[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!
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[Indoor Play] Craft Ideas Recommended for Elementary Schoolers (11–20)
telescope
Believe it or not, you can make a telescope using only items from the 100-yen shop! Doing some stargazing with a handmade telescope sounds really exciting, doesn’t it? If you’re an elementary school student interested in making things or in astronomy, definitely give it a try! The key is to combine reading glasses and a magnifying glass for the telescope’s lenses.
It’s surprising that a potato chip tube is just the right size for the telescope body.
It’s fine to observe the Moon with your finished telescope, but be sure never to look at the Sun! Have fun making a telescope you can proudly show off to your friends and family.
Marble Kaleidoscope
A marble kaleidoscope that’s perfect for at-home crafting time or independent study projects.
It’s great because you can make it easily with everyday items like marbles and candy containers! First, take acrylic mirrors (you can get them at 100-yen shops), cut them into strips, and combine them to form a triangular tube.
Next, make a round hole in the bottom of a candy container, insert a marble and then the mirror tube, and close it with a lid that you’ve pre-punched—done! Kaleidoscopes may seem hard to make by hand, but you can actually put one together easily with surprisingly simple materials.
Add your favorite decorations to create a kaleidoscope with your own original design—how lovely!
bath bomb
A perfect creative activity for the season when the cold sets in is making DIY bath bombs.
Drop your homemade bath bomb into warm water, and vibrant fizz spreads like magic, enriching your daily bath time! With a variety of colorful materials, you can create bright, cheerful bath bombs or even marbled designs.
You can also tuck a tiny sponge or small trinkets inside to add the fun of seeing them float up as the bomb dissolves.
It’s an idea that kids and adults alike can enjoy, so why not give it a try?
Rubber band guitar
A rubber band guitar you can make with just a tissue box, a plastic wrap tube, and some rubber bands.
If you use brightly colored bands, it’ll look cheerful and really spark kids’ creativity.
The pitch changes depending on how tight the bands are, so it’s a fun way to learn basic music concepts, too.
It might not be the sturdiest, but it’s more than enough for parents and kids to enjoy together.
Why not make your very own original guitar and have fun playing it? It’s perfect for an elementary school summer project as well.
Feel like a rock star and play your heart out!
Pancake wall clock
A pancake wall clock made using a DIY clock kit you can even find at 100-yen shops.
Since the materials are budget-friendly, it’s a great idea for elementary school kids to make.
Use resin clay to create the pancake body and fruit pieces! You can show your individuality through the design, so feel free to arrange it in your own style and have fun.
A key tip is to attach the movement and hands before decorating with fruit and other toppings.
It would be perfect as a winter or summer vacation craft project, or even as a gift.
Sumikko Gurashi piggy bank
I’ll introduce how to make a Sumikko Gurashi piggy bank out of origami.
Prepare two sheets of origami paper and one small sheet, then let’s get started.
Use the small origami paper to make the 5-yen coin part.
Fold the corners toward the center, then fold the surrounding corners as well.
It will form the shape of a 5-yen coin, so draw the details with a felt-tip pen.
For the base piggy bank, fold the origami toward the center to create creases.
Following the creases, tuck the paper inward to form a square box.
Make two identical boxes; on one of them, attach the 5-yen coin and draw the face.
The key point is to change the color of the origami depending on the character.
Infinite Marble Run
Here’s a perfect boredom-buster for kids: a marble run that rolls endlessly.
You’ll need two stiff, deep paper plates and two paper cups.
First, cut a hole in the center of each plate to make a donut shape.
Next, make a single slit on each plate, then interlock the two plates so they form a figure eight.
When assembling, a hot glue gun is recommended over glue or paste.
Finally, insert the paper cups into the holes you cut in the plates, and you’re done! The marble will whirl around the figure-eight track so kids can enjoy it for ages.
To make it more challenging, try playing with the paper cups removed.
Rubber band gun made from disposable chopsticks and clothespins
This is a chopstick rubber band gun whose trigger is a clothespin, launching rubber bands with impressive speed—its muzzle velocity is the main attraction.
The basic build is to fix one jaw of a clothespin to the end of a chopstick bundle, then create a notch at the tip to hook the rubber band.
How you bundle the chopsticks and how you secure the clothespin are both important; the firmer the attachment, the more stable it will be when the rubber band is stretched.
Its simple look—chopsticks extending from the clothespin—also makes it a great canvas for decorations to add your own personal touch.
Aquarium snow globe
Let me introduce a refreshing aquarium-style snow globe.
Prepare liquid laundry starch (or glue), a sponge, a jar, miniature figures, ribbon, adhesive, glitter, and a chopstick.
Cut the sponge to the shape of the jar lid to make a base, then glue it in place.
Attach the figures onto the base using adhesive.
Put glitter into the jar, then add water and liquid laundry starch in a 1:1 ratio and mix well.
Close the jar with the lid that has the figures attached, making sure no air gets in, and you’re done.
Decorate it and create your own original snow globe!
Refreshing! Square Bag
@n.annlee321 A cool-looking square bag design 💕 Perfect for a summer vacation craft project, too 🥰🫶✨#100-yen-shop#100-yen shop DIY#Summer VacationSummer Vacation CraftDaiso
♬ Good luck to me tomorrow – NANAOAKARI
Here’s an idea for making a bag using bag hardware from a 100-yen shop, plant pot mesh, and yarn in your favorite color and material.
First, cut the plant pot mesh to match the size of the bag hardware, then crochet or stitch the yarn onto the mesh.
Once you’ve finished attaching the yarn, sew the mesh and the bag hardware together.
Finally, add the handles and your favorite decorations to complete the bag.
With this method as a reference, it seems like you could create all kinds of items depending on your ideas!
