Let's make toys with milk cartons! Easy and fun DIY crafts!
Did you know you can make all kinds of toys using milk cartons?
In this article, we’ll introduce milk carton toys that babies and toddlers will love!
Many households recycle milk cartons, but they’re also often reused for kids’ crafts.
You’ll frequently see toys made by teachers at daycare centers and kindergartens, too.
Milk carton toys are great for little ones who haven’t learned to control their strength yet, because if they break, you can quickly make a new one.
They’re really easy to make, so give it a try!
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Let’s make toys with milk cartons! Simple and fun DIY crafts! (41–50)
Pinwheel hat made from a milk carton
A windmill attached to a hat! Here’s an idea for a windmill hat made from a milk carton.
You’ll need a milk carton, scissors, a bamboo skewer, duct tape, and a straw.
Wear the hat made from the milk carton and run—the windmill’s propeller will spin.
It’s a unique idea, perfect for kids who love running and being active.
It’s also fun to customize the design by drawing illustrations of cats, dogs, or monkeys.
Give it a try and have fun making and playing with it!
Let's make toys with milk cartons! Easy and fun DIY crafts! (51–60)
A lantern made by cutting slits into a milk carton
Let’s try making a lantern using a milk carton.
This lantern has such a striking shape that you might not even realize it started as a milk carton.
First, open up the carton; leave two panels as they are, and trim the other two panels slightly.
Use a permanent marker to add vertical patterns, then make slits perpendicular to those patterns.
Wrap it around in a circle and fasten it with a stapler.
Punch holes with a hole punch, thread a string through, and it’s done.
By getting creative with colors and designs for the patterns, you can make lots of colorful lanterns.
Milk carton building blocks
How about using milk cartons to make building blocks for two-year-olds who are starting to get interested in letters? They’re simple to make: just fasten the milk cartons with packing tape and wrap them with construction paper.
Varying the colors and sizes or adding numbers will really capture a two-year-old’s interest.
It’s great to make plenty so they can play imaginatively.
If you stuff the milk cartons, the blocks become sturdier and less likely to break, so keep that in mind when making them.
milk carton car
Here’s an idea for a milk carton car that you can actually ride and enjoy.
This project uses a plant stand with casters and milk cartons to make a vehicle.
Once the base is complete, cover it with felt and decorate it.
The visual design is up to you, but it’s a good idea to use popular characters as motifs.
You could also model it after an Anpanman car.
By the way, the plant stand with casters can be purchased at a 100-yen shop.
It’s a very cost-effective idea, don’t you think?
Milk carton server
If you want your child to enjoy drinking milk, why not make a milk carton server together? Even kids who don’t like milk might be happy to drink it! It’s also great for summer break projects and crafts.
The steps are simple, making it perfect for children to try.
Just poke a hole in the bottom of a small plastic bottle and set it on top of a milk carton.
Because the hole is small, opening and closing the bottle cap lets the milk start and stop flowing due to air pressure.
Have fun decorating the carton, adding a little door, and customizing it however you like!
Pinwheel piggy bank
Introducing a pinwheel piggy bank where the pinwheel inside spins when you insert a coin.
Prepare two milk cartons, a lid from a 6-piece cheese pack, a utility knife, a bamboo skewer, and a straw.
For the piggy bank base, make holes for the coin slot, a door, and the hole for the pinwheel’s bamboo skewer in one milk carton.
Next, for the blades, cut off the bottom third of the second milk carton with the utility knife to create the lower section.
Then cut off about the top third of the remaining carton, score folds on the four sides to make it easier to bend, and fold it.
Thread a bamboo skewer through and staple to secure—this completes the inner blades.
Insert the bamboo skewer through the base and fix the blades in place.
Cut the 6-piece cheese lid into a pinwheel shape, attach it to a straw, and secure it.
Your pinwheel piggy bank is complete!
slider
This is a slider made from milk cartons, perfect as a toy for small children.
All you need are a few milk cartons to make it, so it’s a very eco-friendly craft.
Combine opened milk cartons with cartons used as pillars! By adding a slope, kids can roll marbles or acorns down it.
Connect two or three levels to make it more advanced.
It doesn’t have to be perfectly shaped—if it’s connected, it’s fine! It’s also great as a summer vacation project, so try making it together as a parent-child activity.