RAG MusicPlay & Recreation
Lovely Play & Recreation

[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] A Collection of Craft Ideas Recommended for Elementary School Students (151–160)

Roll-and-drop game made with straws

@n.annlee321

Roll, roll... ☺️#tiktok classroomLife with children#Summer VacationSummer 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.

Deodorizing pot made with an ice pack

@poccle

Easy with an ice pack! I made a cute bottled deodorizing pot—perfect for a science project or a fun craft at home ♥ #craftsProduction#StayHomeTime#AtHomePlayIndependent ResearchSummer vacation homework #NurseryTeacher#NurseryTeacherMomParentingCoolant packDeodorization

♬ Relaxing, cute everyday BGM – Avi

Do you have leftover cold packs from buying cakes and other treats sitting in your freezer? Here’s a deodorizing gel pot you can make with those cold packs—perfect as a summer science or craft project for upper elementary students.

Get your materials ready: cold packs, beads, a plastic container, an empty jar, colored markers, a bowl, water, and a stirring stick.

Squeeze the contents of the cold pack into the bowl, add water, and stir until it becomes a gel.

Color the bottom of the plastic container, then add the gelled cold pack and mix to tint it.

Spoon the mixture into the empty jar, add beads or other decorations, and you’re done.

It’s a simple deodorizing pot you can make with everyday items—try creating your own original version!

How to make strawberry jam

@n.annlee321

Strawberry jam 🍓ParentingChildcareChildcare#HandmadeToys#100-yen-shop#100-yen shop DIY

♬ Pokopoko cute game style BGM(1527385) – sanusagi

One charm of strawberry jam is its vivid red color and distinctive translucence; it even seems like its appearance enhances its deliciousness.

This project focuses on that colorful aspect of strawberry jam and aims to cutely recreate the look of jam in a small jar.

Use a tiny jar—like the kind that once held craft parts—and pack it with pieces of clear plastic sheet painted red to resemble strawberry jam.

By decorating the inside of the jar, you can convincingly replicate that unique translucence and shine.

It’s also a great idea to plan jar decorations that highlight the contents inside.

toy pasta

@n.annlee321

Various sauces and ways to enjoy them 🤭🍝🍝🍝#HandmadeToysLife with children#ElementarySchoolMom#KindergartenChildcare#100-yen-shop

♬ Nerd Strut (Instrumental) – Gen Hoshino

Pasta has the image of being an easy, accessible food you can enjoy in many places, and choosing the flavor is part of the fun.

This piece is about using parts that evoke pasta to recreate various variations as mascots.

Since pasta comes in many shapes, let’s carefully plan decorations that match each type of pasta.

It’s important to imagine what ingredients would make it delicious as you create, and to do the detailed work needed to faithfully reproduce those elements.

Sparkly inedible dessert

@mugimama_diy

I tried making a sparkly, inedible dessert ✨ It looks like a light, doesn’t it? ✨✨#FakeSweetsResin#resinHandmade

♪ Original Song – Mugimama DIY 🧵🪡 – Mugimama DIY 🧵🪡

Why not try your hand at sweets art with “sparkly inedible desserts”? They look just like real jelly! But… in fact, they’re entirely handmade fake sweets.

Using resin sheets, glitter, and clear materials, this craft lets you create jewel-like desserts you can’t eat.

Their cute, mysterious look will captivate anyone who sees them! Most people will probably think, “I’ve always wanted to taste a dessert like this at least once.” They’re sure to be eye-catching, photogenic pieces.

Plus, put them on a light base and they glow! It’s the perfect finishing touch for a romantically charming sweet.

Corner clip rice balls and sandwiches

Let’s make onigiri rice balls and sandwiches using corner clips for holding papers! For the onigiri, stick double-sided tape on the clip, then attach white, long-pile yarn to it.

Next, glue a small square of black felt on top to act as the seaweed, and it’s done! It’s also fun to tuck pieces of felt that look like fillings into the gap of the clip.

For the sandwich, prepare white felt cut into a triangle like bread, and felt cut into shapes for ham and lettuce.

Stick them together with double-sided tape in the order of fillings, then bread, and you’re finished! You can customize both the onigiri and sandwiches by changing the colors of felt and the types of “fillings” you cut out.

Ghibli food and toys

@n.annlee321

Realistic using 100-yen shop materials 🤭✨#100-yen-shop#100-yen shop DIY#Kindergarten#KindergartenMomtranslation#ElementarySchoolMom#HandmadeToysTranslation#GhibliFood# Laputa Bread

♬ Athletic Meet “Heaven and Hell” (No Introduction) – Shinonome

Studio Ghibli’s works are captivating not only for their profound storytelling but also for their meticulous visual expression—especially the way food is depicted so enticingly.

This piece is about recreating the look of the foods that appear in Ghibli films and making beautiful mascots using simple materials.

You’ll experiment with details, like kneading adhesive into shape and using paint to create gradients for a realistic finish.

Since achieving a food-like appearance hinges on material choices, it’s crucial to be particular from the very stage of selecting your materials.

Japanese-style pancake made of clay

@pinksoda_yumi

I’m going to make Japanese-style pancakes out of clay!Handmade#SweetsDeco#FakeSweetsResin clayJapanese confectioneryclay#handmade#fakesweets#wagashi#japanesesweets#clayPink Soda#Wagashi

♬ Happy Music – Mystix Instrumentals

Perfect for a summer vacation project! Why not try sweets art with “Japanese-style pancakes made from clay”? Recreate pancakes in clay to look amazingly real—fluffy batter topped with whipped cream, sweet red bean paste, chestnuts, and sweet potato, inspired by traditional Japanese ingredients.

It’s a stylish and fun craft that results in Japanese sweets that look just like the real thing.

The key to making it realistic is carefully reproducing details like the browned, toasted color.

Try adding the browning with a sponge.

You can also display your creation in your room and use it as decor!

fake acrylic keychain

“You really don’t need shrink plastic or resin?” Make an acrylic keychain in 10 minutes with 100-yen shop materials! I cut all the corners and it still turned out super easy ♪ How to make a fake acrylic keychain
fake acrylic keychain

Acrylic keychains are appealing items thanks to their sturdy material, letting you show off the cute designs without worrying much about them breaking when you hang them on a bag.

With that acrylic keychain image in mind, how about making a durable keychain using simple materials? The main component is a sticker of the character you want to feature on the keychain; you cut it out and wrap it with tape to give it an acrylic-like look.

To make it more colorful and more durable, it’s also important to consider which tapes you use and how much you layer them.

Krispy Kreme-style decorated doughnuts

[100-yen shop clay] Krispy Kreme-style decorated donuts
Krispy Kreme-style decorated doughnuts

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts drew attention not only for their taste but also for their colorful appearance.

Focusing on that cute, colorful look, this is about recreating them as mascots.

The base is made by shaping clay in a mold, then adding other colored clays and decorations to embellish it.

It looks fun not only to recreate actual products but also to decorate them in your own way and make original donuts.