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?
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Playable and Moving Toy Crafts (11–20)
Spinning demon
Make two donut-shaped pieces by taking a total of eight plastic bottle caps, piercing a hole in the center of each, and threading them onto string.
Stack the two donuts vertically, then run another string through the middle with beads and stopper caps attached.
Next, attach a smiling ogre face on one side and an angry ogre face on the opposite side, and it’s complete.
Give it a spin and see whether it stops on the smiling face or the angry face—you can play with it like a fortune-telling game.
Besides ogres, you could also choose seasonally themed faces, such as the Tanabata deities Orihime and Hikoboshi or Santa Claus for Christmas, depending on the occasion.
Plastic bottle windmill
Introducing a simple pinwheel you can make with a plastic bottle.
Get a plastic bottle, an awl, permanent markers, and a hanger ready.
Use the awl to make a hole in the bottom of the bottle.
Color the sides of the bottle with your favorite permanent marker colors.
Use a utility knife to cut slits in the side of the bottle, then fold them outward at an angle to create six blades.
Thread the hanger through the bottom of the bottle, bend the tip with pliers so it won’t slip out, add a straw, and you’re done.
When the blades spin, the colors you drew with the permanent markers whirl beautifully, making a lovely pinwheel!
Magic hand
Let’s make a mysterious toy magic hand that stretches with a boing when you move it like scissors! First, take four wooden chopsticks, overlap them in an X shape, and secure the center with a rubber band.
Make another one the same way, then join the two units at their ends so that a diamond-shaped hole appears in the middle.
Finally, attach two plastic bottle caps to the tip opposite the handle, and you’re done.
Be sure to attach the caps so their concave sides face each other—this way, you can catch small balls.
With a bit of creativity, there are lots of ways to play, like seeing how many balls you can catch!
donut
Here’s an idea for making donuts that gives bottle caps an unexpectedly fun use.
Punch a hole in the center of each of 12 caps, thread them onto a hair elastic, and form a bracelet—that’s the basic shape done.
It’s funny how just that already makes it look convincingly like a donut.
Add color to the caps or use felt to mimic drizzled sauce, and with a bit of creativity you can make all sorts of flavors.
Make lots and let them shine in photos!
pull-back car
This is an idea for making a pullback car—a little car like a Choro-Q that shoots forward when you pull it back.
You’ll use cardboard, bamboo skewers, four plastic bottle caps, and rubber bands.
Prepare tools such as a utility knife and a hot glue gun.
The process is simple: thread a bamboo skewer through cardboard cut according to a template, slide on bottle caps with holes and glue them in place, then pass another skewer through and connect it to the rear skewer with a rubber band.
Put rubber bands around the tires to prevent them from slipping.
One important point is to use cardboard that a bamboo skewer can pass through.
Whistle
This is a whistle you can make using two plastic bottle caps, a milk carton, and a straw.
Cut the milk carton into a 7 cm by 3 cm piece, curl it slightly, and fit it into the inner groove of one plastic bottle cap.
Place the other bottle cap over it, and tape it with duct tape so there’s a small gap.
Cut about 5 cm of a straw, slice the tip lengthwise in half, stick it on top of the duct tape, and bend the straw—that’s it! It’s very easy, so even younger elementary school children can make it.
When blowing, adjust the angle to find the spot where it makes a sound.
Playable and Moving Toy Crafts (21–30)
10 Musical Instruments You Can Make with Plastic Bottles
@kajiijapn We’re introducing 10 types of instruments you can make with plastic bottles!Plastic bottle#Summer vacation homeworkSummer Vacation CraftIndependent Research
Original Song – Everyday-Item Instrument Unit kajii – kajii / Future Instruments Lab
Plastic bottles are often used as materials for crafts.
So this time, how about making musical instruments with plastic bottles? Empty bottles can become drums, flutes, or maracas… With a bit of creativity, they can transform into instruments you can actually play! Bottle caps can also be turned into instruments by combining them with other materials, so don’t throw them away—save them.
It’s also a great idea to keep notes on how the sound changes depending on where you make holes and what you put inside.
