Homemade Toys

Want to make some fun, easy, and cheap toys for your tot?  I bet you have most of these materials in your house!

Straw Drop

I took a plastic container and used my exacto knife to cut rectangles in the lid, some big and some small.  Then I cut plastic straws to varying lengths and gave everything to G (2 years old).  He LOVES dropping the straws through the holes, and we also talk about the color and size of the straws!

Felt Board

Grab some sheets of felt (super cheap at the craft store) and cut out shapes.  I got my felt board at Lakeshore, although you could easily make your own by wrapping a bulletin board or a piece of foam board in felt.  G and M (5 years old) have so much fun creating scenes.

Coin Drop

One of the longest-standing toys in our house is the Puffs container!  I cut a slit in the lid and the kids love dropping poker chips or buttons through it.  It's also a great activity to teach taking off lids!

Egg Cartons

Egg cartons are great sorting tools!  I put a bowl of manipulatives with an egg carton and it becomes a learning activity, which helps develop their knowledge of one-to-one correspondence.

Written by Jill