Collection of handmade spinning top ideas: how to make tops for use in childcare and play
Spinning tops are a classic item enjoyed as a New Year’s game.
They’ve traditionally been played with because you can enjoy watching the top whirl around by pulling a string or twirling a stick, and they’re popular with children, too.
In this article, we’ve put together a roundup of handmade spinning top ideas that let you enjoy both making and playing.
Many can be made with simple materials you have at home, like milk cartons and flyers, so they’re easy to try.
Give it a go and create your own original tops with any illustrations or patterns you like.
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A collection of homemade spinning top ideas: How to make tops for preschool activities and play (1–10)
plastic bottle cap
The spinning top made by connecting plastic bottle caps with string has a unique wind-catching shape and a colorful look that really stands out.
Make a hole in the center of each cap, connect them with string to form a ring, and adjust the angles as you shape it into a circle.
Once it’s neat and round, attach round pieces of thick paper to the top and bottom center, make holes in them, and add the axle to finish.
If it’s too small and hard to spin, try increasing the number of connected caps or making the axle larger for an easier grip.
Also pay attention to which direction it spins more easily, and aim for a more stable rotation.
Flyer
A spinning top made by combining two types of parts from flyers—its key points are that the materials are easy to get and it’s easy to make.
For the shaft, use a flyer rolled tightly into a long, thin tube.
Roll it firmly with thinness and sturdiness in mind, then cut it to a suitable length.
Next, fold another flyer to a width shorter than the cut shaft, wrap it around the shaft in coils to build up volume, and you’re done.
It’s important to add plenty of volume, so keep connecting multiple sheets of flyer, varying the width as you go.
It could also be fun to observe how changes in width affect the way it spins.
paper plate
This is a hand-spun top you can easily make by combining a paper plate and plastic bottle caps.
Lightly fold the paper plate in half to create a crease, then use the intersection of the creases as a guide to find the exact center.
Next, attach a plastic bottle cap to both the top and bottom of the plate at the center, and you’re done.
After that, decorate it however you like.
Since changing the weight will affect how it spins, it’s best to add decorations like pen-drawn patterns rather than heavy items.
Try experimenting with different hand and finger movements to see how they change the way it spins.
Collection of homemade spinning top ideas: How to make tops for childcare and play (11–20)
Easy and fun! Two spinning tops using marbles
In the Reiwa era, digital music and subscriptions are the norm.
For the moms and dads who spent their youth with MDs and CDs, and the uncles who made mixtapes on cassettes, there are lots of memories tied to music devices.
Sometimes an old cassette tape suddenly turns up and you realize, “I don’t have anything to play this on!” And of course, some people say, “I don’t really listen to CDs anymore either.” For people like that, here’s a fun recommendation: a spinning top made from a CD and a marble.
Just glue or double-tape a marble to the center hole of a CD and you’re done.
When it spins, the CD’s shimmering surface looks surprisingly cool.
Even if you’re not good at crafts, give it a try!
How to make an easy spinning top from a milk carton
Here’s an idea for making a spinning top using a milk carton, a plastic bottle cap, and a straw.
First, open up the corners and flatten the milk carton, then round-cut all four sides at a point 10 cm up from the bottom.
Decorate it by drawing pictures or adding stickers, and then attach the plastic bottle cap to the center of the milk carton.
On the back side, stick a short piece of straw at the same position, and it’s done.
The sides of the milk carton act like fins, making it easy to spin, so it’s great for small children.
Craft you can play with! Paper plate spinning top
A handmade spinning top using a paper plate is super easy to make and highly recommended.
Unlike a classic top in both look and play, it starts whirling with just a gentle puff of air, making it a fresh, sure-fire hit with kids.
Fold the paper plate so that it’s creased into eight equal sections, then cut along the rim.
Fold the cut sections diagonally, and you’re done.
Add stickers or draw designs as you like to create your own original top.
It’s also fun to imagine how your drawings and stickers will look when the top spins.
You can buy paper plates at 100-yen shops, so give it a try!
Cardboard hand-cranked spinning top
Back in the days when there were no video games or smartphones, kids played by hitting baseballs or kicking balls around.
Then you wonder—what did they do before baseballs and balls existed? They hopped on one foot, played tag, and in the end, they knew how to have fun within whatever environment they were given.
Feeling a bit nostalgic, why not make and play with a spinning top out of cardboard? It’s simple: just cut a circle from cardboard and insert a Frankfurt sausage stick or a pair of chopsticks.
Have fun painting it however you like! In an age when we have everything, a simple cardboard top might even feel refreshingly new.