[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!
- Crafts you can make with 100-yen shop items! A collection of fun project ideas that elementary school kids will love
- Simple yet amazing crafts: craft ideas that elementary school students will want to make
- [For Elementary School Kids] Handmade Toy Craft Ideas
- [Let’s Make and Play!] Handmade Toy Ideas You Can Create Yourself
- [Summer Vacation Crafts for Lower Grades] Make It with Everyday Materials! Simple Yet Awesome Craft Ideas
- Handmade games: DIY craft ideas you can make and play
- [For Upper Elementary Students] Simple but Awesome! A Collection of Summer Vacation Craft Ideas
- [DIY] A Collection of Handmade Moving Toy Craft Ideas
- [For Kids] Have Fun at After-School Day Service! A Special Feature on Indoor Game Ideas
- Toys you can make from cardboard crafts! Authentic ideas you can build and play with
- For summer vacation homework! Simple and amazing crafts for elementary school students that you’ll want to make after seeing them
- For upper-grade boys! Simple yet awesome craft project [Don’t call it lazy]
- Crafts parents and kids can enjoy together. Recommended craft ideas to keep children entertained.
[Indoor Play] A Collection of Craft Ideas Recommended for Elementary School Students (141–150)
Metal craft
@utatan_simple_crafts ← Fun original craft recipe Good evening, this is Utatan 🐰 We’re halfway through summer vacation… so this time I’m sharing a satisfying craft that even elementary schoolers will enjoy ✨ It’s an arrangement of a copper wire craft I tried at a neighborhood summer festival when I was in second grade, updated with transparent origami paper ✂️ That was the first time in my life I worked with metal, and it was a valuable experience where I learned: “Metal is a fascinating material—hard and durable, yet flexible enough to deform when bent or hammered with force.” Trying, touching, and using all kinds of materials really expands your world, doesn’t it? ♪ My daughter used a hammer and needle-nose pliers for the first time, and it became a special experience for her! (Tip: If you want to make fine curves or angles, use needle-nose pliers 👍) Metal isn’t often used in kids’ crafts, but this summer vacation, I’d love for you to try this project that lets you fully feel the properties of metal ☺️ Materials: • 2 mm aluminum craft wire (purchased at Daiso) • Transparent origami, aurora sheet • (Optional) Faux leather cord Tools: • Wire cutters, needle-nose pliers • Hammer • Work gloves • A brick or flat stone • Multi-purpose glue • Toothpicks • Scissors • Pen Caution: Please take great care to avoid injuries from wire ends and the hammer. Important: Because this is an original recipe, we prohibit the following: ▪ Unauthorized reposting of images/videos ▪ Commercial use of the work/recipe ▪ Publishing the instructions as videos/images ▪ Unauthorized use in paid craft/art classes or production workshops When posting reference works, please mention @utatan_simple_crafts ✨ We’re also looking forward to your “made it!” posts ☺️ ****************************************** Creating daily with my 5-year-old ♪ Original craft recipes for parents and kids to enjoy (We also sell craft kits and digital files 🌸) Utatan’s Simple Crafts → @utatan_simple_crafts ONLINE STORE →https://utatan-crafts.stores.jpThank you in advance 🐰✨work#I love craftsStained glassWire CraftSummer Vacation Craft#Summer vacation homework#HandmadeToysHow to Spend Summer VacationLife with childrenLife with children#HandmadeToys#diy#AtHomePlay#StayHomeTime
♪ Original Song – Utatan’s Simple Crafts | Exciting DIY for Kids and Adults – Utatan’s Simple Crafts | Exciting DIY for Kids and Adults
Let’s try a metal craft project using soft wire you can find at 100-yen shops and similar stores.
First, come up with a few patterns that can be drawn in a single stroke.
After cutting the wire to an appropriate length, shape it to match the pattern.
If bending it by hand is difficult, it’s a good idea to use tools like pliers.
Once the shape is made, hammer it to flatten the joints.
Then cut transparent origami paper to fit the pattern, and attach it from the back with glue to finish.
Cute paper cup finger puppets

Here’s an idea for making finger puppets using paper cups.
The example shown here is a dog finger puppet, but with a little creativity you can make all kinds of animals.
Once you have a paper cup, cut four vertical slits along the side and remove the excess parts while shaping the dog’s ears and the rings that go around your fingers.
The bottom of the cup will be the face, so draw any expression you like with a pen.
Paper cups come in various colors, so using different colors might expand your range of expression.
Cute glasses with moles

Let’s make cute glasses using pipe cleaners and straws.
First, think about the shape of the glasses you want to make—try sketching it out.
Round, square, star-shaped—anything you like is fine.
Once you’ve decided on the shape, form it with the pipe cleaners.
A single pipe cleaner isn’t very sturdy, so twist two together into one before shaping.
After the frame is done, thread straws onto the parts that go over your ears, and you’re finished.
If you use the accordion section of the straw over your ears, the glasses are less likely to slip off.
[Indoor Play] A Collection of Craft Ideas Recommended for Elementary School Students (151–160)
Making a marble run with an ice box
@silk_haru3mama [Elementary School Summer Craft/Independent Study] We tried making a marble run using an ice cream box 🌻#Summer VacationSummer Vacation Independent ResearchSummer Vacation Craftworktranslation#HandmadeToysIndependent ResearchScrap Material CraftingSimple 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.
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!
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.


