Homemade toys for young children

Any parent today knows that the cost of toys is rising higher and higher each year. All one has to do is take a trip down any isle of toys at any department store to see what kinds of prices store owners are asking. The more high tech the toys get the bigger the price tag is on those toys. There is no way any parent on a budget can keep up with the demand or the prices of today's toys.

The worst part of paying such high prices is that a lot of times the children play with them once or twice and then they are forgotten in the heap with all the other toys. There are ways to keep your child entertained and not drain your checkbook. Many everyday items can be used to make homemade toys for young children. All one has to do is use their imagination.

One of the all time favorite toys is building blocks. Children love to create buildings, forts, space ships and other imaginative creations with building blocks. These can be very pricey and not always of good quality. Use boxes, another childhood favorite, to make a set of building blocks for your child.

You can use boxes of all shapes and sizes. Shoeboxes, cereal boxes, pasta boxes, boxes that tools or other household items come in all make great rectangular blocks. The round oatmeal boxes make great towers or space ship parts. Use boxes with windows in them for doors or windows of houses. You can include smaller boxes also for creating smaller structures.

When using cereal boxes and other boxes that tend to be flimsy, stuff the box with newspaper until it is full but not bulging. Tape it shut with packaging tape or duct tape. If you want to put a little extra cash down, you can use contact paper with designs on it to cover the boxes. This would also allow your children to draw things on the boxes.

Dominoes

Dominoes are always fun. You can either play the game or set them up in patterns to knock them down again. Sets of dominos can get expensive. There are two ways to make inexpensive dominoes. Using cardboard or even heavy construction paper you can cut out large 2 -inch by 4-inch rectangles. Draw a black line with a magic marker across the middle of each piece of paper so they are divided like dominos. Use magic markers or bingo blotters to apply the dots. Now you are ready to play.

However, these dominoes can not be set up for a domino rally. So, instead you can use boxes for this also. By collecting a number of boxes of the same type and drawing the dots and lines like with the paper dominoes you now have a set of dominoes to participate in a rally. You can also use small scraps of wood for this. A lot of times lumberyards are just throwing away their scraps. These scraps usually need to be sanded, but that is easy to do with a little bit of sandpaper.

Puzzles

Puzzles are a lot of fun for the whole family. There are many ways to make puzzles at very little cost. One of the easiest ways to make a puzzle is to buy those educational children's place mats and cut it into puzzle pieces. Make sure you draw the lines the way you want it cut first and then cut on the lines. These puzzles store nicely in a gallon size zipper bag.

Another way to make a puzzle is to take the fronts of cereal boxes and cut them apart just like you did the place mat. This won't be as sturdy as the place mat, but it works well and can still be stored in a zipper bag.

Posters can be mounted on cardboard, covered with clear contact paper, and cut apart to make large floor puzzles. Children love floor puzzles and this is an easy and inexpensive way to make a whole bunch of them for about the same money you would pay for one manufactured floor puzzle.

If you think those spongy puzzles are cool, there is a simple way to make them. You need scraps of the padding they put under carpeting. If you don't have any contact your local carpet store and ask for the leftovers they have from installing carpet. This is usually just one color so you can either draw a design on it or leave it plain. Then make your puzzle lines and cut along them with a utility knife. Both the spongy puzzle and floor puzzles will store in those plastic storage bins.

Cars and Boats

Little children love cars and boats. They love to race them and pretend they are visiting far off places. There are some simple ways to make these without having to spend much money.

Boats can be made out of milk cartons or plastic bottles. Cut the bottle or carton in half and sand down the edges so they are not sharp. Form the discarded half into a sail and attach it to a large straw. Using wax from a candle you can make this sail stand up in your boat. Children can have boat races in the bathtub or swimming pool.

Cars can be made from the same article or from boxes. To make the wheels you can either use a long screw or dowel and poke it through the body of the car. Affix plastic lids for the wheels. These lids can come from the tubs butter comes in or other such tubs.

All of these are just some ideas you can use to make toys for your children. With children a little older you can have them help you make them. That becomes part of the fun. When you run into a design problem, you have a great opportunity to teach your child problem solving skills. No matter how you use these ideas, you and your children are bound to have a lot of fun and build a great many memories together.