[Playable from infancy] Fun DIY water play toy ideas
As it starts to get hot, it becomes the perfect season for water play.
Even without going out to a big pool, many families set up a vinyl pool in the bathroom or on the balcony at home and have fun.
Here are some handmade water-play companions and items that really come in handy at those times.
You can make them together with the kids, and the making process itself is fun too.
There’s no need to buy anything special—these are all things you can make with materials you already have at home, like scrap materials, milk cartons, and empty plastic bottles.
When you make something yourself, you grow attached to it, and the fun doubles!
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Fun DIY Water Play Toy Ideas (11–20) That Even Babies and Toddlers Can Enjoy
Plastic-bottle propeller boat
A handmade boat—but kids will be even happier if it actually moves, right? This rubber band–powered propeller boat glides across the water using the energy from a wound rubber band.
You’ll make it with items like a plastic bottle, bamboo skewers, paper cartons (such as milk cartons), and rubber bands.
Cut slits in the plastic bottle that will serve as the hull, and make holes where the propeller will pass through and in the cap.
Thread the bottle cap, which has a slit, onto a bamboo skewer; insert fins made from the paper carton into the slit, and secure them firmly with a hot glue gun.
Attach a rubber band to the middle of the skewer, bring the other end out through the hole in the cap, and fasten it—that’s it.
Since it’s a bit difficult for small children, have an adult do the building and let the kids handle the decorating.
A turtle swimming in the water
How about making some aquatic creatures by hand and letting them swim in a pool or bath to play? Let’s try making a turtle using a milk carton, the trusty ally of homemade toys.
Cut the milk carton to create the turtle’s shell, face, legs, and tail.
For the shell, have the children draw pictures or write their names with a permanent marker.
Wrap the leg pieces with vinyl tape, punch holes in them, and connect them to the shell with string.
When you float it on water, the way it gently wobbles is really cute.
PET-bottle octopus shower
Let’s make a cute octopus-shaped shower using a plastic bottle! First, wrap red vinyl tape around the entire bottle.
After drawing the octopus’s eyes and mouth, make several holes in the bottom of the bottle.
Mark the spots with a permanent marker and use an awl to punch the holes.
Handling an awl can be dangerous, so an adult should do this part.
Fill the bottle with water, and your plastic bottle octopus shower is complete! We used an octopus here, but you can make all kinds of designs by changing the color of the tape.
water play bucket
Let’s make the perfect bucket for water play using a milk carton! Cut off the top part of the carton, punch holes on both sides with an awl or hole punch, thread a string through, and it’s done! Wrapping the outside with vinyl tape and letting the kids draw on it with a permanent marker gives it a fun, original touch.
It’s great for water play, of course, and it might even encourage kids who don’t like baths—if they have a bucket they made themselves, they might happily hop in the tub!
Milk carton waterwheel
A waterwheel that spins merrily when you pour water on it is great fun.
It takes a few steps, but you can make it from materials found in almost any home: a milk carton and a food tray.
First, cut the milk carton; the part you cut off will become the rotating section of the waterwheel.
Punch a hole in the center of a square-cut piece of the food tray, make slits at the four corners to create blades, thread a bamboo skewer through it, and set it onto the milk carton—and you’re done! With just a little water, the waterwheel spins briskly.
Decorating the milk carton with vinyl tape or similar materials can make it even more enjoyable.
sponge ball
We’re going to make sponge balls perfect for water play using dishwashing sponges from the kitchen.
The method is super simple: cut the sponge into long strips, bundle them together, and secure the middle with a rubber band! Even if you don’t have sponges at home, you can easily find various types at 100-yen shops.
Use different colored sponges to make colorful balls! They absorb water but dry quickly with a firm squeeze, and you can freely adjust the size by cutting them with scissors—sponge balls made easy.
A water gun made from an empty mayonnaise container
Let’s try playing with empty mayonnaise and ketchup bottles like water guns! Those empty containers are perfect for water play, aren’t they? The best part is how easy they are to use—you just wash out the empty bottle and it instantly becomes a toy, with no special modifications needed.
You can play with it as is, or decorate it with cute vinyl tape.
Lately, even 100-yen shops sell adorable, sparkly vinyl tapes, so they’re highly recommended.
Milk carton boat
Let’s make a big, cute boat using a milk carton! Wrap and seal the spout of an empty milk carton tightly with vinyl tape or similar so no water can get in.
Then decorate the whole carton by sticking on colored tape.
You can use a single color or make it a colorful boat with lots of different colors.
After you finish taping, make a cut in one part of the boat and fold that section upright—your boat is complete.
The upright section works as a sail, and if you blow on it using a straw, the boat will move forward.
Target-shooting water gun
Doesn’t a water-target game sound like something kids would get super excited about? First, we’ll make a water gun out of a milk carton.
Press down both sides of the carton from the top and fold it tightly so it works like an accordion, with a springy motion.
Then make a hole near the bottom, insert a straw, and secure it so the straw doesn’t point downward—your water gun is ready! Next, cut another milk carton, draw pictures on the white inner surface, and make your targets.
Fill the water gun with water, and press down from the top like a pump… water will shoot out of the straw.
Aim at the targets with the water and knock them down!
Swirly Shower
A whirling shower that’s fun to watch, made from an empty milk carton and powered by water.
Cut off the top of the milk carton, punch holes on opposite corners, and thread twine through to make a handle.
Then make holes in the four corners of the bottom just big enough for straws, insert four bendable straws cut short, and you’re done! Pour water in from the top and it flows out of the four straws, making it spin around.
Since many people already have milk cartons and straws at home, you can probably make this right away.