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[Nursery/Kindergarten] Crafts you can play with after making them
At daycare centers and kindergartens, there are many opportunities to make toys using familiar recycled materials.
Making their own toys and playing with them lets children enjoy the process of creating, builds confidence, and gives them a sense of accomplishment—benefits that greatly support their development.
Let’s actively incorporate lots of these activities.
This time, we’re introducing craft ideas that kids can play with after making them.
Tops, pinwheels, puzzles—ideas that are sure to spark children’s curiosity!
Feel free to adapt them while incorporating the children’s ideas, and create one-of-a-kind toys bursting with originality!
They’ll surely grow attached to them, and the fun will double.
[Nursery/Kindergarten] Crafts You Can Play With After Making (1–10)
paper cup airplane
Here’s how to make a paper-cup airplane you can play with outdoors.
All you need are two paper cups, a rubber band, tape, and some colorful pens, etc.
That’s it.
It uses just a few materials, and the steps are simple, too.
It’s also fun to decorate it with your own ideas using colored pens or stickers.
For any tricky steps in the process, have an adult help out.
The way to play is very simple as well.
If you play in a wide open outdoor space, it will catch the wind and fly far.
It’s also fun to make lots of them and have competitions to see whose can fly the farthest.
straw dragonfly
How about making a handmade toy like a bamboo-copter and giving it a try? The bamboo-copter is a traditional children’s toy.
The way to play is very simple: hold it between both hands, twist it back and forth, and enjoy launching it far.
Here, we’ll make an even simpler version using a straw and a milk carton.
The trick to making it fly farther is to slightly twist both wings in the same direction.
Launch your own custom-designed straw copter into the sky.
Watching colorful straw copters soar is really beautiful.
windmill
Let’s make a handmade pinwheel with a paper cup that twirls round and round.
It’s a DIY toy that’s fun to craft and rewarding to finish.
With just a paper cup, a wooden chopstick, and some colorful tape, you can create a one-of-a-kind toy.
You can make pinwheels in various sizes—big ones, small ones, and more.
Decorate it with permanent markers or dress it up with colored tape.
If you manage to make a pinwheel that spins well, try taking it outside and give it a whirl.
Get creative and make your very own paper-cup pinwheel.
Bowling
Introducing a DIY toy you can make with everyday materials.
It’s a simple bowling game that even small children can enjoy—perfect for getting everyone excited together.
No special supplies are required.
Just gather common items you already have at home or can find at a dollar store, like paper cups, colored paper, newspapers, and tape, and you can make it and start playing right away.
There’s no complicated tool-making or difficult crafting steps, so adults and kids can have fun creating together and sharing ideas as they play.
Another great point is that you can play anytime, anywhere with the toys you’ve made.
Car made from a tissue box
A tissue box transforms into a car! With an empty tissue box, plastic bottle caps, rubber bands, and a few other simple items, you can make a car that zooms around on a desk or floor.
The process is fun and easy.
Attach cap “wheels” to the empty box, design it however you like with colorful construction paper, and you’ve got your very own original car.
What’s more, thanks to the rubber band’s recoil, it zips across the desk or floor—sure to get kids excited.
Enjoy the crafting process of cutting and gluing, then race your finished car, and keep the fun going by making more.
Give it a try and have fun playing!
Turtle Blocks
Let’s try a stacking block competition you can make and play with kids.
Using materials you have at home—like thick paper, colored paper, and plastic bottle caps—you can create colorful building blocks.
You can design them as turtles or adapt other familiar shapes—anything is OK.
Once you have the thick paper and colored paper, cut and paste the shapes you want to design and start making them.
It’s fun to vary the sizes a little, too.
When your design is ready, attach a plastic bottle cap to the back to complete each piece.
Make lots of pieces, stack them up, and enjoy a game competing to see how high you can build.
Snap Frog
Here’s how to make a fun “Snap-Frog” that jumps with a pop.
It’s an easy and playful craft that reuses a milk carton! Cut the carton, add slits, and hook on a rubber band to create the mechanism.
Using the stretch and snap of the band, the frog jumps with a quick spring.
For the finishing touch, make eyes out of construction paper and stick them on to create a unique frog! It’s also fun to see how the jump time changes depending on how much you bend the mechanism.
Give it a try with your child and enjoy making and playing together!
Paper Cup Rocket
Make a fun rocket that zooms into the air and play with friends and family at home.
Even on rainy days or when you can’t play outside, you can enjoy this paper cup rocket.
The colorful, exciting designs are easy to make.
Cut evenly spaced slits into a paper cup, attach rubber bands, and the base is ready.
Then take another cup and decorate it with brightly colored construction paper, etc.
Once you’ve finished your favorite design, place it over the base, let go, and your rocket will launch upward with a whoosh.
launch parachute
This is a handmade launch parachute toy you can play with by sending it flying far away.
All you need are common household items like chopsticks, a paper cup, rubber bands, and a plastic bag or aluminum foil.
Kids can make it too, but adults should help with the tricky parts.
Once you’ve made the launcher and the parachute, try launching it in a safe place.
The launching method is similar to shooting a marble with a slingshot.
It’s fun to compete or play games to see how high and how far you can make it fly.
rolling toy
This is a “rolling toy” made by reusing capsule toy containers and plastic bottle caps.
The movement is so much fun that it’s sure to captivate kids! The way the cat and mouse chase each other is absolutely adorable.
For the cat, use a capsule container with a few marbles inside; for the mouse, use two plastic bottle caps glued together with one marble inside.
The key to playing is to roll them with lots of momentum! You can also customize it by adding a bell instead of just marbles for extra fun.