Toddler-approved fun! DIY toy ideas for 2-year-olds

goggles

Treasure hunt at home with handmade goggles for ages 2 and up

Let’s make “goggles” that change the colors of the world you see and explore the room.

Cut cardboard into a goggle-shaped frame, apply glue, and attach colored cellophane.

Attaching the colored cellophane is something children can do, so let them choose their favorite color and work on it together.

The teacher can trim off any parts sticking out from the frame, punch holes so the goggles can hook over the ears, and thread rubber bands through.

When you put on the goggles and look around the room, it transforms into a completely different scene! You can just picture how delighted the children will be.

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tsukada moe

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Handmade toys you can play with during the New Year

[Production] Handmade toys you can play with at New Year (spinning tops/kite flying/hanetsuki)

Try making New Year’s crafts that you can enjoy and play with even after they’re finished, together as a parent-child activity.

You’ll make a spinning top, a kite, and a hanetsuki set (paddle and shuttlecock).

For the top, draw pictures on the sides of a paper cup, cut four evenly spaced slits and flare them open, then attach a plastic bottle cap as the handle.

For the kite, slightly offset and layer two sheets of origami paper and glue them together; attach sparkly tape as the tails to complete the body, then add a lactic-acid drink bottle as the handle and tie on kite string.

For the hanetsuki paddle, use cardboard and disposable chopsticks: cut two paddle-shaped pieces from cardboard, sandwich the chopsticks between them, and glue.

For the shuttlecock, tie a knot in the middle of some raffia (suzuran) tape, press a small ball of tissue onto the knot, and wrap it with origami paper.

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sasashina

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sensory bottle

How to Make Simple Sensory Bottles — For Learning, Relaxation, and Color Therapy

A sensory bottle is not only an item that stimulates sight with the slow movement of glittering materials, but also something children can play with by moving the bottle with their hands.

Choose a container with a smooth surface, such as an empty lactic acid bacteria drink bottle.

Fill it with cooled boiled water and liquid laundry starch (or clear glue), then add fun elements that move—like glitter, small beads, or rings—and it’s done! It’s fun to make many with different colors and themes.

To prevent leaks, secure the cap firmly with glue and tape.

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tsukada moe

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Puppet horse

New release!! Original lip-sync puppet DIY kit Sock Puppet No. 2 – Horse Production video

You can put it on your hand and make the mouth chomp! Here’s a handmade horse puppet idea.

You’ll use a sock, foam sheets, felt, yarn, and googly eyes.

Stack two half-circle pieces of foam sheet and tape the straight edges together, then attach them to the cut end of the sock with a hot glue gun.

Line the contact surfaces of the foam with pink felt and glue on teeth made from white felt.

Finally, add the facial features, a yarn mane, and felt ears—and you’re done!

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sasashina

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Musical Instrument Crafting: Guitar

[Instrument Craft] How to Make a Simple Guitar (Rubber Bands, Paper Cups) [Handmade Instrument, Playable Toy, Playable Craft] Upcycling Play – For Preschoolers and Lower Elementary Students

We’d like to introduce a DIY musical-instrument craft: a guitar you can play once it’s finished.

Prepare four paper cups, three rubber bands, a felt-tip pen, tape, and scissors.

First, place the bottoms of two paper cups together and secure them with tape so they don’t shift.

Next, make three slits in the rim of each of the remaining two paper cups.

Insert these slit cups onto the taped-together cups, and hook the three rubber bands onto the slits so they don’t cross over like an X.

Finally, pluck the rubber bands to check that they make sound—that’s it! The steps are simple, so give it a try!

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mayumi

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Felt ice cream with a chick

[Felt Mascot Pretend Play] Magnet-Attaching Chick Ice Cream – Easy to Make Even for Beginners ♪ From Knotting to Stitching Explained in Detail [100-Yen Shop]

It’s fun because you can stack them! Here’s an idea for chick-themed felt ice cream.

Felt is known for its soft touch and warm texture.

It’s relatively easy to work with—simple to cut and sew—so it’s a great material for beginners in handicrafts and crafting! This time, let’s make chick felt ice cream using felt.

What you’ll need: brown felt cut to 10 cm × 16 cm, three colors of pastel felt cut to 7 cm × 13 cm, embroidery thread, stuffing, and magnets.

Its cute look is sure to catch children’s interest!

Balloon roly-poly

Let’s play by controlling how much force we use! Here’s an idea for a balloon roly-poly toy.

It’s a perfect, fun activity for curious two-year-olds.

Put a weight inside a balloon and inflate it, then toss it into a hula hoop.

The balloon will bounce without toppling over, which is fun to watch.

As children adjust their strength to match the balloon’s movement, they can develop dexterity and concentration.

Aiming and tossing the balloon into a specific spot helps them experience the fun of controlling their force.