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[Indoor Activities] A Collection of Craft Ideas Recommended for Elementary School Students

These days, DIY has firmly taken root as a go-to hobby.

When you visit a home improvement store or a 100-yen shop, you’ll even find dedicated sections for it.

Plenty of households probably already have the materials and tools on hand.

In this article, we’ve rounded up craft ideas recommended for elementary school students who are interested in making things!

We’ll introduce everything from board games everyone can play together to practical ideas you can keep using at home after you’ve made them.

Find the project that suits you best and give it a try!

[Indoor Play] Craft Ideas Recommended for Elementary School Students (121–130)

A toy that uses a lid

@n.annlee321

Usable... lid!!!TranslationHaagen-Dazs hand-made toy 100-yen shop DIY#KindergartenMom#Kindergartentranslation#ElementarySchoolMom

♬ Double Double FIGHT! – Intro ver. – CANDY TUNE

Haagen-Dazs is hugely popular for its ice cream.

How about turning the lid—something you’d usually throw away—into a cute science project? In this video, they put sequins inside to make a shaker-style lid, and they also poke in pipe-cleaner flowers to create a little trinket box.

With a bit of creativity, you can use lids from other ice creams to make all kinds of toys.

For example, how about making menko (slap-battle cards)? The weight and thickness seem just right.

With bottle-milk caps, you could make character medals.

If you coat them with gold or silver paper, you’ll get super cool-looking medals.

Cute herbarium

[100-Yen DIY] Easy, Cute Herbarium – Perfect for a Summer Vacation Craft! Daiso Arrangement
Cute herbarium

Why not try making a herbarium, a popular interior decoration? Prepare a container, your favorite flowers and beads, and baby oil.

First, place the flowers and beads into the container, being careful not to overfill it.

Also, if anything tends to float when put in liquid, soak it in the liquid beforehand.

Once you’ve added all the parts, slowly pour in the baby oil, close the container lid, and it’s done.

You can also focus on choosing a stylish container and decorate it with stickers or washi tape to make it extra cute.

Transparent cute coaster

I tried making cute clear coasters! Perfect for a parent-child craft project over summer vacation, too!
Transparent cute coaster

Summer is supposed to be hot, but don’t you feel like the summers lately are getting hotter every year? When it’s hot, we crave cold drinks—so why not make coasters to brighten up your drink time and turn it into a summer science project? You’ll be using two-part resin and other chemicals, so be sure to have an adult or an older sibling help you when handling them.

Aside from working with the chemicals, it’s basically just decorating coasters, so even small children can join in! We’re looking forward to seeing your cool, refreshing coasters!

Handmade toy from a cheese box

https://www.tiktok.com/@n.annlee321/video/7503846465555401992

Here’s how to make a banana tart toy that can be used both as a trinket box and for pretend play.

All you need is a round empty cheese box and some felt.

First, use a hot glue gun to apply evenly spaced vertical lines around the side of the box lid.

Once dry, attach brown felt with double-sided tape to create the distinctive tart base.

Cover the top’s packaging surface with white felt, then prepare three long, thin strips of white felt and braid them; glue the braid along the edge.

Arrange felt bananas on top, paint the bottom part of the box brown, and you’re done.

Handmade chenille keychain

https://www.tiktok.com/@n.annlee321/video/7365437076654886160

Let’s make a cute bee keychain.

First, stick double-sided tape all over a chenille stem and shape it into a rectangle.

Wrap a yellow chenille stem around it, then wrap a brown one to create the stripes.

Make wings from a clear file sheet, attach them to the body with the brown chenille stem, and add eyes.

Finally, attach the keychain hardware and you’re done! With a bit of creativity, you can make all kinds of insects and animals, so try making your own original keychains.

Cute mysterious bottle

A cute, mysterious bottle made with dollar-store materials! Perfect for summer vacation and independent research projects. Uses few materials and is fun to make. Easy handmade craft, dollar-store DIY, great for time at home, handmade project.
Cute mysterious bottle

A mysterious bottle where two liquids won’t mix even when tilted.

It’s a fun idea that works great as interior decor or a small gift.

First, fill the bottle about halfway with baby oil.

Next, add colored water tinted with food coloring.

Put in glitter or holograms as you like, cap it, and decorate the bottle to make it cute—and you’re done! The method is very simple, so even younger elementary school children can enjoy making it.

Along with the craft, try summarizing both your own ideas and the correct explanation for why baby oil and water don’t mix.

Cute goldfish scooping

[Summer Vacation Craft] Goldfish Scooping ♪ <Cardboard> [Cute Festival Craft] Independent Research • Cardboard Craft • Playable Craft • Pretend Play
Cute goldfish scooping

When you think of summer, you think of festivals—and goldfish scooping, right? Let’s make a cute, handmade goldfish scooping game and have some fun! Prepare a cardboard box as the base and cut several slits into the sides.

Thread a thick blue string across the slits to represent water and create an aquarium.

Next, cut a paper cup to make a ring from the rim.

Attach a popsicle stick as the handle, and glue tissue paper to the inside of the ring to complete the poi (scooper).

Finally, tie individually wrapped candies with rubber bands, add eyes to make goldfish, and you’re done.

Arrange the goldfish in the aquarium and try scooping them up with the poi!

Puru-Koro Soap

Easy handmade: How to make squishy round soap! Portable soap for the COVID era. Handwashing, building a handwashing habit. Simple and fun handmade craft. Stay-at-home time, summer vacation, independent research, perfect for DIY!
Puru-Koro Soap

It’s like a jewel! Let me show you how to make cute, jiggly soap.

You’ll need liquid hand soap, gelatin, hot water, and food coloring.

Dissolve the gelatin in hot water, then mix in the liquid hand soap.

The trick is to stir slowly so it doesn’t foam.

Add food coloring, pour into a flat container, and chill in the refrigerator for 1–2 hours.

Then just cut it into your favorite shapes and you’re done! It looks adorable and might make handwashing more fun.

Just be careful to prevent small children from accidentally swallowing it.

Sparkling hourglass

[Easy Craft 🍉] How to Make a Sparkling Hourglass ❣️
Sparkling hourglass

Let’s make a cute, sparkly hourglass that doubles as interior decor.

Prepare two small bottles, glitter to use as sand, a clear plastic file sheet, and decorative parts.

Cut the clear file slightly larger than the bottle opening and make a hole in the center for the glitter to pass through.

Attach tape and half-cover the hole, then glue it to the bottle.

Add the glitter and glue on the other bottle.

Finish it off cutely with decorative parts.

After adding the glitter, be careful not to turn it over until the adhesive has dried.

lampshade

I tried making a lampshade! Perfect for a summer vacation project—my child and I had fun making it together 😊
lampshade

Here’s a lampshade idea that also works as room decor.

Brush glue mixed with water onto an inflated balloon, then stick on small torn pieces of washi paper.

For sturdiness, layer the washi several times until the balloon’s color isn’t very visible.

Be sure to leave an opening where the light will go.

Since washi is white, use tissue paper if you want to add color.

Once it’s completely dry, pop the balloon and remove it, then secure a wire along the inside edge of the opening for the light to finish it off.