Lovely Play & Recreation

[For Elementary School Kids] Handmade Toy Craft Ideas

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Started performing in bands in junior high school. Influenced by Japanese rock and UK rock, spent over 10 years continuing band activities while creating original songs. Later began producing Vocaloid tracks using Hatsune Miku, with total plays of released songs surpassing 10,000. Has five years of experience writing for music magazines. Currently works as a music writer, director, and composer, keeping a ground-level perspective on the scene by attending live shows across Japan. Now performs at live houses in Tokyo, showcasing guitar playing centered on acoustic guitar and informed by knowledge of chord analysis and guitar scales. Also writes leveraging a broad knowledge of music genres.

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.

[For Elementary School Students] Handmade Toy Making Ideas (101–110)

Lots of soap bubbles with DIY

https://www.tiktok.com/@sachimama_asobi/video/7268883132554808578

Let’s have fun making soap bubbles using short-cut straws! First, cut a long strip of double-sided tape and line up the straws, sticking them onto it.

Apply double-sided tape to the other side as well, then roll the straws up tightly from the edge into a spiral and secure it.

Glue on a ring cut from a plastic bottle to serve as a frame, and attach a stick as a handle to finish.

Dip it in bubble solution and blow.

Bubbles will come out from each straw, creating a beautiful effect, and lots come out at once, so even small children can enjoy it.

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Easy Spinning Top Made from a Milk Carton

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Simple spinning top made from a milk cartonSummer Vacation Craft Summer Vacation Craft #HandmadeToys #HandmadeEducationalToy #Milk Carton Crafts #Milk carton #AtHomePlay work Simple craft Educational toy #Summer Vacation
Fuzzy Navel – Conton Candy

Here’s an idea for making a spinning top you blow on using a milk carton.

First, cut the carton about 1.5 cm up from the bottom, then make slits at the four corners and open it up.

Next, rotating the carton in a consistent direction from each corner, cut along the edges of the bottom.

Leave about 1 cm uncut at the ends.

Bend the sections you just cut inward so they gather toward the center, and decorate with masking tape or stickers to finish.

If you blow straight down from above, it will spin around and around.

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Paper cup Tyrannosaurus

[Summer Vacation Craft] Using Only Paper Cups! Easier T. rex (Tyrannosaurus) Project [Independent Study] Make It in One Day! Upcycled Craft [A Must-See for Moms and Dads]

Paper cup Tyrannosaurus

This activity involves combining paper cups to create a three-dimensional, dynamic Tyrannosaurus.

The key is how you connect the cups: by trimming the edges and adding slits, you can set firm angles.

Build it by linking the cups from the head to the tail, then attach separately made legs and arms at the end to finish.

Try different variations, such as using cups of the same color for a cohesive look or mixing different colors for a colorful effect.

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Making a marble run with an ice box

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[Elementary School Summer Craft/Independent Study] We tried making a marble run using an ice cream box 🌻#Summer Vacation Summer Vacation Independent Research Summer Vacation Craft work translation #HandmadeToys Independent Research Scrap Material Crafting Simple craft #craft
♬ Electro Swing Jazz – Retro, strange, mysterious(1137053) – Ponetto

Summer is the season that makes you crave ice cream, and as you eat it, you might find the boxes piling up.

This idea uses those leftover ice cream boxes to make a marble run.

Use a large box, like a milk carton, as the base, and attach slopes made by cutting the ice cream boxes around it.

Adjust the angles and heights carefully, keeping in mind the strength needed so it won’t break when the marbles hit.

Using ice cream sticks to reinforce it is also recommended—they’ll make the whole thing sturdier and give it a cohesive look.

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Roll-and-drop game made with straws

@n.annlee321
Roll, roll... ☺️#tiktok classroom Life with children #Summer Vacation Summer Vacation Craft
♬ Athletic Meet “Heaven and Hell” (No Introduction) – Shinonome

Here’s a fun-to-make, fun-to-play marble run you can build with straws.

