As much as kids love to play with new toys, they tend to get bored of them easily. This leads to a mountain of old play toys (as good as new) that your child refuses to look at. You may have spent a fortune buying these beautiful toys, but the price of toys is not something that entices children. They may be happier playing with the empty carton of the toy than with the toy itself. So, why not create some homemade toys that your child loves to play with, which you won’t mind discarding either as it is anyways made of scrap.
Here are some ideas that make interesting and educational homemade toys:
Cardboard Box Car
Take a large cardboard box and cut a hole in the top, big enough to accommodate your child. Cut out the bottom of the box and use paper plates to make wheels and steering. Paint it like a toy car with some poster\acrylic paints. Your child will have a blast driving this one.
Puppet
Rummage through the stack of discarded toys to locate a cute stuffed toy that you kid once adored. Find the seam at the bottom or the backside of the toy; remove the stitches with a seam ripper and the stuffing. Now hand stitch the edges of the stuffed animal and turn this forgotten creature into a new lively puppet that will keep your toddler entertained for hours.
Homemade Fishing Game
Draw shapes of fish and other tropical sea life on cardstock and cut them out. Ask your child to help you in coloring them. You can get them laminated to increase their durability. Attach metal paper clips to each sea creature. Tie a string to a broom handle and fasten a magnet to the string to create a fishing rod. Fill up a bucket or a tub with the animals so your child to catch them with the rod. Kids just love this game!
Wooden Puzzles
Take a 12”x12” cardboard. Paint or paste a picture on it and cover it with some decoupage. Let it dry and then cut the picture into shapes with a jigsaw. Your homemade puzzle is ready.
Matching Cards
Cut pictures from old magazines depicting parent animals\baby children, animals\their homes etc and paste them on 3x5” cards. Get these laminated and an educative homemade toy is ready. Also read about following Crafts :
