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 captivate elementary school kids! A fun collection of project ideas (71–80)
boomerang
Wouldn’t you like to make a paper cup boomerang that flies so well you’d never guess it’s made from paper cups? It’s a fun craft that’s twice as nice—make it and play with it! Stack two paper cups together and cut eight equally spaced slits.
It may be easier if you mark guidelines beforehand.
Next, open up the slitted edges on both cups firmly and paint them in your favorite colors.
As long as it’s not too heavy, you can also decorate with origami paper or stickers.
Finally, align the two pieces and tape the wing sections together to finish.
Now go have a blast playing with your new favorite boomerang!
Lantern
Let’s make a cute original lantern using a paper cup! Punch lots of holes in the side of the cup in any shapes you like.
Then stick colored cellophane of your choice on the inside to cover the holes—and you’re done! After that, just put an LED light from a dollar store inside, and your easy, original paper cup lantern will light up! It looks fancy, but it’s actually so simple that even elementary school kids can do it, so give it a try!
robot
You can even make a robot easily with just a paper cup! Use construction paper to make the robot’s eyes, mouth, and hands.
Next, cut X-shaped slits in two places on the bottom and two places on the side of the paper cup.
Insert a bendable straw so that it goes from the bottom to the side.
Finally, attach the parts like the eyes and mouth, and you’re done! When you move the straw up and down, the robot’s arms will move!
perpetual calendar
A perpetual calendar made out of paper cups—believe it or not! Take two stacked paper cups and attach or write number stickers from 1 to 9 on them.
Make two sets of these.
Next, take another pair of stacked paper cups and write the abbreviated month names in English.
Put a small mark on the lower cup of each pair, and you’re done.
Now you’ve got a calendar you can use for millennia—no, for billions of years! And it’s safe because you don’t even need scissors!
3D glasses
You can easily make 3D glasses that make objects pop out using paper cups—even elementary school kids can do it! Cut off the bottoms of two paper cups and attach colored cellophane over the openings.
Make one hole in each cup, thread a chenille stem (pipe cleaner) through, and connect the two cups.
Then make another hole on the opposite side of each cup and attach pipe cleaners to create the arms of the glasses.
And you’re done!
string telephone
A classic paper cup craft: the string telephone! Make a hole in the bottom of each of two paper cups and thread some twine through them.
If you use a toothpick to make the holes, it’s safe even for elementary school kids! Tie a small piece of toothpick to the end of the twine and tape it to the bottom of the cup to secure it—done! If you keep the string taut while you talk, the other person will be able to hear you!
wristwatch
Make a cool wristwatch easily with a paper cup! Cut the cup so that only two long, thin strips remain on the sides.
Adjust it to your wrist by cutting small slits at the ends of the strips so you can fasten it.
Then draw the watch face on the bottom of the cup, and you’re done! It’s a simple craft that even elementary school kids can do, and it lets you enjoy a grown-up feeling easily!