Make and Play! A Collection of Fun Handmade Horse Toy Ideas
How about making some handmade horse toys? Spending time crafting horse-themed toys with familiar materials can greatly expand children’s creativity.
When kids and adults play with the finished toys, the ingenuity and discoveries from the making process will make it even more fun.
There are endless ways to play, from pretending to run a ranch to doll play.
We’ve gathered ideas you can make with easy-to-find materials like origami paper, recycled items, and paper cups, so please try them at home or in early childhood settings!
- Made of paper! A fun collection of DIY toy ideas you can play with
- Let's make handmade New Year's cards with horses! A collection of fun ideas that even elementary school kids can do.
- Enjoy traditional games with your kids! A collection of DIY stilts (made from bamboo) ideas
- Handmade New Year’s cards with horse motifs! A collection of ideas you can make with common materials
- [Origami Horse] A Collection of Folding Ideas to Enjoy with Elementary School Children
- A Collection of Fun Toy Ideas You Can Make with Paper Clay
- Let's make toys with paper cups! Simple and fun handmade toys
- [Let’s Make and Play!] Handmade Toy Ideas You Can Create Yourself
- Fun for Kids! A Collection of DIY Musical Instrument Ideas Using Everyday Materials
- Fun to make! A collection of simple handmade doll ideas using a variety of materials
- Popular with toddlers! A collection of homemade toy ideas
- It's fun to spin! A collection of DIY toy ideas
- Handmade games: DIY craft ideas you can make and play
Make and Play! A Collection of Fun DIY Horse Toy Ideas (1–10)
Mini ranch diorama
Let’s make a miniature horse diorama.
First, cut the Styrofoam to fit the display box.
Then apply plaster, paint it, lay down the grass, and place trees, stones, and flowers.
Finally, set the horse figurine wherever you like, and it’s complete! This idea suggests a landscape reminiscent of a pasture, but feel free to create any scene you prefer.
A tool called a grass applicator is used to make the grass stand upright, and green powder is sprinkled on to add variation to the grass.
The attention to detail is so fine that it looks like a real landscape!
Challenge yourself to making stilts
Nowadays you can buy stilts made from all kinds of materials, but this is an idea for making traditional stilts using real bamboo! First, prepare two bamboo poles for the uprights, choosing ones that are as similar in thickness as possible.
Then prepare one bamboo piece for the footrests, and make sure it is thicker than the uprights.
After cutting the two upright poles to the same length, cut the footrest bamboo into two pieces, each a little longer than one bamboo node.
Split each of those pieces in half to make four, then pair them up and tie one end of each pair together with string.
Open the untied ends, sandwich an upright between them, and tie securely from multiple directions to finish.
Be careful: if the knots are loose, the footrests may drop when you step on them.
Make a clear horse out of a plastic bottle!
Why not try a craft project using recycled materials? In this idea, you’ll make a horse out of plastic bottles.
Cut the bottles with scissors and glue the pieces together while imagining the overall shape of the horse.
Instead of fixing the shape from the start, you’ll turn the cut parts into a horse by using them creatively—an idea that really stimulates creativity.
Use clear plastic bottles to create a mysterious, beautiful transparent horse.
Since you’ll be assembling as you glue, a hot glue gun will come in handy.
Make and Play! A Collection of Fun Handmade Horse Toy Ideas (11–20)
A chirimen (crepe) little horse
These days, you can easily pick up various kinds of fabric remnants at 100-yen shops and the like.
If you have unused scraps at home, it’s a great idea to use those.
You’ll need pattern pieces for each part, chirimen fabric in various colors, scissors, thread, a sewing machine, eye parts, fabric for the back decoration, stuffing, and double-sided fabric tape.
You can also arrange the colors to match your interior.
It’s a handmade horse plush that conveys a warm, handcrafted feel.
By all means, take this opportunity to give it a try!
I tried making a horse out of cardboard!
Many of you probably have cardboard boxes at home from deliveries and the like.
This time, let’s make a horse with a three-dimensional, beautiful form! What you’ll need: cardboard, a utility knife, a cutting mat, a pen, a ruler, scissors, glue, a hot glue gun, and an awl, among other items.
First, sketch the parts on the cardboard with a pen.
Next, cut out the parts with the utility knife, then refine the shapes with scissors.
After that, attach the cut pieces according to the thickness of the cardboard.
Finally, assemble the parts—adjusting the orientation as you glue them—and you’re done.
It’s a dynamic and beautiful piece, isn’t it?
A cute horse made from a plastic bottle
Great for kids’ crafts too! It’s a colorful project finished by repurposing materials that would normally be thrown away.
You’ll need two plastic bottles, a toilet paper roll, tissues, three sheets of colored paper, a pen, scissors, tape, and a thin stick.
In the video, 500 ml bottles are used, but changing the size gives it a different look and makes it more fun.
It’s also a good idea to make it together with a parent or teacher, tailored to the child’s age!
Crocheted foal (amigurumi)
It’s an adorable piece that gives you a handmade, cozy feel, isn’t it? You’ll need yarn, polyester stuffing, wire or chenille stems, a size 3 crochet hook, a darning needle, scissors, tweezers, and two stitch markers.
Let’s finish it using techniques like a magic ring and slip stitch.
In the video, the camera work makes it easy to see the hands clearly, so it’s recommended for beginners.
Taking your time and working carefully will make the result beautiful! The mood also changes depending on the color and type of yarn, so you can enjoy customizing it.