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)
cardboard
If you want to easily make a spinning top using materials you have at home, how about one made from cardboard? Just cut the cardboard into long, narrow strips, apply glue, roll it up tightly from one end, and insert a toothpick into the center—super simple to make! You can finish it by coloring the cardboard or decorating it with masking tape, which would look great.
Also, making lots of them to race, or competing in games like battling tops, could be a fun way for parents and children or friends to get excited together.
A spinning top made from the bottom of a milk carton
There used to be a word, “milk bottle,” and for a long time milk normally came in bottles.
Back in the day, the milk served with school lunches was in small bottles, too.
Maybe people shied away from them because bottles are heavy and dangerous when they break? It feels like milk cartons took their place in no time.
But those milk cartons are paper and yet surprisingly sturdy, aren’t they? So how about making a spinning top using a milk carton? Just cut out circles or squares with scissors and stick a toothpick through—it’s almost done.
You can even use a plastic bottle cap as a handle.
And don’t forget to add your own special decorations!
Thread-spinning top
Let’s try making a cool, fast-spinning pull-string top! It’s a perfect craft idea for kids, too.
This top can be spun just by pulling a string, even if you don’t have much strength.
First, create the top’s shape with Perler beads (fuse beads), then insert a chopstick with a sharpened tip into the center of the top.
It will spin well as is, but by adding a mechanism with a straw to pull the string, you can make it spin even more powerfully! Winding and pulling the string might feel a little tricky at first, but give it a try and spin your top in style!
milk carton
This is a spinning top made from an opened milk carton, with four wings spread out in all directions.
As you cut each wing, try to keep them the same size and aim for a shape that spins more easily.
To improve spin, cut the tips of the wings at an angle and attach a plastic bottle cap in the center as the axle.
It’s recommended to build it with the inside (white side) of the carton facing up, as it makes pen decorations easier.
To keep the wings straight and stable, you can also reinforce them by layering thick paper or cardboard.
Marbles and rubber bands
It’s a simple-looking craft that doesn’t seem like a spinning top at first glance: just link rubber bands together and attach a marble to each end.
The key is how you spin it.
Hold one marble, then rotate the other in circles to wind the rubber bands around the marble you’re holding.
Once the rubber bands are wound tightly, you’re ready—let go, and the rubber bands unwind, making the two marbles spin around rapidly.
The sight of it gradually expanding and the colorful marbles zipping around is quite striking.
A playable spinning top made from a paper cup
How about making your own traditional New Year’s spinning top this year and playing with it? You can easily make one with a paper cup, a straw, and a plastic bottle cap, so give it a try.
Leave about 5 millimeters of the bottom of the paper cup and cut around it with scissors.
If a child is making it, please have a guardian watch to prevent any cuts.
Once you’ve made slits all the way around, spread them out and draw your favorite patterns.
Make a hole in the bottom of the paper cup, insert a straw cut to about 6 centimeters, and secure it to the cap—that’s it! Spend a fun New Year with a one-of-a-kind spinning top!
It spins so well! A buzz-top made from a milk carton
When it comes to New Year’s games, nothing says it like the top! Spinning tops have long been a favorite pastime for children.
Because they spin steadily with a straight axis, they came to be regarded as good-luck charms symbolizing that things will go smoothly.
Let’s make and play with a buzzing button spinner using a milk carton and string.
Open up the milk carton and cut out a shape with two connected ovals.
Draw a Daruma face, stick the pieces together, then make a hole in the center and thread the string through.
It’s simple to make, which is nice and easy.
When you pull both ends of the string, it spins vigorously—you can just picture how delighted the children will be.