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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Practical Handmade Items (1–10)
Diorama
Watching videos of people making dioramas is really fun, isn’t it? Even if you can’t create something huge, you might be able to make a diorama the size of a bottle cap.
How about trying a bottle-cap diorama? It’s a delicate, patience-testing project, but you’d be surprised how many things around the house can be used.
With some paint, items like dish sponges, cardboard, toothpicks, and straws become unrecognizable from their original forms—and they’re versatile materials, too.
It could also be fun to repurpose the printed film from plastic bottles or the lettering on empty boxes.
wind chime
A practical craft that’s perfect for summer: a “wind chime” made from plastic bottle caps.
Make holes in the center and side of the cap, remove the bottle’s ring, melt it, and use it as a decoration.
This time, let’s brighten up the look with yellow masking tape.
Thread a string through the center of the cap, coil it into a loop, and fit a brown cap in the middle to create a cheerful sunflower shape.
It’s a refreshing, original wind chime that lifts your spirits every time it sways in the breeze.
The steps are easy to follow, making it a highly recommended project for elementary school students.
keychain
@captaro2025 I tried making a keychain out of a plastic bottle cap. | Plastic bottle cap art | There’s also a Hiroyuki version.UpcycleHandmade#diy#PET bottle cap artwork#MonozukuriRecycle#HobbyHuntingHashtag Cap Artkeychain
♪ Original Music – Otoken | Adult Independent Study | Draft – Cap Taro | Plastic Bottle Cap Art | Adult Independent Study
The “keychains” made using plastic bottle caps are a genuine craft project that elementary school kids will love.
Chop the caps into small pieces, place them in a mold to shape them, then heat them with an iron to melt the plastic and create a sturdy base.
Add googly eyes or a ball chain to finish, and you’ll have an original keychain that looks just like something you’d buy in a store.
You can design anything you like—dinosaurs, video game characters, and more—so it really sparks the imagination.
For the melting step, work together with an adult to safely experience authentic making.
Practical Handmade Items (11–20)
stamp
This is a remake stamp crafted by repurposing a natto container and a plastic bottle cap.
Draw an illustration on the surface of the natto container sized to fit the cap, then cut it out with scissors.
If you’re making a stamp for boys, vehicles or anime characters are great choices.
Attach the finished illustration to the cap with double-sided tape to complete the stamp.
Prepare your favorite ink color, apply it to the illustrated part on the cap, and stamp it onto white drawing paper or similar.
It’s an eco-friendly craft idea that reuses empty containers and caps.
ethnic musical instrument
You can easily make something very similar to Andean folk instruments like chajchas or semillas with just plastic bottle caps and string! Prepare three long pieces of string, bundle them together, fold them in half, and make a loop to create a handle.
Tie a knot in one of the strings, thread a bottle cap with a hole in the center onto it, then tie another knot—repeat this process.
When you’re done, trim any remaining string.
Matching the cap colors or making them colorful will also make it visually fun.
bookmark
Plastic bottle caps transform into flat bookmarks.
If you finely chop plastic bottle caps into small chips and apply heat with an iron, they melt into a thin sheet! Before it cools, shape it and punch a hole at the top; once it’s cooled and hardened, thread a string through.
When it comes to crafts using caps, we often think of projects that keep their original shape, but reusing them in a completely different form is fun, too.
When ironing, place baking/parchment paper in between so the chips don’t come into direct contact with the iron.
Memo stand
Why not transform discarded plastic bottle caps into memo holders? First, take paper cord and wind it around and around using glue.
Fix that paper cord with glue to the top of a large plastic bottle cap, then continue wrapping it around.
Next, fold colored construction paper into a thin strip, make small cuts, and wrap it around a toothpick to form a base.
Insert a looped piece of colored wire there, and decorate it with flowers, leaves, and other shapes made from the colored paper.
These brightly colored memo stands are fun to look at and are sure to be a big hit in practical use too!
