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)
Milk Carton Denden Daiko (Japanese hand drum)
Let’s make a very simple den-den daiko (Japanese pellet drum)! As preparation, please wash an empty milk carton thoroughly and let it dry.
First, cut the carton about three centimeters up from the bottom.
When you cut, leave one side uncut.
Punch holes in the top and bottom of the carton, insert a pair of chopsticks to serve as the handle, and secure them.
Next, punch holes on the left and right sides, thread yarn tied to paper clips through the holes, and tape the ends on the inside.
Once that’s done, trim the side you left uncut to a suitable length, close it to form a neat box, and tape it shut—that’s it! It’s so easy that even kids can give it a try!
kaleidocycle
Perfect for a summer vacation science project, let’s make a kaleidocycle using milk cartons! A kaleidocycle is a fascinating toy where four faces rotate and change continuously.
Prepare two milk cartons opened flat and tape them together; cut off the spout sections.
Next, lightly draw diagonals and slanted lines on the inside of the cartons, and valley-fold all the slanted lines.
After adding fold creases along the vertical lines as well, tape the two ends together, then fold along the creases to close it up—and you’re done! You can draw your favorite pictures on each face, or even create a storybook-like sequence for extra fun.
straw dragonfly
This is a handmade bamboo-copter (taketombo) made from a milk carton.
Cut the milk carton into strips and draw patterns on them with a pen.
Coloring them brightly makes it look beautiful when it spins! Next, make a slit in a straw that will serve as the handle, and insert a milk carton piece folded in half.
Staple the inserted part firmly, then fold the milk carton diagonally and spread the wings to both sides to finish.
To make it spin well, add a bit of weight by putting tape on the tip of the milk carton—this is the key! Since it’s made from a soft milk carton, it’s safe to play with indoors.
flip-flap changing picture
Pull the ends of a picture with an illustration and…
the image changes? It’s a fun “flip-flop” changing picture with a neat trick.
You might think the mechanism is complicated, but it’s actually easy—you just combine two milk cartons.
Prepare two milk cartons, open both, and cut off the top and bottom.
Fold one in half and make two slits.
Cut the other carton in half, then fold each half again, and insert them into the slits alternately, with the fold lines facing the center.
This creates a structure that opens when you insert your fingers in the middle.
By drawing different images on the inside and outside, it looks like the picture changes in an instant.
A lantern made from construction paper with slits
Let’s make a lantern with a striking shape using drawing paper and a milk carton.
First, cut off the top of the milk carton, then attach drawing paper to all four sides of the carton using double-sided tape.
Decorate it cutely by adding stickers or washi tape on top.
Next, take a slightly longer sheet of colored paper, cut vertical slits into it, and wrap and attach it over the decorated carton.
Punch holes and thread chenille stems (pipe cleaners) through to finish.
You can also add patterns to the colored paper you put on top.
Give it a try!
