[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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- [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 Activities] A Collection of Craft Ideas Recommended for Elementary School Students (171–180)
Made entirely with origami! Triangular accessory case
Make it using only origami! Here’s an idea for a triangular trinket box.
It’s perfect for kids who are good at crafting with origami or for anyone who wants to use the origami paper they have at home to make something.
How about creating a little container to hold small items or parts? All you need to prepare are three sheets of origami paper.
Solid-colored paper works fine, but using your favorite patterns or holographic origami can change the vibe and make it more fun!
Long Boots Piggy Bank
Let’s make use of those memory-filled items! Here’s an idea for a rain boot piggy bank.
Many of us feel that children grow up so fast.
Clothes and shoes need to be replaced each time… throwing them away as they are is such a waste! This time, let’s repurpose outgrown rain boots and turn them into a piggy bank.
What you’ll need: outgrown rain boots, interlocking foam mats, scissors or a utility knife, adhesive, and so on.
It’s nice to be able to keep using your favorite rain boots as a piggy bank, isn’t it?
Paper Cup UFO Catcher

The “Paper Cup UFO Catcher” is a popular DIY recreation idea you can enjoy with elementary school kids.
Cut eight slits into a paper cup to make tentacle-like arms, then insert a straw through the center to move it.
Place another paper cup over the top and move it up and down—this opens and closes the arms.
The moment it grabs the target is super exciting! It’s easy to make with everyday materials, yet the movement feels authentic and makes it really fun to play.
Figuring out the controls is part of the charm, and it gets even more exciting when friends compete.
It’s a recommended activity that combines the joy of crafting with the sense of achievement from a game.
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.
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.
[Indoor Play] A Collection of Craft Ideas Recommended for Elementary School Students (181–190)
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.



