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Craft ideas using plastic bottle caps [for boys]
Did you know you can make crafts using everyday plastic bottle caps? With just a little creativity, those simple caps can turn into fun, moving toys like spinning tops, roly-polies, and target-throwing games.
Boys in particular are sure to get hooked on making toys they can build and play with themselves! In this article, we’ll introduce bottle-cap crafts that even elementary school children can easily make—projects that move, fly, and spin—so the play continues after the crafting.
Why not give it a try?
Playable and Moving Toy Crafts (1–10)
Capman
Capman is a launcher that uses a PET bottle to shoot caps with a strong burst.
It’s very easy to make: cut a plastic bottle in half, remove a section at the back for your finger, and add a notch at the front to launch the cap.
Even with this simple build, the caps shoot out with surprising force.
A shallow notch requires more force to push the cap out, but it flies farther thanks to the stronger snap.
A deeper notch makes it easier to push out, but the flight distance is shorter.
Adjust the notch width and decorate the bottle to create your own original Capman!
yo-yo
The well-known “yo-yo” is actually great for developing children’s finger dexterity.
You can even make one with everyday materials.
Using their hands helps children improve their concentration, and watching how the yo-yo moves stimulates their senses and nurtures their sense of rhythm.
Here, we’ll show you how to make a yo-yo using a plastic bottle cap.
You can use other materials too, so feel free to craft variations that suit your child’s stage of development and enjoy making them together!
spinning top
The spinning top made by connecting plastic bottle caps with string has a unique wind-catching shape and a colorful look that really stands out.
Make a hole in the center of each cap, connect them with string to form a ring, and adjust the angles as you shape it into a circle.
Once it’s neat and round, attach round pieces of thick paper to the top and bottom center, make holes in them, and add the axle to finish.
If it’s too small and hard to spin, try increasing the number of connected caps or making the axle larger for an easier grip.
Also pay attention to which direction it spins more easily, and aim for a more stable rotation.
Okiagari-kobōshi (self-righting roly-poly doll)
Let’s try making a roly-poly toy (that returns to its original position even if you poke and move it) using bottle caps.
The key is the base made by connecting caps, and placing a weighted marble inside so it comes back to its original position.
What you attach on top of the base also matters: we recommend decorations that are lighter than the marble and give a sense of spread so you can clearly see it returning upright.
Parts like hands that spread to the sides, or eyes that suggest movement, can make the motion of trying to return to its original place feel more pronounced.
yo-yo
You can make a yo-yo using four plastic bottle caps, paper clay, a screw, and twine.
You might wonder if bottle caps can really work, but it spins smoothly and makes a sturdy yo-yo.
Drill holes through the centers of two of the four bottle caps so the screw can pass through, then use a Phillips screwdriver to firmly screw them together, aligning the two caps parallel to each other.
Tie the twine securely around the screw between the two caps.
Pack paper clay into the inside of the paired caps and the remaining two caps, and secure everything with tape to finish.
Be sure to use a lightweight type of paper clay!
A horse driven by a cam mechanism
Turning the plastic bottle cap handle installed on the side of the milk carton makes the horse attached to the top straw move up and down.
The device that changes the direction of this motion is called a cam mechanism, and you can easily make it by combining a cap and a bamboo skewer.
The key is the cap hidden in the milk carton base through which the bamboo skewer passes; because the skewer is inserted not in the center but near the edge, turning the handle causes the straw to move up and down.
If you offset the axis so it contacts the end of the straw, you can add rotation to the straw in addition to vertical motion.
I also recommend keeping the decorations simple to better showcase the mechanism.
Poké Ball
The rounded shape of a plastic bottle cap is full of potential to transform into all kinds of things.
Here, we’ll show you how to make a Poké Ball, or Monster Ball.
The steps are very simple: color the top half with a red permanent marker, then draw the central opening section with a black permanent marker—that’s all you need.
You can use it as decoration for other crafts, and if you make two, stack them, and fix them together, it will look even more like a Poké Ball.
It’s an idea we’d love boys who enjoy the Pokémon series to try.
