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 (11–20)
Gashi-Gashi Hand
Why not make a “Grabby Hand” with a uniquely addictive motion? First, prepare two paper cups.
In one cup, cut slits to match the shape of a hand; once you’ve formed five fingers, fold them back to the opposite side.
Next, make about a 2-centimeter slit at the tip of a straw and staple it to the center of the hand-shaped cup.
Finally, poke a hole in the center of the bottom of the other paper cup and thread the straw through—done! Move the straw up and down, and the paper-cup hand will open and close, letting you grab paper scraps and more.
It’s fun to use during cleanup, and if you prepare lots of paper balls, you can even have a ball-collecting race with everyone and really get the excitement going!
[With paper cups] Moving Orihime and Hikoboshi
![[With paper cups] Moving Orihime and Hikoboshi](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/m0xYaXTZ9zw/sddefault.jpg)
How about making Orihime and Hikoboshi figures that wobble and sway so you can play with them after you make them? Prepare two paper cups, flatten and fold the rims of each.
Tape the flattened parts so they don’t spread, then cover the cups with your favorite patterned origami paper from the top to create their kimonos.
Next, make the faces and stick them onto the cups—and you’re done! You’ll have cute little roly-poly dolls.
Depending on the children’s ages, teachers should handle preparing small parts and some of the steps in the process.
Rocket
Turn a paper cup into a rocket! Make four small slits around the rim of a paper cup, and thread two rubber bands through the slits so they cross each other diagonally like an X.
Use tape to secure the rubber bands so they don’t come off.
Then draw your favorite design on the paper cup.
Prepare another paper cup, place the decorated cup over it, and when you let go, it will launch like a rocket!
maracas
Make maracas out of paper cups that you can even use for performances! Cut a single drinking straw into pieces about 1 cm long and put all the pieces into a paper cup.
Place the mouth of another paper cup over the first cup’s mouth and tape them together to form the maraca shape.
After that, decorate the outside with stickers or drawings, and your maracas are complete!
ghost
Make a ghost with a paper cup! Poke one hole near the bottom of the paper cup and insert a straw through it.
Next, draw a ghost face near the bottom of a plastic bag in your favorite color.
Slip the bag over the straw you just inserted, tape it so no air can escape, and tuck the part of the bag that sticks out into the paper cup.
Blow through the straw, and slooowly—here comes the paper cup ghost!