[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 School Kids (201–210)
Cool rubber band gun
Let me introduce a strong and cool rubber band gun.
Prepare 17 bendable straws, a clothespin, tape, and scissors, and let’s make it.
Take two straws and tape their bendable sections together to secure them.
Attach one clothespin to the gap of the joined straws to create the base.
When bundling straws, secure them tightly so the stacked pieces don’t shift.
Stack eight straws by grouping them in sets of four, extend the bendable sections, and build the structure.
When attaching parts together, make sure the straws are firmly fixed so they don’t slip.
Once it’s finished, hook on a rubber band and give it a try!
First Paints
This craft invites you to explore color expression by enjoying how paint layers and spreads.
Start by drawing lots of balloons on drawing paper.
Varying their sizes and shapes adds movement and a playful feel to the composition.
Drawing thicker outlines or giving each balloon its own pattern will add depth to the piece.
Carefully paint the balloons with your favorite colors.
The way colors bleed and blend becomes part of the artwork’s charm.
The finished picture looks like colorful balloons soaring into the sky, brightening the viewer’s mood.
It’s an idea that helps you learn painting basics in a fun way while fostering the freedom to express yourself.
crayon (wax pastel)
Crayon pastels, which let you enjoy overlapping colors and inventive line work, are a delightful art form that expands the range of expression.
You can color the entire sheet with crayons and then draw lines on top with a pastel to create a finish reminiscent of carbon copy paper.
Using a stencil technique, place cut-out shapes on the paper and layer colors around them with crayon pastels to make patterns emerge.
In the scratch technique, you first color the surface vibrantly, then cover it with black and scratch lines with a pin or similar tool to draw, resulting in a dreamlike piece.
Choosing themes from nature—such as flowers, plants, or fish—enables even richer expression.
It’s an engaging craft where discoveries arise from shifts in color and accidental patterns, nurturing both imagination and powers of observation.
Stencil: “Various Dream-colored Trees”
Let’s paint with a sponge! I’ll introduce an idea for a stencil called “Various Dream-Colored Trees.” A stencil refers to a technique where you place a stencil sheet with letters or patterns cut out, then apply paint from above to create the design.
This time, let’s try making a picture using a sponge and a craft knife.
What you’ll need: black construction paper, white construction paper, a ruler, a pencil, a craft knife, tape, a sponge, and paints.
It’s a wonderful idea that will have your friends and teachers asking, “How did you make that?”
smart ball
Smart Ball is a playful craft that lets you build your very own game while getting excited about the motion of a rolling marble.
Cut lumber to fit a perforated board to create a frame.
Add an incline beneath the board so the marble rolls more easily.
For the launcher, use nails and rubber bands to make a pull-and-release mechanism that shoots the marble.
Attach a plastic sheet on top of the board to enhance the sound and feel as the marble rolls.
Place small pegs called dowels to add unpredictability to the marble’s path.
With creative targets and decorations, you’ll have a one-of-a-kind original Smart Ball game.
It’s a fun way to nurture creativity and observation skills as you play.
Cardboard 3D craft
Three-dimensional creations using single-faced corrugated cardboard make the most of the material’s qualities depending on the direction and shape of your cuts.
If you cut along the direction of the flutes, the cardboard bends easily; by changing the cutting direction, you can form pillar-like shapes.
Cut long strips and coil them or make rods to combine into towers, arches, or animal bodies—shape them freely.
Connecting multiple parts in three dimensions results in sturdy works.
Painting the surface or adding patterns enhances the finish.
Sculptures born from everyday materials convey the depth of making and the freedom of imagination.
Cardboard vending machine
Let’s introduce a cardboard vending machine that looks just like the real thing.
Insert a coin and press a button, and a drink will come out from inside.
Gather the materials—milk cartons, cardboard, bubble gum, rubber bands, paper clips, plastic sheets, tape, glue, a ruler, scissors, and a utility knife—and let’s get building.
We’ll start by making the internal parts of the cardboard vending machine.
The key is to carefully measure each part and cut it to the correct size before assembling.
Measure the base cardboard as well to ensure it’s the right size to hold the drinks, then build accordingly.
It also sounds fun to make your own original drinks!