[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.
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[Nursery/Kindergarten] Crafts You Can Play With After Making (11–20)
paper plate tambourine
Let’s make a fun, colorful tambourine that rattles using plastic bottle caps.
In addition to the caps, all you need to make the tambourine is a little rice and some cute paper plates.
Put rice inside each cap and screw the lid back on, then sandwich the caps between paper plates cut in half.
Once you’ve glued and set a few caps in place, your handmade tambourine that rattles with rice is complete.
The tambourine is just the right size for small children to use, and since it’s made with paper plates, it’s safe even when waved around.
Let’s all make tambourines that sound great and have fun playing together.
plastic bottle maracas
Here’s a handmade maracas craft that’s super easy to make, yet turns into a colorful, noise-making instrument.
Both the materials and the steps are simple: two empty plastic bottles plus items like glass counters, marbles, or beads.
The key to a fun, colorful finish is choosing the colors and types of beads or counters you put inside the empty bottles.
Inside the clear plastic, the pretty beads bounce around.
Shake them up and down and they make a satisfying rattle—kids will love it.
Swap the beads for soybeans or adzuki beans to enjoy different sounds.
How about some musical playtime with handmade plastic-bottle maracas?
Daruma-otoshi with a bottle cap
Here’s a handmade daruma-otoshi idea that cleverly uses plastic bottle caps.
If you have lots of caps at home, give it a try and have fun playing with it.
For the basic method, make a hole in the center of a plastic bottle cap, thread a string through, shape it into a circle, and tie it to create the daruma.
Make four in different sizes, and on the front and back of each circular cap piece, glue thick paper covered with construction paper in the same color as the cap.
You can also make the mallet using a pair of disposable chopsticks and a bottle cap, but since a utility knife is required, an adult should handle that part.
paper plate Frisbee
A flying disc toy that kids love can actually be made from a paper plate! Using a ruler, mark eight evenly spaced lines about 2 cm long around the rim of the plate.
Between those marks, draw four circles, skipping one space each time.
Draw any picture you like in the center of the plate, then make small cuts with scissors along the lines you marked on the rim.
Finally, fold the sections with circles inward and the other sections outward—and you’re done! You play with it just like a flying disc: hold the edge and use your wrist to give it a throw!
puppet
Here’s a marionette that even children can make right away.
It’s great because you can use familiar materials like plastic bottle caps, paper cups, construction paper, and chopsticks! Cut a slit in the top of one paper cup and place another paper cup over it.
Imagine it as a head wearing a pointy hat, and draw any face you like.
Attach another paper cup for the body to complete the puppet.
Make the arms and legs using construction paper and plastic bottle caps.
Finally, tie a string to a chopstick and attach it to the puppet, and your cute marionette is ready! Try putting on a puppet show or a tap-dance performance—use your imagination and have fun.
Guitar
Let’s make a cool guitar! Believe it or not, the main material is a food tray.
Use the food tray for the guitar body, a paper towel tube for the neck, and a few rubber bands—and you can easily make a guitar.
Plus, the rubber band strings actually make sound, so kids are sure to love it.
Any tricky steps can be handled by an adult or simply skipped.
The size makes it feel like a real handmade guitar.
Create a cool, original design and show off your custom guitar to everyone.
[Nursery/Kindergarten] Crafts You Can Play With After Making (21–30)
puppet
This is a puppet you can make by reusing a milk carton, a familiar material.
Cut the top part of the milk carton, leaving a little bit attached.
You can draw any animal you like! Attach the drawing so it lines up with a corner of the carton, and you’re done.
It would be fun to have children introduce themselves and play using the puppets they made.
You could also get creative by making paper versions of favorite snacks or fruits and putting them in a pocket attached to the puppet.
Give it a try for inspiration!