Gather tapioca (boba) straws, beads, masking tape, and scissors, and let’s get started.

Cut the tip of a tapioca straw at an angle, then tape it to a wall with masking tape, adjusting the angle as you go.

Add guards at the ends of the straws so the rolling beads don’t fall out.

The key is to tweak the angles so the beads roll smoothly.

Once it’s finished, try rolling some beads and play! It could also be fun to turn this into a little science project—prepare beads of different sizes and time how many seconds each one takes to roll through.

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Well-spinning paper cup top

[Playable Craft] How to Make a Simple, Well-Spinning Top (Paper Cup & Plastic Bottle Cap) [Easy Crafting with Recycled Materials] Fun at Home

Well-spinning paper cup top

This is a spinning top made with a paper cup that spins well and is fun to watch because of its colorful look.

All you need are a paper cup and two plastic bottle caps.

First, cut slits into the paper cup and spread them out like propeller blades, then attach an axle made by combining the two caps.

That’s enough to complete the basic shape, but it’s recommended to decorate the “propellers” with an eye toward how it will look while spinning.

The impression changes depending on whether you spread the propellers before decorating or decorate first and then cut the slits, so try out various patterns.

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A flying octopus? Tako-copter

A flying octopus? A toy like a bamboo-copter made from a paper cup: the 'TacoCopter' #easyCraft #paperCup #flyingCraft

A flying octopus? Tako-copter

It’s a toy that combines paper cups and a round chopstick to spin like a bamboo-copter and soar into the sky.

By spreading “wings” that catch the wind and coloring it mainly red, it takes on a curious form—a flying octopus.

You’ll use two paper cups and a round chopstick: attach the chopstick and the octopus’s facial parts to a paper cup with only the bottom left to create a launcher.

Then cut slits into the other paper cup, spread it out to form propeller-like blades, and attach it to the launcher to finish.

Fine-tune the propeller angles to make your octopus fly even higher.

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Make and Play! Cake Shop

[Fake Sweets] Make and play with 100-yen clay! Pretend cake shop

Make and Play! Cake Shop

Simple to make yet impressive enough to make you say “Wow!” This craft lets you create a realistic-looking blackberry cake and have fun while doing it.

You can easily get the materials at 100-yen shops, and it’s simple to do at home.

Using soft, squishy paper clay, you can make adorable sweets that are fun to touch and pleasing to the eye! Practice your decorating skills with piping cream and coloring, and boost your sense of design.

With a little creativity, you can open your very own one-of-a-kind “cake shop.” After you’re done, play cake shop with friends or display your creation as a perfect room decor piece.

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Crafts you can play with

9 Playable Crafts for Elementary School Kids: Cardboard, Toilet Paper Rolls, and Straws – Easy 2021 DIYs for Moms, Dads, and Childcare Workers

Crafts you can play with

In this Reiwa era, where digital devices have surrounded us since the day we were born, it’s nice to enjoy some analog play from time to time.

So here’s a summer craft you can make and play with right away: the “Wobbly Tree.” Glue a branching tree onto half of a toy capsule.

Hang rubber bands from the branches one by one, and the person who knocks the tree over loses.

If you substitute the toy capsule base with something else, you can make an even bigger tree.

There are also videos introducing other playable crafts, so if you’re interested, be sure to check them out.

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Paper Cup UFO Catcher

How to make a UFO catcher with paper cups? Crafting tips from a nursery teacher (for 5-year-olds)

Paper Cup UFO Catcher

The “Paper Cup UFO Catcher” is a popular DIY recreation idea you can enjoy with elementary school kids.

Cut eight slits into a paper cup to make tentacle-like arms, then insert a straw through the center to move it.

Place another paper cup over the top and move it up and down—this opens and closes the arms.

The moment it grabs the target is super exciting! It’s easy to make with everyday materials, yet the movement feels authentic and makes it really fun to play.

Figuring out the controls is part of the charm, and it gets even more exciting when friends compete.

It’s a recommended activity that combines the joy of crafting with the sense of achievement from a game.

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