[Daycare/Preschool] Handmade toys that delight infants
Infants grow and change so quickly, don’t they?
The kinds of play they’re interested in vary with each developmental stage.
Constantly buying new toys to keep up can be tough!
If that sounds like you, this is a must-read.
Today, we’re sharing ideas for handmade toys that babies will love.
We’ve packed in ideas that stimulate children’s five senses—sound, shape, and texture—to spark their curiosity.
They’re all made from everyday materials, so they’re easy on the budget too.
Another perk of handmade toys is that you can adjust colors, designs, and sizes to suit each child’s personality.
Why not try making toys that your little ones will love to play with, while also enjoying the warmth that only handmade items can offer?
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[Daycare] Handmade Toys That Delight Infants (11–20)
Anpanman plastic bottle
This is an Anpanman marble drop toy that kids love.
You can make it with a plastic bottle, thick paper, colored paper, and marbles.
Stick masking tape in two spots on the plastic bottle and cut along those areas with a utility knife.
Draw Anpanman and Baikinman on thick paper sized to fit the bottle, and make holes large enough for marbles to pass through.
Attach the Anpanman and Baikinman pieces to the cut plastic bottle, then secure it firmly with tape so the bottle returns to its original shape.
Drop marbles in from the top, put on the cap, and it’s done! Even if small children find it hard to drop or thread the marbles, it’s a fun toy because they can see Anpanman and enjoy the sounds it makes.
busy board
Busy boards are available commercially, but why not make your own using items your child will love? Use a perforated board or design board and attach things that make sounds, move, or are fun to touch with zip ties.
Infants are interested in many everyday household items, not just toys.
Most of the materials can be found at home or bought at a 100-yen shop, so hunting for supplies can be part of the fun! Be sure to fasten everything securely so nothing comes loose.
sensory mat
A sensory toy that nurtures perception and the senses.
It’s an educational toy that stimulates touch and spacing to promote brain development, but here’s an idea for making a sensory mat using familiar items.
Use interlocking floor mats, gather items that will interest infants and are safe to touch and step on, and simply glue them onto the mat with a hot glue gun.
Attach things like plastic bottle caps, fluffy towels, and dish sponges to the interlocking mats.
Even infants who can’t walk yet can lie down or sit and enjoy touching and playing with them.
ring wave
Let me introduce a toy called the Ring Wave that you can make with materials from a 100-yen shop.
You’ll need a clear water bottle, wire, ring-shaped beads, and a plastic bottle cap.
Wrap the wire around a pen or similar object to make coils, then attach it firmly to a base sheet with a hot glue gun.
Using plenty of hot glue also helps create a stable base.
Thread the beads onto the wire, pass the end of the wire through a hole you’ve made in the bottle cap, trim the excess, secure it to the cap with hot glue, and finally screw the cap onto the bottle to finish.
The beads will spin as they fall—kids are sure to enjoy watching it over and over!
sponge ball
This is a simple ball toy you can make using a dish sponge.
Cut the sponge into strips, gather the strips tightly, secure the middle with a rubber band, fluff it into shape—and you’re done! Mix different sponge colors to make it cute and colorful.
It’s fun to squeeze—the texture collapses in your hand—but you can also make a game by preparing a box, cutting a hole in it, and trying to put the ball through.
If you make the hole smaller than the ball and push the ball through, kids will want to try again and again, amazed that “a big ball went through a small hole!”
Rainstick
The rainstick is a traditional instrument used in rain-invoking rituals in Latin America.
This idea is to handcraft a rainstick using everyday materials and turn it into a toy for infants.
Called a rainstick because its coarse, rustling sound resembles falling rain, this instrument can be made by placing a spiral-shaped wire inside a cardboard tube (like a plastic wrap core), adding adzuki beans, and sealing the ends securely.
If you don’t have adzuki beans, larger beads can be used as a substitute.
[Daycare] Handmade toys that delight infants (21–30)
Puppet horse
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!
