Easy DIY! Introducing educational toys that can be easily made with 100-yen shop items and things around the house.

Sensory Mat Made with 100-Yen Store Materials!

Work No. 011 Sensory Mat [Handmade Toy by a Nursery Teacher]

A sensory mat is an item you can enjoy by touching it with your hands or feet! Prepare interlocking floor mats and attach items that offer interesting textures or sounds—like kitchen sponges, CD discs, squeaky pet toys, or mops—to each piece.

Then simply connect the mats so children can walk or crawl over them, and you’re done! It’s great because you can easily make it with everyday items.

If you assemble the pieces like a dice cube, it transforms into a toy for exploring touch with hands! Try using different combinations to suit your child.

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yuri

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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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Paku-Paku Bear

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?”

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sasashina

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Fruit Concentration

These are felt cards you can use to play Concentration (Memory)! You can choose any motifs you like—fruits, vehicles, animals, anything is fine.

However, since Concentration is a game where you match pairs of identical cards, be sure to make two cards of each design.

Cut felt into card shapes and either glue or sew the motifs onto them.

If you’re making everything out of felt, it’s efficient to layer the same fabric and cut two identical pieces at once to save time.

If you want to keep things simple, you could also use store-bought appliqués and just stick them on.

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sasashina

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Educational play with a dish stand

Here’s an idea for an educational toy using a dish rack sold at 100-yen shops.

Wrap the rack’s rods with vinyl tape or washi tape in various colors, and prepare some plastic chain links or rubber bands—you’ll be ready to play right away! Kids can match rings to the colors on the rods, or stretch rubber bands and hook them onto multiple rods—the ways to play are endless! It’s a charming toy packed with elements that will richly stimulate children’s senses, such as strengthening finger dexterity, developing the ability to align and fit rings onto rods, and fostering the skill to imagine and express shapes.