Handmade felt toys: simple and cute ideas
How about making some cute toys using felt, which is easy to use for both crafts and sewing?
Many felt toys are soft, so they’re safe for babies to play with.
They’re also perfect for times when you want to make fabric toys but aren’t confident in your sewing skills!
From toys that support a baby’s development to ones great for pretend play, there are plenty of ideas—use these as inspiration and give them a try.
You can even buy felt at 100-yen shops!
Handmade felt toys: simple and cute ideas (1–10)
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!
Fishing for fish
Fishing is one of the most popular pastimes for children.
So why not try making various sea creatures out of felt? In addition to fish, kids might be delighted to have creatures you wouldn’t normally catch when fishing, like sharks, dolphins, and turtles.
If you put a material inside that sticks to a magnet, they can enjoy “catching” them with a rod that has a magnet on the end.
You can make them by layering and gluing felt, or stuff them with cotton to give them a three-dimensional shape—both are recommended.
Since they’re toys, be sure to make them colorful!
dress-up doll
How about making dolls and clothes out of felt and enjoying some dress-up play? The doll’s motif can be anything you like—a girl, or your favorite character.
Since the clothes will be swapped, it’s best if they’re easy to put on and take off.
Try making outfits that open in the back or fasten with snap buttons.
Besides clothing, it could be fun to make small accessories like hair clips or bags.
Create plenty of dolls and outfits, and enjoy styling them to match your mood each day.
Perfect for button practice! Onigiri
Here’s an idea for felt rice balls that help kids practice buttoning! First, cut a rectangle from white felt and fold it.
Keeping the middle of the folded edge intact, cut it into a rice ball shape.
Make fillings like pickled plum or salmon and sew on snap buttons.
Sew matching snap buttons to the center of the rice ball’s inside as well.
Sew a two-hole button to the upper inside part of the rice ball, and make a slit on the opposite side.
Finally, glue a strip of seaweed cut from black felt to the outside, and you’re done! Attach your favorite filling and close the rice ball with the buttons to enjoy making onigiri.
Toy stethoscope for playing doctor
https://www.instagram.com/p/CygKsXSpICK/When you want to play doctor, make a toy stethoscope and get into character! For this one, you’ll use a headband you can find at a 100-yen shop.
Cover the headband with a tube of sewn felt, so if it has any decorations, remove them first.
For the tubing, use a string or cord, and for the chest piece, cover a suitably sized cap or lid with felt.
Once you’ve connected everything, your stethoscope is ready! It might be even more fun if you also make items like a medicine bag or bandages.
picture book
How about making a cloth picture book for babies out of felt? You can find colorful felt at 100-yen shops and craft stores, so try cutting, pasting, and sewing it to match your vision.
You can recreate a picture book your child loves, or add interactive elements they can play with.
There are many kinds of mechanisms: for example, motifs that can be peeled off with hook-and-loop tape, parts that fasten with buttons, and classics like puzzles or matching games.
playmat
Here’s an idea for a road play mat that you’ll want to make for a child who loves toy cars.
Sew roads made from gray felt onto a base of felt in your favorite color.
Then, add and sew on whatever you like—houses, trees, a police box, a hospital, bus stops, and more.
If you don’t have a sewing machine, you can skip the stitching and use glue to attach everything instead.
With a little creativity, you can make all kinds of play mats, so let your imagination run wild as you create.
Making a construction site where kids can play with work vehicles sounds fun, too!
Fukuwarai of Anpanman
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5oUPwin35T/Fukuwarai is a game where you place facial parts like eyes and a nose onto a face while blindfolded and enjoy the resulting expression.
It’s a classic New Year’s game, but these days animal and character versions are sold, so you can enjoy it year-round.
Here, we’ll introduce a fukuwarai made with felt.
It’s easy to make—just cut the face base and parts out of felt.
Any motif is fine, so make something your child will love.
If you prepare several kinds of parts, you’ll be able to enjoy a variety of expressions.
Paku-Paku Bear
https://www.instagram.com/p/CWK66zuvZF7/Pakupaku Kuma-san: a bear face sewn onto a large piece of felt with a zipper for its mouth.
Next to the bear, items like rice balls, bread, eggs, and vegetables are attached with snap buttons.
You can unfasten them and feed them to the bear—it’s a toy, right? The actions of unbuttoning and buttoning seem helpful for developing fine motor skills, and seeing the bear eagerly eat everything might spark children’s interest in food, making them think, “I want to try the same thing,” or “I wonder what it tastes like?”
Mike
https://www.instagram.com/p/CL5E6qoHFLA/For kids who love to sing, a toy microphone is a great recommendation.
If you make it with felt, it won’t break if dropped and the risk of injury is low, so it’s a safe choice.
Create the handle and the microphone head with felt, and stuff the inside with fabric scraps or cotton.
Adding a ribbon or other accents would make it extra cute.
You can buy both felt and cotton at 100-yen shops, so try making it in your favorite colors.
Once it’s finished, sing using your microphone—you’ll enjoy a fresh, exciting feeling!