Lovely childcare

Let’s make it with 3-year-olds! Fun handmade toy ideas

9 years of experience as a nursery school teacherShibata Risa
I am an active nursery school teacher with 9 years of experience. After graduating from university, I worked at a daycare center. The time I spent happily with children—playing piano, singing songs, and doing finger-play—are priceless memories to me. Currently, while raising three children of my own, I work at an after-school day service, engaging with children and providing individualized developmental support. Drawing on my diverse experiences as a childcare worker and as a mother, I hope to express and convey my thoughts through writing.
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICsasashina
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. During my student years at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, I studied a wide range of fields including sound, lighting, and video technology, building a foundation in comprehensive stage production and creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, consistently building experience in production and engaging in a variety of music-centered tasks. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting and what I feel and discover through daily interactions with my kids. I hope my work can be of help to you, even in a small way!

Let’s make and play with handmade toys together with your three-year-old!

Making your own toys lets children experience the joy of creating original pieces and gives them a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment—there are so many benefits.

So this time, we’ve gathered ideas for DIY toys recommended for three-year-olds.

Everything uses familiar materials and involves simple tasks with few steps, making them easy for three-year-olds to try.

Have fun drawing freely, adding decorations, and creating a one-of-a-kind special toy together.

Make It with 3-Year-Olds! Fun DIY Toy Ideas (51–60)

Cooking rice with origami

[No Prep Needed!] 10 Popular Indoor Educational Activities Kids Can Do Right Away

Cooking rice with origami

Let’s play a game where we make food out of origami and pretend to eat it.

If you tightly crumple white paper and wrap it with black paper, you can make rice balls.

Crumple red paper and add a green paper calyx to make a strawberry.

Use your imagination to create all kinds of foods! For example, you could make a chick’s beak and pretend to feed the chick—that sounds fun, doesn’t it? Also, using a spoon to feed crumpled paper or marbles is perfect for practicing fine motor skills.

Once you’ve mastered the spoon, try using chopsticks too.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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ice cream

[Easy!] Ice Cream Made with Felt / 100-Yen Shop DIY / Felt Ice Cream

ice cream

Here’s an idea for a toy that lets you play ice cream shop! You can make it using felt, magnets, cardboard, and stuffing.

Basically, you stuff cotton into felt cut into circles or half-circles to create the ice cream scoops and cones.

A sticker-type magnet attached to cardboard is placed in the flat part of the cone and the bottom of the ice cream, so when you put the ice cream on the cone, it sticks and won’t fall off easily.

Make different kinds of ice cream by changing the felt colors and toppings!

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felt ball

[Handmade Toy] How to Make Anpanman Felt Balls

felt ball

Here’s a felt ball idea! First, prepare your favorite felt and cut out 12 pentagons.

Sew them together with the right sides facing inward, turn it right side out, stuff it with cotton, and stitch it closed—that’s it! If you use felt in various colors, you’ll get a colorful ball, and it’s also a great idea to sew on characters kids love onto the pentagon pieces.

Classics might be Anpanman or Pokémon.

Animals or vehicles would surely be adorable, too!

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sponge fluffy ball

Handmade Toy: [Super Easy] How to Make a Fluffy Sponge Ball

sponge fluffy ball

You’ll get hooked on the soft, squishy feel! Introducing the fluffy sponge ball.

All you need are three sponges, scissors, and a rubber band.

To make it, cut slits into both ends of each sponge, then bundle the three together with a rubber band—and you’re done! If it’s hard for children to cut three-dimensional objects on their own, try it together with a parent or teacher.

It’s also a great idea to let them handle the bundling with the rubber band! It’ll be exciting to spend time discussing what to play with the finished sponge ball, too!

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In conclusion

We’ve introduced lots of fun toy ideas to spark the curiosity of three-year-olds.

Many children at this age are still getting used to using scissors and doing detailed tasks, so it helps if teachers prepare materials in advance and make any necessary adjustments.

It’s also good to demonstrate how to use the tools and explain the rules by showing examples.

After making the toys, be sure to set aside enough time and space so the children can play to their hearts’ content.

We hope it will be a fun and meaningful experience for them!