[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 (21–30)
Let’s make horse hoof sounds!
The sound of hooves striking the ground is quite distinctive, isn’t it? In this idea, we recreate that “pakaran” sound using a simple craft.
You’ll need three paper cups, one pair of chopsticks, and some twine.
Prepare three pieces of twine in different lengths.
First, use an awl to make a hole in the center of the bottom of each paper cup.
Thread the twine through the hole and secure it on the inside with tape.
Finally, fasten the other ends of the twine to the chopsticks in order from shortest to longest, and you’re done! Hold the chopsticks with both hands and press the paper cups against a hard surface like a desk or flooring.
If you tap them in a steady rhythm from the shortest to the longest, it should sound like “pakaran,” just like hooves.
A mysterious horse that walks without power
Here’s an idea for making a moving horse out of construction paper! First, cut a rectangle from construction paper that’s 3 cm wide and 15 cm long.
Then, on both the left and right sides, make two slits each, 1 cm wide and 5 cm long.
Fold the middle of the slit sections into a valley fold to form the head and tail, and make mountain folds on the sides to create the legs.
Use scissors to round off the corners of the legs.
This will allow the horse to move.
Color it with crayons and draw the face to finish.
Try letting it walk down a slope and have fun!
Craft Challenge! Clippity-Clop Horse Riding
Let me introduce an idea for making a horse that makes a clacking sound when it moves.
Use one milk carton each for the head and neck, and two cartons each for the body and legs.
Use Meiji “Oishii Gyunyu,” the type with a screw cap.
The main step in this idea is connecting the milk cartons to form the shape of a horse.
Use masking tape to fix each part in place, and attach rubber bands to the caps of the milk cartons where the head connects to the neck and the body connects to the legs.
This creates a restoring force that returns the parts to their original position after moving, making the motion smoother.
Draw eyes on the face, attach a string, and it’s complete.
Let’s make it together as a parent and child! A rocking horse craft
Let’s make a wooden hobbyhorse that toddlers can play with.
You’ll need two 1-meter pieces of wood and one 50-centimeter piece.
First, cross the two 1-meter pieces and fasten them together with screws.
Next, attach the 50-centimeter piece horizontally near the bottom of the crossed pieces to serve as a footrest.
That’s all for the steps, so as long as you have the tools, even beginners can make it.
When you cross the wood, adjust the lengths so that the intersection is about shoulder height for the rider.
Also, make sure the ends of the crossed wood do not extend beyond the rider’s shoulders.
The higher the footrest is, the harder it will be to mount, so it’s recommended to attach it at a low position.
straw airplane
Here’s how to make a straw airplane using a straw and construction paper.
Many families likely have these at home and can make one right away! The steps are very simple: prepare two long strips of construction paper of different lengths, form each into a loop, and attach them to the front and back of the straw.
Any kind of straw will work, but if it’s a bendy straw, cut off the flexible part before using it.
The way it flies will change depending on the straw’s length and thickness, so try making several and see which one flies best—or which one flies in a fun, unusual way!
