[For Elementary School Kids] Handmade Toy Craft Ideas
There are plenty of opportunities to make handmade toys, like indoor play items or independent research projects.
Some of you might be thinking, “Isn’t there a toy I can make with things I already have at home?”
In this article, we’ve compiled a bunch of handmade toy ideas for elementary school children.
These are not only fun to make, but also fun to play with once they’re finished.
It’s also great to incorporate your favorite characters or designs when making them.
Be sure to check out these handmade toy ideas that you can enjoy with family and friends.
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[For Elementary School Students] Handmade Toy Craft Ideas (91–100)
For demon-slaying only! Bean-throwing rubber band gun
Oni-busting only! Here’s how to make a bean-throwing rubber band popper.
Prepare chopsticks, roasted soybeans (fukumame), construction paper, tape, scissors, and rubber bands.
Roll the construction paper into a tube, then secure the tube with rubber bands by clamping it between a pair of chopsticks folded in half.
The key is to wrap the rubber bands tightly so they don’t loosen.
Be careful not to cut your hand on the ends of the chopsticks.
When launching, dent the tip of the paper tube, hook on a rubber band, set it, and play.
When playing, don’t aim at people and make sure to play safely.
How to make a croaking frog
This is a cute craft where a frog hidden inside a paper cup peeks out while croaking.
You make a hole in the bottom of the cup and insert a bendy straw; by using this straw, you can move the frog up and down.
The key is the bendable part of the straw—when it rubs against the hole in the paper cup, it makes a sound like a frog’s croak.
You can add originality by choosing the frog’s expression and decorating the paper cup however you like.
A turtle that runs on rubber power!
Moving toys are appealing no matter how old you are, and they’re especially popular with lower-grade elementary school kids.
This is a paper cup turtle craft that zooms forward using rubber-band power hidden in its shell.
First, cut slits halfway down a paper cup and fold them in to make the legs.
The remaining part becomes the body.
For the face, stick round stickers on as eyes to make it cute.
Take a used AA battery, wrap a rubber band around it, attach kite string with cellophane tape, and set the mechanism inside the turtle’s shell.
Even though it’s a turtle, it moves surprisingly fast and with big motions—so much fun!
A beanbag-toss game using ping-pong balls
Here’s a fun and engaging game using ping-pong balls: a ball-toss challenge.
Gather chopsticks, clothespins, tape, and paper cups to make it.
When building the launcher, be mindful of the angle as you fix the chopsticks in place with tape.
Secure them firmly with tape and test to make sure it works properly as you build.
Attach a pair of plastic bottle caps to the back end of the chopsticks, and it’s complete.
You can decorate it however you like.
Stick paper cups on the wall to create goals, then try shooting from the launcher and have fun playing!
Target-throwing game with disposable chopsticks and clothespins
Let me introduce a target-shooting game that launches with a burst of energy using chopsticks and a clothespin.
Prepare two chopsticks, a clothespin, tape, and a plastic bottle cap to make it.
For the launcher, clip the clothespin’s metal spring onto a chopstick, then tape the clothespin’s handle and the chopstick together to form the base.
Cut a slit in the plastic bottle cap and fasten it to the chopstick with a rubber band.
Make a target out of a milk carton and draw point values on it.
Set a marble-sized ball on the finished launcher and try aiming at the target.
Have fun seeing how many points you can score!
Handmade maracas
This craft is inspired by maracas made with paper cups that produce a cheerful rattling sound when lightly shaken.
The steps are simple: put beads or finely cut pieces of straw into a paper cup, then cover it with another paper cup as a lid.
What you put inside is important—consider how different fillings change the sound as you make it.
Decorating the outside is also a key point; aim for fun decorations that match the light, lively sound of the maracas.
Paper slingshot made from origami and chopstick sleeves
A slingshot is a Y-shaped gadget used to launch pebbles or paper far into the distance.
At first glance it might seem like just a toy, but similar hunting tools have existed all over the world since ancient times.
The need to propel objects far is what gave rise to that shape.
Let’s try making such a slingshot using chopsticks.
The key to building a sturdy slingshot is reinforcing the space between the Y-shape with a toothpick.
There aren’t any particularly difficult steps, so even younger elementary school children should be able to make it.
You can switch up what you launch—paper, stones, clay, slime, and more—and turn it into a science project-style exploration.
“Wankoppu,” which sounds like a dog’s bark
This is a craft project: a dog mascot made from a paper cup that emits a sound like a real dog when you pull a chopstick attached to its tail.
The key is how to attach the pipe cleaner tail.
Attach a clip to the end of the pipe cleaner, thread it through a hole made in the paper cup, and secure it so that impacts resonate through the cup.
Once this part is complete, decorate the rest using a small paper cup, origami paper, and so on to create the dog’s appearance.
Then, by pinching the pipe cleaner in the gap between the chopsticks and pulling, the pipe cleaner’s vibrations are transmitted to the paper cup, producing a sound that resembles a dog’s bark.
paper cup trumpet
This is a craft using a paper cup that can produce a trumpet-like sound when you pull the string sharply.
First, make a hole in the bottom of the paper cup, thread a string through it, and secure it with a short, folded toothpick so the string doesn’t slip out.
Then, when you pull the string vigorously, the impact on the string is transmitted to the paper cup, creating a trumpet-like sound.
You can pull the string with your hand, but using chopsticks is also recommended—try it out and see how the sound changes.
Since just building the mechanism can look simple, it’s also important to add your own decorations to the paper cup.
Boomerang made from paper cups
Let me introduce a unique boomerang that might boost kids’ reflexes.
This boomerang is made from paper cups, but it’s apparently hard to catch when it returns—so it could help train reflexes.
Fix and connect the bottoms of two paper cups with cellophane tape.
Insert a bent paper clip into the joined section.
Set the paper-cup boomerang onto a launcher made from a chopstick with a rubber band fixed to it, and then just launch it.
It takes some technique to throw and catch, but mastering it might be part of the fun.
