Paper cup crafts that elementary school kids will love! A collection of fun project ideas
By using familiar materials like paper cups, you can easily create projects that make people say “Wow!” There are lots of fun crafts that also let you learn about the wonders of science, such as beads that bounce with sound, pinwheels that spin, and planes that float gently through the air.
They’re perfect for summer vacation research projects, too! Even kids who aren’t good at crafts can make wonderful creations by following the steps.
Here, we introduce a variety of fun and mysterious crafts made with paper cups.
Be sure to read to the end!
- Let's play with paper cups! Crafts and indoor play
- Let's make toys with paper cups! Simple and fun handmade toys
- [Craft] How to Make a Paper Cup Rocket: Ideas to Make It Fly Far
- A simple yet amazing craft using paper cups! An idea that’s also great for independent research projects.
- Fun crafts using straws
- For summer vacation homework! Simple and amazing crafts for elementary school students that you’ll want to make after seeing them
- Simple yet amazing crafts: craft ideas that elementary school students will want to make
- Craft ideas using plastic bottle caps [for boys]
- [Nursery/Kindergarten] Crafts you can play with after making them
- [For Adults] Simple yet Impressive Crafts: A Stylish, Eye-Catching Collection
- Crafts parents and kids can enjoy together. Recommended craft ideas to keep children entertained.
- [Milk Carton Crafts] Fun ideas for elementary school kids. Perfect for summer vacation homework!
- [For toddlers] Simple but amazing craft ideas — including toys they can play with
Paper Cup Crafts That Elementary School Kids Will Love! Fun Project Ideas (61–70)
Rubber boots made from paper cups
Let’s make a decoration themed around a rainy-day essential: rain boots.
We’ll use a paper cup and construction paper.
Since we’ll take advantage of the paper cup’s boot-like shape, the steps are very simple.
Once the boot shape is complete, decorate it however you like—draw illustrations or add stickers.
After finishing, it’s also recommended to attach a handle using a chenille stem (pipe cleaner).
You can even use it as a small container, so filling it with your favorite candies or small toys for a gift exchange might be a hit.
Paper-cup hat
How about trying to make a tiny hat using a paper cup? Cut off the rim (the drinking edge) of the cup, then make thin, evenly spaced slits.
Crease each strip diagonally about halfway down, and from there, start folding and weaving them so they overlap with the neighboring strips.
It might seem a bit tricky at first, but once you get used to it, you’ll be fine—and it becomes fun as you go.
Tuck in the ends to finish the weave, then decorate with ribbon or felt.
If you use a craft-style paper cup, you can make a straw hat.
Paper Cup Bowling
How about an easy-to-make bowling game using paper cups? You could simply place the cups upside down, but they don’t knock over easily that way, so let’s make pins by connecting two paper cups at their rims.
It’s a good idea to put a few marbles or small stones inside as weights.
Then decorate them however you like—draw pictures, add stickers, or glue on origami paper! For the ball, crumple up newspaper or flyers into a ball and wrap it with tape or origami paper to finish.
Paper Cup Monster
Paper cup monsters, made by decorating a paper cup base, have no complicated steps, so kids can enjoy making them.
The process is simple: just decorate the cup with a ghostly face.
You can stick on googly-eye stickers from a dollar store, or use pipe cleaners and washi tape to make facial and body parts and attach them—simple tasks that make it easy to keep trying new craft ideas.
Display the finished monsters somewhere they can be seen every day!
cracker
Let’s make an easy party popper out of a paper cup for a friend’s birthday party! Poke a small hole in the bottom of the cup.
Make eight slits around the rim and curl them using a pen.
Thread a rubber band through the hole in the bottom and secure it with a small piece of chopped disposable chopstick.
Attach a small weight made of aluminum foil to the rubber band that sticks out.
Then put cotton balls or confetti inside, and you’re done! Pull the aluminum foil to launch what’s inside!
Speaker
Let’s make a smartphone speaker with paper cups! Prepare two paper cups and make holes big enough for a toilet paper roll to pass through.
Next, cut a long, narrow hole in the toilet paper roll so that a smartphone can fit inside.
Then insert the roll into the holes in the paper cups, and you’re done! If you put a smartphone playing music into the roll, the sound will get louder!
Frisbee
You can make a thin Frisbee out of a paper cup! Make eight straight cuts with scissors from the rim down toward the bottom of the cup.
Then just open it up to finish the shape! You can decorate the wing-like flaps by drawing on them or adding washi tape—totally fine! Even elementary school kids can do it in under five minutes!