Lovely childcare

Make it with wood! A collection of easy DIY toy ideas!

20 years of experience as a nursery teacher / kindergarten teacherhiyoko sensei
I’m Hiyoko-sensei, a former nursery school teacher from Hyogo Prefecture. Ever since I was five, my dream was to become a childcare worker, and before I knew it, 20 years had passed since I achieved that dream. Through singing and playing with the children, I kept working with the spirit of someone in their twenties, even as I increasingly felt my physical limits year by year (haha). From here on, I’d like to share helpful information carefully and thoughtfully, drawing on my on-site experience.

This time, we’re introducing toys made of wood.

These days, there are many toys on the market made from materials that don’t easily break when dropped and with designs that catch children’s eyes.

Amidst that, we’ve focused on traditional wooden toys and gathered lots of ideas for handmade creations.

It’s said that wood’s natural warmth and pleasant feel stimulate children’s senses and give them a sense of security.

You can now easily buy supplies at home improvement stores, so give it a try and make some yourself!

Make it with wood! A collection of easy DIY toy ideas! (1–10)

See-through tree

https://www.tiktok.com/@n.annlee321/video/7159132828897234178

It’s nice when you can make toys from simple, natural materials around you, isn’t it? Here’s how to make a translucent tree using small twigs, glue, double-sided fabric tape, transparent origami paper, and kite string.

Cut the twigs, apply the double-sided tape, then stick on the transparent origami paper.

Trim any excess paper that sticks out from the twigs, thread a string through for hanging, and you’re done.

Fabric double-sided tape is strong and highly recommended.

You can also decorate it with beads or stickers, and it would look fun displayed like a mobile.

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Wooden stick color matching

@silk_haru3mama
Kids will play with deep focus♡#HandmadeToys Educational toy #100-yen-shop work
Omnidirectional Beautiful Girl – Nashi

Matching shapes and colors is a fun activity that keeps children engaged.

Here’s how to make a wooden toy you can enjoy crafting with your child.

Prepare round stickers, wooden sticks, and sponge sheets.

Place the same stickers in the same positions on both the wooden sticks and the sponge sheets.

Once it’s ready, have your child find the matching colors and positions and play with it.

Noticing differences in colors, patterns, and positions can help them understand color distinctions and develop their thinking skills.

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building blocks

[DIY] Wooden Toys: Easy Handmade Building Blocks – Life Navi Channel.

building blocks

When people think of wooden toys, many probably imagine building blocks.

Blocks can be played with in many ways, and lots of children enjoy them for a long time after they’re first bought as babies.

So why not try making your own blocks? The process is simple: cut the wood into any shapes you like and sand them to remove burrs.

It can take time if you want to make a lot, but the work itself is easy, so it’s great for beginners to wooden toy making.

You can also have fun customizing them—paint them in bright colors or make versions that rattle—while you create.

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Made of Wood! A Collection of Easy DIY Toy Ideas! (11–20)

A rocking horse that adults can ride

Woodworking: the gently-clattering wooden rocking horse that even adults can ride (nobbyhorse)

A rocking horse that adults can ride

It’s a toy where, when you ride it and rock your body back and forth, the wooden horse moves forward little by little.

You cut the horse’s body, two legs, seat, and handle out of a single piece of wood and assemble them.

The reason the horse moves forward is the mechanism of the back legs.

The front legs are firmly fixed to the body, but there is a gap around the back legs.

After the front legs touch down, the back legs lift slightly and move forward to meet the front legs… Repeating that motion makes it advance.

Finish it by painting it in any colors you like.

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wooden guitar

[Guitar Made with 100-Yen Store Wood] Easy Craft

wooden guitar

Here’s a guitar idea you can make using wood from a 100-yen shop.

Prepare two pieces of wood measuring 45×25×15 mm, one pair of chopsticks, two screw eyes, and some fishing line (nylon thread).

First, cut one of the wood pieces 2 cm from the end, and drill two horizontally aligned holes in the cut piece.

Drill holes at the same spacing at the end of the second wood piece as well.

Glue the short chopstick piece and the previously cut, hole-drilled wood onto the second wood piece.

The chopstick will serve as the nut, and the small wood piece will be the bridge.

Thread the fishing line, which will act as the strings, through the holes and wind it around the screw eyes fixed to the wood.

Design the body as you like using the remaining wood, and you’re done! By tightening the screw eyes, you can tension the fishing line and adjust the pitch.

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wooden camera

Kids will love it! Handmade wooden camera [Childcare, Parenting, DIY]

wooden camera

Let’s try making a wooden camera by hand! It won’t take real photos, but you can enjoy a shutter-pressing gimmick.

Use a 1×4 board for the camera body.

Cut it to your preferred size, then sand it to remove burrs.

Drill holes for the viewfinder and shutter button, and embed a cord stopper for the shutter mechanism.

Secure it with glue, but if the moving parts get fixed, you won’t be able to enjoy pressing the shutter—so wrap it with tape first, then glue it in place.

For the lens, use a clear round trinket container and put beads or similar items inside to make sounds.

Attach buttons as dials, and you’re done!

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Insects Made from Twigs

Crafting insects from tree branches. Full tutorial videos on making life-sized beetles, grasshoppers, dragonflies, and praying mantises! Perfect for a summer vacation science project.

Insects Made from Twigs

Why not try making insects using tree branches? This video shows how to make a rhinoceros beetle and a grasshopper.

For the rhinoceros beetle, a thick branch cut in half lengthwise is used for the body, and thin branches are used for the legs and horn.

The grasshopper is also made mostly from branches for the body and legs, but only the wings are made from leaves.

It’ll be fun to look for long, narrow leaves that resemble grasshopper wings, and branches that can become cool beetle horns.

Let kids freely express insects using their favorite branches and leaves!

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