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!

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

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!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

toy car

[DIY] Wooden Toy: A Push-and-Go Car Is an Easy Handmade Toy — Life Navi Channel.

toy car

This is an idea for a toy car made by carefully cutting each part from wood.

First, sketch the car body onto the wood.

Drill holes at the four corners where the wheels will go and at the corners of the two windows, then use a thin saw to cut out the inside of the windows.

Cut away the excess around the outline to shape the car, and use tools to clean up the cut edges and round them off.

Prepare the wheels and axles by cutting dowels, and polish all the parts with linseed oil.

Once assembled, you’ll have a toy car that looks just like something you’d find in a shop!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

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.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

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!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

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.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem