[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 Activities] A Collection of Craft Ideas Recommended for Elementary School Students (31–40)
A UFO catcher made from a candy box
A UFO catcher made from an empty Tabecco Animal cookie box is a playful craft.
Use the box as the base, and create the frame and decorations with construction paper and colored paper.
Combine straws of different thicknesses—slide a regular straw inside a tapioca (boba) straw—to support the movement of the arm.
Reinforce it with parts from a milk carton, and thread string through it so the arm can move up and down; this mechanism is key.
Design the tip of the arm so it can grip prizes securely.
Using double-sided tape or glue during assembly will make it sturdier.
It’s a cute, fun-to-play idea that makes great use of everyday materials.
10 Musical Instruments Made from Plastic Bottles
Musical instruments can produce all kinds of sounds and are fascinating, but many people may feel hesitant to buy a lot when they’re not sure how much they’ll actually use them.
Here, we’ll introduce many instruments you can make using plastic bottles.
For example, castanets made by attaching plastic bottle caps to cardboard, a whistle made by punching a hole in a cap and inserting a straw, and even instruments with different pitches just by letting the air out of a plastic bottle.
There are also plastic bottle drums and a “petphone,” made by connecting plastic bottles cut to various lengths.
Use these as references and give it a try!
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.
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!
Maze ideas
@tomonite_official A handmade maze using a wrap core! This looks fun for both kids and adults♪ Try making it together with your child 😊 Please use this idea with adult supervision and with safety in mind. Featured from Instagram: a post by @mimita_asobi ✨ Thank you for the wonderful post. ↓↓↓ ───────────────── 【Not trash: A Spinny Maze with a Wrap Core】 Today’s post is a “spinny maze”! The child was super focused! But then they said, “Make a harder one next time,” 🫣 I guess it was a bit too easy for a five-year-old! You can make lots of different versions☺️ The child was able to make it themselves too, so everyone, try making it with your kiddo 👍🏻 ̖́- ▷Materials for today 〇 Wrap core (cardboard tube from plastic wrap) 〇 Paper (construction paper or copy paper is fine) 〇 Wrapping film 〇 Double-sided tape 〇 Stickers (or draw directly on the film) 〇 Pens/markers for drawing ───────────────── This is Tomonite @tomonite_official. Even on busy days, we want family time to be full of smiles! We share: 🏠 Time-saving housework and parenting hacks 💎 Convenient items with great time and cost performance 👶 Relatable parenting moments and heartwarming videos ✨ A favor ✨ Likes and comments really encourage us! If you found this post helpful or enjoyed it, we’d be happy if you leave a 👶 in the comments! All posts introduced by Tomonite are shared with permission from the original creators. Comments that may hurt others may be hidden by our team. We’d love for everyone to enjoy comfortable conversations and to connect a lot here ✨#AtHomePlayworkSimple craftMaze
♬ Bling-Bang-Bang-Born – Creepy Nuts
You can make a fun maze with a cardboard wrap core! Here’s a simple way to do it.
First, cut construction paper to the length of the wrap core, and draw a maze on it using any writing tools you like.
Attach double-sided tape to the paper with the maze and wrap it around the core.
Next, cut a piece of wrapping film to about 5 cm and stick your favorite stickers on it—that’s it! Thread it through the wrap core to play the maze game.
If you make the construction paper removable, you can enjoy original mazes over and over again.
It’s also recommended to use stickers of your favorite characters to enjoy a themed world.
[Indoor Play] Craft Ideas Recommended for Elementary School Kids (41–50)
Maze ideas
@tomonite_official A handmade maze using a wrap core! This looks fun for both kids and adults♪ Try making it together with your child 😊 Please use this idea with adult supervision and with safety in mind. Featured from Instagram: a post by @mimita_asobi ✨ Thank you for the wonderful post. ↓↓↓ ───────────────── 【Not trash: A Spinny Maze with a Wrap Core】 Today’s post is a “spinny maze”! The child was super focused! But then they said, “Make a harder one next time,” 🫣 I guess it was a bit too easy for a five-year-old! You can make lots of different versions☺️ The child was able to make it themselves too, so everyone, try making it with your kiddo 👍🏻 ̖́- ▷Materials for today 〇 Wrap core (cardboard tube from plastic wrap) 〇 Paper (construction paper or copy paper is fine) 〇 Wrapping film 〇 Double-sided tape 〇 Stickers (or draw directly on the film) 〇 Pens/markers for drawing ───────────────── This is Tomonite @tomonite_official. Even on busy days, we want family time to be full of smiles! We share: 🏠 Time-saving housework and parenting hacks 💎 Convenient items with great time and cost performance 👶 Relatable parenting moments and heartwarming videos ✨ A favor ✨ Likes and comments really encourage us! If you found this post helpful or enjoyed it, we’d be happy if you leave a 👶 in the comments! All posts introduced by Tomonite are shared with permission from the original creators. Comments that may hurt others may be hidden by our team. We’d love for everyone to enjoy comfortable conversations and to connect a lot here ✨#AtHomePlayworkSimple craftMaze
♬ Bling-Bang-Bang-Born – Creepy Nuts
You can make a fun maze with a cardboard wrap core! Here’s a simple way to do it.
First, cut construction paper to the length of the wrap core, and draw a maze on it using any writing tools you like.
Attach double-sided tape to the paper with the maze and wrap it around the core.
Next, cut a piece of wrapping film to about 5 cm and stick your favorite stickers on it—that’s it! Thread it through the wrap core to play the maze game.
If you make the construction paper removable, you can enjoy original mazes over and over again.
It’s also recommended to use stickers of your favorite characters to enjoy a themed world.
Fly! Core Rocket
Here’s how to make an easy “core rocket.” You’ll need a plastic wrap core, a toilet paper core, two rubber bands, and a straw.
First, cut the straw so it’s just a little longer than the opening of the toilet paper core.
Link the two rubber bands by looping them together.
Tape the rubber bands to the straw, then tape the straw onto the plastic wrap core with cellophane tape.
Once it’s set up so the toilet paper core can be launched, you’re done! Decorate the toilet paper core however you like to make your own original rocket.
Have fun and get creative!