[Milk Carton Crafts] Fun ideas for elementary school kids. Perfect for summer vacation homework!

Cute shaved ice piggy bank

Here’s an idea for a shaved-ice coin bank made from a milk carton.

It’s adorable because a little face pops out when you put a coin in.

Prepare a small milk carton and peel off the outer printed layer so it’s white.

Cut the spout into a mountain shape.

Draw the syrup part with a pen, attach an iridescent (aurora) sheet, and create the slot for inserting coins.

Next, pierce a rotating cardboard piece with a bamboo skewer and fix it inside the milk carton.

Thread the face piece onto the part of the skewer that sticks out of the carton and glue it in place, then decorate the other end with beads.

Attach thick paper around it to hide the skewer, and close the spout to finish.

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sasashina

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Goldfish and poi

Goldfish Scooping

Here’s a craft idea where you make both goldfish and a scoop (poi) using milk cartons.

Because the goldfish are simply cut out of the carton into fish shapes, the original design is crucial—choosing which carton to use can be part of the fun.

The poi is also simple: just roll up thin strips of the carton and add a handle, so anyone can easily create a goldfish scooping game.

What you stick inside the ring is another key point: using thin washi paper makes it feel like authentic goldfish scooping, while a mesh strainer bag lets kids focus on the scooping motion.

You can also adjust the difficulty by making the poi harder to hold or changing the weight of the goldfish.

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kappamaki

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Mario Question Mark Box

[Handmade Toy] Easy Question Mark Box Made from a Milk Carton! At-Home Play | Mario Pretend Play

This is a craft inspired by the Super Mario series, where a mushroom illustration pops out when you push a block from below.

You stack cut milk cartons to form a cube, and by arranging the layers cleverly, you create a mechanism that pops out when pressed.

After that, just attach construction paper with patterns and it’s complete: make the outer base a Question Block and draw a mushroom on the popping part.

Although it uses sturdy milk cartons, for a reliable pop, it’s best to support the overlapping sections firmly while pushing them out.

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kappamaki

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Shooting game

[Wakuwaku-san’s Craft Class] A Shooting Game Made from a Milk Carton!

It’s a mechanism that shoots plastic bottle caps with force, and a target-shooting game that uses it.

Make holes in a milk carton, pass a bamboo skewer through, and attach a rubber band there—now you’ve completed a cap-launching mechanism.

You’ll need to make a hole in the cap so it can be set on the skewer, but since it’s hard, proceed carefully to avoid injury.

From there, develop it into a game where you use this cap launcher to hit targets.

You can focus on the look of the targets, or on the appearance of the cap cannon—there are many ways to add your own originality to this craft.

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kappamaki

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Jump out! Wiggly-wiggly snake!

[Jack-in-the-Box with a Milk Carton] Pop Out! Wriggly Snake!

Let’s make a jack-in-the-box with a snake that jumps out, using milk cartons for both the insides and the box! Cut off the top and bottom of the milk carton.

You’ll use a utility knife to cut out the bottom, so handle it with great care.

Once the carton is a tube, draw a line 4.5 cm from the edge, cut with scissors, and make four rings of the same size.

Cut a slit in each of the four rings, decorate them by attaching origami paper, and hook rubber bands into the slits.

Connect the four rings together.

If you fold them up while the rubber bands are stretched, then let go—boing! They’ll pop out with a burst of energy.

Make a box out of a milk carton as well, and tuck the snake inside to surprise someone.

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utatane

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pokkuri

Nostalgic toy: milk carton stilts

Here’s a recommended craft idea for elementary school students taking on a summer vacation independent project: “pokkuri” (traditional walking clogs) made by reusing milk cartons.

All you need are milk cartons and string.

The steps are simple: make cuts at the four corners of a milk carton down to 7 cm from the bottom, then pack in another milk carton that has been accordion-folded.

Fold the four sides inward, leave two sides standing, punch holes in them, and thread and tie the string to make handles.

That’s it—your friendly, kid-favorite traditional toy is complete.

It’s not only fun, but also a great eco-friendly recycling craft.

coin purse

[Milk Carton Coin Purse] Sakura’s Craft Room 36 – Let’s make an easy wallet from a milk carton! Upcycle!

Let’s try making a coin case using the bottom part of a milk carton.

From the bottom of the milk carton, draw lines at 3.5 cm on three sides and at 7 cm on the remaining side, then cut along the lines with scissors.

The 7 cm side will be the lid, so crease both sides to fold them inward, make holes in the lid and the overlapping section below it with an awl or similar tool, and attach a snap fastener.

Snap fasteners are handy items that you can attach just by passing them through the holes and clicking them into place; you can find them at 100-yen shops.

Try decorating the milk carton with origami paper or stickers.

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utatane

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flip-flap changing picture

Even infants will love it! A flip-flap changing picture made from a milk carton

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.

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utatane

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Paper airplane launcher

Let’s make a paper airplane launcher using a milk carton! This craft is amazingly simple and quick to make, and you only need items you likely already have at home: a milk carton, rubber bands, scissors, and a stapler.

First, open the milk carton and cut off the top and the bottom parts.

Staple a rubber band in the center, fold that section inward, fold any excess outward, and then fold a part to make a handle—that’s it.

Fold along the creases, stretch the rubber band and hook it over the opposite corner, set your paper airplane in the gap along the fold, and when you hold the handle and open the milk carton, the paper airplane will launch forward with great force.

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utatane

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Conveyor Piggy Bank

Conveyor Belt Piggy Bank!! [Milk Carton Craft | Easy How-To] Elementary School | Karakuri (mechanism) | Summer Vacation | Cute

Turning the handle moves the conveyor belt, and by placing a coin on it and setting it in motion, the coin heads toward the piggy bank.

The parts at both ends of the conveyor are crucial: install them on a milk carton and use rubber bands to ensure they rotate smoothly while keeping the belt taut.

For the belt, copy paper is recommended because it moves easily, but you could also layer narrow strips of paper to create small catches that hook onto the items you place on it.

This is a craft project where you can add originality in the details, such as the spot where the transported items are caught.

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kappamaki

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