[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] Fun Indoor Game Ideas for After-School Day Services
- 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 Activities] A Collection of Craft Ideas Recommended for Elementary School Students (171–180)
Paper Plate Balance Game
Let me introduce a guaranteed crowd-pleasing, handmade recreation activity you can make and play with elementary school kids: the Paper Plate Balance Game.
Paint a paper plate in four colors—red, yellow, blue, and green—and attach capsule toy containers or paper cups underneath to create an unstable balancing base.
The rules use two kinds of dice: one regular number die and a special die with “colors” and faces like “x2” and “x3.” Players take turns placing small counters (like marbles or flat game pieces) according to the color and number rolled.
If you upset the balance and make pieces fall, you lose.
It’s easy to make, and a fun idea game that nurtures dexterity, concentration, and creativity.
Running Robot
An exciting craft! Let me share an idea for a running robot.
Some of you might want to do a craft project but can’t think of a good idea, right? This time, let’s make a running robot that uses a windshield wiper mechanism.
You’ll need a rectangular plastic bottle, bamboo skewers, straws, thick paper, cardboard, plastic bottle caps, rubber bands, and so on.
It’s a great idea that lets you learn how a wiper mechanism works through crafting! Give it a try!
Strawberry roll cake squishy
@nadf11 Whipped cream deco for handmade squishies 🍰#HandmadeSqueeze#Whip Deco#SweetsDecoSilicone whip#Making Squeeze Toys
Merry Go Nyand – mg ⧓
A cute-looking strawberry roll cake squishy that’s perfect for a school science project.
Start by making the roll cake, then decorate it adorably with pink silicone whip! Experiment with color choices that make it look real and explore differences in texture as your theme.
It’s not only cute to look at, but also super squishy and soothing to the touch.
To make it even cuter, try adding strawberries, cookies, and pink pearls.
Displaying photos or the actual piece will surely convey the fun to anyone who sees it.
Kaleidoscope in an ice cup
A kaleidoscope where you can enjoy geometric, mysterious pattern changes.
Let’s make such a kaleidoscope using an ice cream cup.
First, use nail polish remover to erase the letters and designs from two ice cream cup lids.
Next, cut aluminum foil to your preferred length, fold it three times to make a long, narrow rectangle, then cut it into shorter pieces, roll each into a tube, and secure with tape.
Make many small tubes and pack them tightly into the ice cream cup without gaps.
Then put on a lid and sprinkle beads or pieces of translucent origami paper cut into small shapes on top.
Finally, place the other lid on top and tape it in place to finish.
Point it toward the sunlight and spin it around to play.
Palm-sized ocean diorama
Let’s try making a diorama that captures a summer scene.
It’s palm-sized, so you won’t have trouble finding a place for it, and it’s easy to bring to school.
Prepare a container you like, apply glue to the bottom, and lay down paper clay.
Use sand, powdered pastels, and resin to create the beach and the sea.
Add stones and moss, place parts made from paper clay, and you’re done.
You can depict any landscape you like, so try making it while recalling the fun things you did during summer vacation.
[Indoor Play] A Collection of Craft Ideas Recommended for Elementary School Students (181–190)
3 simple coasters
How about making coasters as a summer vacation craft? Here, we’ll introduce three methods.
The first is a coaster made by arranging tiles on top of paper clay.
The second is a coaster made by lining up beads and melting them in the microwave.
The third is a summery coaster that expresses a seasonal scene by placing shells, sequins, and stickers in resin.
They’re all easy to make, so give them a try.
You can buy most of the materials at 100-yen shops.
Paper Art Triangle
This is a craft project where you can enjoy the fun of freely drawing with paper by playing with the width and shape of the strips.
Use a wide paper band to create a large triangular outer frame.
Make firm creases and then glue it down to complete the base.
Next, use narrow paper bands to create patterns on the inside.
By combining and attaching shapes you like—zigzags, waves, circles, and more—you’ll achieve a three-dimensional finish.
With creative color choices and placement, even the same triangle takes on a completely different look.
The result is a piece that showcases both mathematical elements and design appeal, and it stands out well in displays.
It’s an idea that trains creativity and concentration.
