Cool and Creative Homemade (DIY) Toys for Kids

Parents are looking for more creative ways to keep their little ones entertained at home. Here are creative homemade (DIY) toys for kids that you can make at home; some of these can provide fun for the entire family.

Top Reasons to Create Homemade (DIY) Toys

Kids can get bored with the toys they own, and at times, it can be difficult to get them to play with the toys they own.

Besides, certain toys can be expensive, and it can be difficult to continuously buy them new toys; it also creates wastage later.

So why not let them make their own toys?

DIY (Do-It-Yourself) toys are handmade toys made using materials that you no longer need, and there are several DIY toys that kids can make at home and play with.

Playing with DIY toys has some obvious advantages such as being able to recycle waste, and saving money on new toys.

However, these are also several psychological benefits of making and playing DIY toys.

While some kids may be short on new toys, they are definitely not short on creativity and imagination!

By encouraging children to make their own toys, you engage your kids in a process of creativity and problem-solving. You make them think out of the box, and encourages them to come up with innovative things through trial and error.

And you will be surprised to see that kids are really good at using their imagination to transform ordinary materials into something fun and exciting.

To involve children in the DIY toy-making process, ask for their input and ideas, and encourage them to come up with their own designs or decorations.

Let them take ownership of the project by allowing them to choose materials and tools, and make decisions throughout the process. This will boost their self-esteem as well as confidence.

What Materials to Use?

So, what materials can be used to make toys?

Well, there are so many things that you can find at home. You can use items like cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, tin cans, fabric scraps, toilet rolls to create unique and fun toys.

Feel free to use your own imagination when it comes to choosing materials.

However, it’s important to use recycled or repurposed materials whenever possible. This not only saves money, but it’s also better for the environment.

So don’t be in a hurry to dispose of things that you no longer need. Now you can put regular household items to good use and challenge your kids to create some magic at home.

Simple DIY Toy Ideas

Here are some simple DIY toy ideas that are easy to make at home:

Cardboard Castle: Create a castle out of cardboard boxes. Cut out towers, walls, and a drawbridge, then decorate with paint, markers, or stickers.

Sensory Bottles: Fill an empty plastic bottle with water, glitter, beads, or other small items. Seal the top with hot glue or duct tape and let children shake and watch the items move.

Sock Puppet: Use a sock, markers, felt, and glue to create a fun and colorful puppet.

Tin Can Stilts: Attach a string or rope to two empty tin cans, then have children hold onto the strings and walk on the cans like stilts.

Paper Airplanes: Fold and decorate paper into airplanes for children to fly around.

Games Using Wooden Blocks

Here are some more games Using wooden blocks:

Play bowling with wooden blocks

Play bowling with wooden blocks and a tennis ball. You may use a bigger sized ball as well, if you have a smaller child.

Tumble Wooden blocks with a ball

Another game that we play is to crash / tumble a stack of wooden blocks using a tennis ball. Avoid playing this with older kids as they can throw the ball very fast and damage other things in the house or hurt someone.

Ring toss over wooden blocks

A fun game that everyone in the family can play. Place wooden blocks in a line and toss a ring (we use a hair-band) over the blocks. Every person gets 5 tries (depends on you) and you count the number of successful attempts.

BMW’s home DIY kits for kids (#BMWDIY)

BMW offers downloadable ‘do-it-yourself’ entertainment packs for kids. Here’s what kids can do with BMW’s ‘do-it-yourself’ entertainment packs.

• Kids can build their own race-track
• Kids can build a cardboard car

So, find all those unused cardboard boxes and let your kids display their creativity.

Besides the downloadable ‘do-it-yourself’ pack, BMW is also offering a downloadable ‘Play at Home’ pack that includes flags, starter grids and car decals to decorate your own BMW and M-Town track, and are available here.

Related: Kids Tool Sets

DIY Toy Safety

While several unused things at home can be used to make DIY toys, make sure your kids inform you what they are picking up to build their toy.

It’s important to keep safety in mind while creating DIY toys to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone involved:

The materials used should not be heavy, have sharp edges or toxic chemicals such as lead or asbestos.

Materials like paper, cardboard, or fabric are flammable. So. make sure the kids are away from open flames or other sources of heat.

Make your kids understand what is safe and what is not, and help them, especially with use of tools and materials that require supervision or assistance.

Supervise your kids while they are at work, and be ready to intervene if necessary.

Conclusion

By encouraging your children to make their own toys, you can provide your children with a range of psychological benefits that can help them to develop important skills and enhance their sense of self. DIY toys are also good for the environment and saves you money.