For summer vacation homework! Simple and amazing crafts for elementary school students that you’ll want to make after seeing them
A fun summer vacation homework project for kids: crafts! But as children move into the upper grades, they can run out of ideas and worry about making something that doesn’t end up being the same as their friends’.
So here, we’re introducing craft ideas recommended for elementary school students from lower to upper grades.
Many use materials you already have at home or can buy at a 100-yen shop, so they’re easy to try.
The ideas are designed to help kids discover their own unique projects and express their creativity.
Use these as a reference and make some wonderful summer vacation memories!
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[For summer vacation homework!] Easy and amazing crafts for elementary school kids that will make you want to create (21–30)
Conveyor Piggy Bank
Here’s an idea for a conveyor-belt piggy bank that carries and saves your money.
Since it involves using a craft knife and an awl, it’s a project suited for upper elementary grades.
Materials: a milk carton, wooden chopsticks, bamboo skewers, plastic bottle caps, a toilet paper tube, straws, a mat, thick paperboard, and copier paper.
The main body is made from the milk carton, the belt from A4 paper, and the axles are constructed by combining the other materials.
When you turn the handle, the conveyor moves, and any coins placed on the belt drop into the milk carton—simple as that.
If you want to make a fun piggy bank, give it a try.
Combine a chopstick rubber-band gun with an origami throwing star!
Let’s try making a “shuriken gun” that combines a chopstick rubber band gun with paper shuriken.
It’s a lot of fun because the shuriken, which you’d normally throw by hand, comes out as the projectile instead.
You’ll need two pairs of disposable chopsticks, two sheets of origami paper, and some rubber bands.
Use one pair of chopsticks without splitting them; split the other pair.
Wedge the split sticks between the unbroken pair and fasten them with rubber bands.
Fold the paper shuriken, tuck it into the rubber bands, and launch it together.
It’s a unique twist on the classic chopstick gun—give it a try! You can probably launch things other than shuriken, too.
Perfect for Summer Break Homework! Simple and Awesome Crafts for Elementary Schoolers That Make You Want to Create (31–40)
smart ball
A smart ball game devised based on pinball, where you launch a ball and drop it into holes.
It’s a perfect project for anyone who wants to make a toy you can keep playing with even after finishing it as a summer vacation assignment.
Prepare a perforated board with evenly spaced holes and lumber to frame the edges of the board.
Mark and cut the lumber, then nail it from the back.
After attaching the frame for the ball-launching area, make a striker (plunger) to fit the board’s frame and add nails to hook rubber bands.
Cut a plastic sheet into 2 cm-wide strips and fix them with double-sided tape in an arched shape, then drive in dowels wherever you like.
Attach rubber bands between the nails, decorate with drawings or stickers, and you’re done.
Disposable Chopstick Ferris Wheel
A Ferris wheel that truly stands out, even in an amusement park.
How about making a working Ferris wheel that actually spins using wooden chopsticks? It’s a perfect idea for winter or summer break crafts and independent projects! First, start by making the central axle of the Ferris wheel, then move on to the wheel-shaped frame and the gondolas.
Chopsticks can be easily cut with scissors, so you can freely adjust their length—that’s a key point.
Feel free to change the length of each part as you like! If you have time, adding color could make it an even more beautiful piece.
Jiggly Soap
Here’s a cute hand soap idea you can make easily with just a few steps.
Dissolve gelatin in hot water, then mix in liquid hand soap, stirring slowly to avoid creating foam.
Add your preferred food coloring, stir again, and pour the mixture into silicone molds.
You can also combine it with a clear solution to create gradient-colored hand soap.
Once the liquid cools and sets, you’ll have a jiggly, fun-to-touch soap.
You can customize it by changing the mold shapes—like animals or sweets—and the food coloring.
It’s a practical item that can be used as hand soap even after you finish making it as a summer vacation project.
Sparkling Kaleidoscope
This is a kaleidoscope that lets you enjoy the shimmering movement of beads.
You can use your favorite beads and origami paper, so kids can have fun trying this craft, too.
Cut a hard card case into rectangles or triangles, cut out the kaleidoscope parts, and secure them with tape.
Put beads into the small triangular section and attach a lid.
After cutting black construction paper and a milk carton to the size of the kaleidoscope, make a hole where you’ll look through and tape it in place.
Decorate the outside of the milk carton with patterned origami or tissue paper, and your original kaleidoscope is complete.
Remaking a 100-yen shop clock
https://www.tiktok.com/@nantomokuzai/video/7265645972984827143The part you can see from the back of a table clock or wall clock—the section with the battery compartment and the knob for setting the time—is called the movement.
You could say it’s the heart of the clock.
In fact, clock movements are sold on their own at 100-yen shops and home improvement stores, and you can use them to make your own original clock! If you’re good at woodworking, try starting from scratch by buying a wooden board and cutting a groove to fit the movement.
If that’s not your strong suit, there are also assembly kits with pre-cut grooves available, so you can use those instead.
