Six Fun Toys You Can Make at Home

(Page 4 of 4)

Dec. 17, 2008
By Aly Van Dyke 
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Hold the book so your child can see the photos and look at the different pages of the book. Talk about each of the pictures and occasionally ask him or her to point to something in the picture. PAT says this book will help your child associate words with pictures and learn to formulate sentences, and suggests that the book should be read several times a week.

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32 months

By 32 months, your child will have already developed the ability to walk and talk. He or she will also have begun to be more creative and purposeful with play. Rather than focusing on bright colors and different noises and textures, your child will start to perform two-step tasks and invent new ways to play with old toys. Acting out everyday activities and creating fun, interactive games will help your child expand his or her creativity — and bring you even closer together. Try taking your child on an adventurous nature-treasure hunt with the following activity.

My Treasure Box and Toy Binoculars

  • Two empty toilet paper tubes
  • Yarn
  • Stapler
  • Colored masking tape (optional)
  • Hole punch
  • Egg carton
  • Stickers (optional)

Binoculars
1.  Tape or staple the two toilet paper tubes together.
2.  Punch holes on either side of the tubes and string yarn through the holes to make a neck strap.

Treasure box
1.  Decorate egg carton with colored tape and stickers and print (or draw) a “My Treasure Box” label on the top. Feel free to have your child help you in this stage.

Take your child on a nature walk to find treasures. Demonstrate how to use the binoculars to find treasures and place them in the egg carton.

PAT offers plans for toys for every month from prenatal to 5 years of age. If you’re looking for a great, inexpensive gift for your child or a child of a friend or relative, contact your local PAT program. Visit the PAT Web site for more information about the program and contact information for programs near you. The program offers many more parent-education services, such as home visits by certified staff, quarterly reviews and child screening as well as interactive game nights for both moms and dads.

If you have any homemade toy ideas, list them below.

For more homemade toy ideas, visit Toys to Build for the Young and the Young at Heart.

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Comments

  • Scott Van Dyke 12/20/2008 10:30:41 AM

    What a terrific article. Especially in these poor economic times it is good to have ideas that are not only inexpensive but eco-friendly and utile. Keep up the good work.

  • Leah 12/17/2008 11:47:06 PM

    I completely agree with the other posters! Very disappointing article. I can't even articulate my my feelings about it. A TRACKING toy for an INFANT!?! please. I don't even know what to say. Let them track their parents walking across the room. The ideas were not creative, original or appropriate for kids. I was really excited to see the article, I love making toys, but this was beyond disappointing.

  • theaspins 12/17/2008 2:04:01 PM

    I'm also disappointed in this article, both for the reason stated by the above poster, and because all these activities and so-called "educational" toys are unnecessary for healthy child development. Babies need to be held and talked to, not have "tracking toys" waved in front of their faces. Toddlers don't learn language through lessons, they learn it through normal interactions with other people. I can't imagine wasting my time and my children's with such junk when we could be singing, walking in the woods, reading together, etc.

  • Bailey 12/17/2008 11:40:55 AM

    I was surprised and disappointed to see an article in Mother Earth News that has you making children's toys out of empty Pringles cans and Hefty brand animal face shaped paper plates. My family doesn't typically use products of that nature, and honestly, I don't think we're probably that eco-friendly and off the grid compared to most Mother Earth News readers.

    I really was excited to see this article title, but sadly disappointed with the rest of the article.

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