Recommended for lower elementary school students! A collection of plastic bottle craft ideas made with everyday materials.
Crafts with plastic bottles packed with amazing potential! Here you’ll find heart-thumping ideas that make you think, “I want to make this!”—like a Bubble Maker you can enjoy with lower-grade elementary school kids, and a Rolling Engine that older kids will get totally absorbed in.
The materials are all easy to find around the house, so it’s great for getting started right away.
Nurture imagination through making, and enjoy the fun of playing with the finished creations.
Let’s dive into a variety of plastic-bottle crafts!
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Recommended for lower elementary school kids! A collection of plastic bottle craft ideas using everyday materials (41–50)
Running Robot
An exciting craft! Let me share an idea for a running robot.
Some of you might want to do a craft project but can’t think of a good idea, right? This time, let’s make a running robot that uses a windshield wiper mechanism.
You’ll need a rectangular plastic bottle, bamboo skewers, straws, thick paper, cardboard, plastic bottle caps, rubber bands, and so on.
It’s a great idea that lets you learn how a wiper mechanism works through crafting! Give it a try!
Recommended for lower elementary school students! A collection of plastic bottle craft ideas (51–60) made with familiar materials
PET bottle air cannon
Recommended for kids who are bored with ordinary toys! Let’s make a plastic-bottle air cannon and play.
First, cut off the bottom of an empty plastic bottle, cover the cut edge with a balloon, and secure it firmly with tape.
Tie the end of the balloon so you can pull it.
Next, cut a few slits in one end of a toilet paper tube, wrap it with vinyl tape to reinforce it, then attach it to the bottle to make a handle.
Finally, make a few targets and you’re done! It’s a science toy that lets you have fun learning how air can knock down targets.
It’s easy to make, so give it a try and play with it!
cracker
How about making a party popper using a plastic bottle and a balloon? Once you make it, you can reuse it, which reduces waste and is environmentally friendly.
Be careful not to use it in infant classes, as the confetti inside could pose a choking hazard.
It’s great for celebrations like birthday parties, or as entertainment at events such as cherry-blossom viewing and summer festivals.
If each child can make their own popper, it will surely become a favorite toy.
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!
Bowling
Bottle bowling with kid-designed pins! Prepare paper large enough to wrap around plastic bottles, and let children freely decorate it with stickers and crayons.
You can also offer different ways to make patterns to suit the children—like torn-paper collages or simple one-cut strips made with scissors.
Once the decorated paper is attached to the bottles, you’re ready to play! Enjoy bowling together while parents and children count the fallen pins.
You can enjoy matching pictures too! A plastic bottle toy
Here’s an idea for a PET bottle toy that’s perfect for educational play.
First, prepare several plastic bottles.
Next, cut each bottle at about one-third from the top.
Then, insert a piece of thick paper with a character drawn on it into the open section.
Finally, stick a sticker of the same character on the bottle cap, and it’s complete.
Kids can enjoy opening and closing the caps and matching the character designs.
Using caps in different colors makes it look colorful and extra cute.
ring toss
Let’s make an eco-friendly ring toss game using plastic bottles! Fill empty plastic bottles with water so they won’t tip over easily.
Just adding water is fine, but it’s also fun to add a little paint to color the water.
Next, decorate the bottles however you like: stick on construction paper with point values, add stickers, or glue on paper cut into different shapes like animals.
For the rings, simply roll up strips of newspaper into long tubes and form them into circles.
As long as you have plastic bottles, you can put this together quickly and easily—give it a try!
