[Childcare] Recommended for toddlers! Toy ideas you can make and play with
Toys you can make and play with can be created from everyday materials if you match them to your child’s age and interests.
Through crafting, kids can have fun, grow attached to what they make, and even find opportunities to communicate with friends.
Here, we’ll introduce simple, easy-to-make toy ideas for toddlers.
There are plenty of options for indoor play and for enjoying outside!
Many can be made easily using familiar recyclable materials, so please use this as a reference and try making them together with your children!
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[Childcare] Recommended for toddlers! Toy ideas you can make and play with (1–10)
Sticky! Plastic bottle cap
Would you like to make a game with plastic bottle caps to promote finger development in one-year-olds? Stick two bottle caps together and attach hook-and-loop fastener to the flat side.
If you make a lot, they transform into a toy that children can stick together and pull apart according to their interests! Prepare caps in various colors so children can choose, and pick tapes in different colors and patterns as well.
Because children focus intently while playing, it’s perfect for indoor playtime.
It’s also easy to tidy up, so try incorporating it into your childcare activities.
Crafting fish with 100-yen shop magnets
Freshly caught and flopping! Here’s an idea for a fish craft you can make using magnets from a 100-yen shop.
It’s perfect for anyone wondering, “What kind of craft can I make with magnets?” All you need are construction paper, tape, a pen, scissors, and a magnetic sheet.
The video mainly features mackerel, but it looks like you can adapt it to other fish like flounder or filefish.
It’s such a unique idea that you’ll want to make it flop again and again!
A toy that’s fun to take out and put away
Kids around one year old love the action of putting things in and taking them out, don’t they? Let’s make the perfect toy for them! First, cut a hole in the lower part of a 2-liter plastic bottle that’s big enough for a ball to pass through, and reinforce the edges with vinyl tape for safety.
Then cut off the bottom of the bottle.
Next, take a laundry net without a zipper and cut off the lower third.
Tape the cut section to the bottom of the bottle you just removed, and it’s done.
Pop balls or any favorite items in through the hole, and when you want to take them out, open the zipper on the bottom net to release them.
It’s a toy they can play with over and over, so they’ll be totally absorbed!
Clothespin play
Why not make a DIY clothespin activity? Playing with clothespins not only exercises little fingers, but also nurtures imagination when children use them in pretend play.
First, prepare a thin, flat piece of cardboard.
Cut it into the shape of the motif you want to make, then cover it with construction paper or origami paper.
Choose familiar motifs for children, such as vegetables or animals.
After attaching the facial features, reinforce the piece with book tape or cellophane tape.
Then just clip the clothespins onto the motif and play! Encourage children to use their creativity—turn the clothespins into a fish’s tail fin, a rabbit’s ears, and more.
Infinite Tissues
Here’s how to make “endless tissues” so kids can have lots of fun with their favorite tissue box.
First, prepare a kitchen cloth (nonwoven dish cloth) and an empty tissue box.
The method is very simple: tie the kitchen cloths together one by one to make a long chain.
Once they’re all connected, place the chain inside the tissue box—and you’re done! Because it’s made with sturdy kitchen cloths, it will last a long time, and kids are sure to be totally absorbed in playing with it.
Give it a try!
