Let's make toys with paper cups! Simple and fun handmade toys
Let me introduce some handmade toys using paper cups!
If “store-bought toys get boring quickly” or you “want to do crafting play with your child,” try making toys with easy-to-find paper cups.
We’ve gathered ideas that children of preschool and kindergarten age are sure to love, so have fun!
Paper cups, which we usually use for drinking, can move or even become musical instruments! They’ll surely make kids’ eyes sparkle with interest.
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Let's make toys with paper cups! Simple and fun handmade toys (71–80)
planetarium
You can make a planetarium with a paper cup! Cover the entire outside of the paper cup with black electrical tape.
Then punch holes in the cup in any shapes you like, such as stars, and stick colored cellophane over the holes—done! After that, darken the room and shine a light from inside the paper cup, and a planetarium world will spread across your room!
Whac-A-Mole
Cut the bottom of a paper cup into eight equal sections, and make 1 cm-wide slits along the side.
Next, attach a Yakult bottle to a plastic spoon, and insert it into the slits at the bottom of the paper cup.
This becomes a mole, so make as many as you like.
Then prepare a piece of cardboard covered with construction paper, fix the moles onto it, and add grass and other decorations made from construction paper around them.
Finally, attach a chopstick to a Yakult bottle to make a hammer, and you’re done! Moving the spoon will make the moles pop up!
A little monkey climbing a tree
Let’s make a little monkey that climbs up a tree! First, cut off the bottom of a paper cup.
Prepare two straws cut to about 5 cm, and attach them inside the cup so they are parallel.
Thread some twine through the straws, and stick a paper monkey (made from construction paper) onto the cup to finish.
When you pull the twine, the monkey will climb up!
string telephone
Let’s make a nostalgic string telephone! Prepare two paper cups and make a small hole in the bottom of each.
Thread a piece of twine—as long as possible—through the holes, attach a toothpick as a stopper, and tape it in place to fix it to the bottom of each cup.
And you’re done! Pull the string taut and—like magic—you can use it as a simple telephone!
Animals walking with paper cups
These are animal paper cups that are super cute when they toddle along.
Cut two slits on opposite sides of the rim of a paper cup and fold the cut sections outward.
Attach a rubber band to a used battery, hook it onto the folded parts, and secure it with tape.
Twist the battery around and place the cup upside down—now you’ve got a toddling cup that walks! Finish it by gluing colored paper to the sides, adding ears, and drawing eyes and a mouth.
It’s so adorable you’ll want to make all kinds of animals.
bouquet
We’re going to make a pop-out bouquet! Cut about six slits along the side of a paper cup and spread them out.
These will become the petals, so add color or draw patterns on both the front and back.
Make a hole in what used to be the bottom, insert a straw that has small slits cut into it, and secure it with tape.
Prepare another paper cup with your favorite drawing on it and a hole in the bottom, then thread the straw attached to the flower through this bottom hole.
By moving the cups up and down, the flowers will pop out!
windmill
We’re going to make a windmill that spins in the wind using a paper cup.
First, use an awl or similar tool to make one hole in the bottom of the paper cup.
Cut six evenly spaced slits down the sides of the cup to create the blades, then fold each blade slightly at an angle.
Next, insert a toothpick through the hole you made first, slide a straw onto the toothpick, and then insert a chopstick into the straw—your windmill is complete! Paint the blades in your favorite colors and have fun!