscross one another.
Curl the ends around and secure them together with a chenille stem (pipe cleaner) to form a sphere.
That completes the basic shape.
Next, decorate the outside of the sphere by sticking on stickers or drawing designs, and make a loop with any excess pipe cleaner so it can be hooked.
Done! Use chopsticks and thread—plus another pipe cleaner—to make a fishing rod, and you can play by “fishing” for them.
Make lots for a lively, colorful display!
Origami transforms into animal yo-yos
Let’s try making animal-themed yo-yos using origami! Fold the paper so that the four corners gather toward the center, then fold the newly formed corners again to give the whole shape a rounded form.
Also, let one edge protrude, snip it with scissors, fold and tuck it in to represent the part where the yo-yo is tied.
That completes the main body—after that, just draw the yo-yo’s pattern and the animal’s face on the front.
Finishing everything with pens is great, but adding separate ear parts and the like can give it a nice three-dimensional look.
A yo-yo made from a milk carton
Let’s make a large yo-yo using a milk carton.
Fully open the spout of the carton, then cut with scissors from the top to the bottom along each side of the square.
This will create a cross shape; attach the ends together to form a circle.
Add an elastic band at the top so you can hook a finger through, and your yo-yo is complete! The key is to use the inside of the carton as the outside.
The inside is pure white, making it easy to decorate with drawings or stickers.
It could also be fun to try cartons of different sizes.
Yo-yo making is a big hit at the food stalls too! (11–20)
[Ages 5 and up] Yo-yo made with a plastic bag
![[Ages 5 and up] Yo-yo made with a plastic bag](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/W3wG0ualiRE/sddefault.jpg)
Let me share an idea for making a yo-yo using plastic bags you already have at home! This idea is simple enough that a five-year-old can try it on their own.
First, put sequins or pieces of cut colored film into a bag, then blow air into it to inflate it.
Tie the opening of the bag to close it, and shape it into a ball while sticking tape on in a radial pattern.
Attach a few linked rubber bands to the top of the bag, and your yo-yo is complete! When you play with it, the things you put inside move around and look very pretty.
Yo-yo garland
Perfect for summer and festival decorations! Let’s make a yo-yo garland.
Cut construction paper to create a yo-yo-shaped frame.
Attach OPP tape to the frame, then stick cut pieces of origami paper, round stickers, and other decorations onto the adhesive surface.
Seal it by placing OPP tape over the top, and trim any excess tape that extends beyond the frame.
Attach a chenille stem (pipe cleaner), thread it onto a string, and your garland is complete.
Make yo-yos in various colors to create a bright and festive display!
Making a yo-yo with origami
Here’s an idea for making a yo-yo out of origami.
Fold the paper in half into a square twice, then unfold it and do a “zabuton” fold by bringing all four corners to the center.
Fold the top corner upward, then fold the tip slightly downward.
Make small cuts on the left and right of the folded-down tip, and fold inward to form an inverted triangle.
Fold all four corners inward to create the rounded shape of the yo-yo.
Attach the yo-yo string with tape, draw patterns with a pen, and you’re done! Origami paper with printed patterns works great too, so feel free to use any design you like.
Making persimmon yoyos using newspaper
How about making a sweet and delicious-looking persimmon-shaped yo-yo? Crumple up some newspaper into a ball and thread a rubber band through the center.
Tie another rubber band to that one, then wrap the ball with orange origami paper to match the color of a persimmon.
Cut a leaf shape out of green origami paper and stick it on the top of the ball, and your persimmon yo-yo is complete! You could probably make apples, mandarins, watermelons, and other round fruits the same way.
With lots of variations, kids might be excited to try fishing for them!