[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
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.
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 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.
Homemade water play toy ideas that are fun for babies and toddlers (21–30)
Splash Ferris Wheel
Even kids who are reluctant to take a bath might get excited if there are toys! Here’s how to make a super fun “Splash Ferris Wheel.” First, cut a milk carton to create the supports for the Ferris wheel.
Next, make slits in a pool noodle with a utility knife, then insert six plastic ice cream spoons around it like a Ferris wheel.
Slide a chopstick through the pool noodle and insert both ends into the two slits in the milk carton, and you’re done! For a finishing touch, attaching toy capsules to the spoons will make it look even more like a real Ferris wheel, which is highly recommended.
