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15 DIY Non-Toys for Toddlers

August 22, 2014 by Anna Ranson

Here are 15 DIY non-toys for toddlers which are so simple to make and so engaging to play with! Sensory play, fine motor skills, cause and effect, curiosity and investigation skills are all encouraged through these non-toys, and most are cost-free to put together.15 DIY non-toys for toddlers

 

We all know that our toddlers and preschoolers love the bright, flashy toys that are marketed so widely in all of the shops, but having only one or two simple functions they quickly tire of them and they accumulate into a pile, hardly to be touched again. There are so many things I regret buying our children over the years and as time has gone on I have pulled out less and less “real” toys for the new babies in our family from the attic, and been amazed at how much they prefer the homemade variety.

What I love most about making “non-toys” or DIY versions of games, is that most can be put together using recycled items, therefore costing next to nothing, and can take just a few minutes to do. Yet the appeal of them seems to last a lot longer and some have been played with for a few years before wearing out. The best part is, they don’t need batteries to operate and are nice and quiet!

Here are 15 of our favourites from over the years, although there are many more in the archives too!

Click the title of each photo to go and read the full instructions (all on this same blog):

Treasure Baskets

treasure+basket

Material Pull Box

Material Pull Box

Pom pom drop and shoot game

Pom-pom-drop-fine-motor-skills-activity-for-toddlers-666x1000

Milk Jug Drop

Milk jug drop

Crawl through sensory tunnel

Baby-crawl-through-sensory-tunnel

Fine motor dropping, tugging and rolling toys

4+homemade+baby+and+toddler+toys

Giant threading and stacking beadsToddler-threading-activity-with-giant-cardboard-beads-666x1000

Discovery bottles to explore sounds and sightsdiscovery+bottles

Stacking rings

 Wooden-rings-on-a-mug-tree-make-a-great-learning-toy-for-babies-and-toddlers-666x1000

Sorting and dropping coloured pom pomsColour-sorting-pom-pom-drop-game-for-preschoolers-666x1000

Building sculptures with velcro rollers Baby-playing-with-hair-rollers-666x1000

Chalkboard table for drawing and mark makingindoor+chalkboard+table

Simple light box

baby+playing+light+box

 Build bean chutes with tubes

beans and tubes

 Make connections with pipe cleaners and colanderspipe cleaners

 

Have you got some more favourites you have made that you would add to this list?

Want more toddler play ideas? Search the archives here for inspiration!

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  • Christmas Tree Pinch PotChristmas Tree Pinch Pot

Filed Under: Age, Baby, Discovery, DIY, Fine Motor Development, Gifts, Heuristic Play, How To, Make, Play, Preschooler, Resources, Toddler, Toys & Games Tagged With: DIY, Heuristic Play, Toys

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Comments

  1. Katie | The Surly Housewife says

    August 23, 2014 at 3:26 am

    Great ideas!! My nephews will be toddlers soon so these are super helpful. Thanks for sharing!!

  2. Simone says

    August 25, 2014 at 2:01 pm

    Hi there, I love the light box idea! so simple and so effective. Can you tell me the dimensions of the box you used? Many thanks Simone 🙂

  3. Alison B says

    August 26, 2014 at 12:53 pm

    I love activities made from everyday objects, will definitely be trying some of these out as my boy grows up, thank you!!

  4. super7mom says

    September 11, 2014 at 8:52 pm

    I love love love your ideas!!!

  5. Joelle says

    October 31, 2014 at 1:34 am

    Brilliant! Great suggestions! I am sharing!

  6. Trish says

    November 4, 2014 at 6:04 pm

    I love that all of your ideas are made of things you probably already have around the house.

Trackbacks

  1. Zabawki wykonane wlasonrecznie | oszczedzanieuk says:
    August 26, 2014 at 9:00 pm

    […] Inspiracje znalazlam  TU. […]

  2. Little House Grand » Blog Archive » Milk Jug Block Toy – Inspired by Imagination Tree says:
    September 2, 2014 at 6:32 am

    […] activities to do with your toddler/preschooler. I got inspired to try one of her ideas from her 15 DIY Non Toys for Toddlers post. I had to try making the milk jug […]

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About The Imagination Tree Hello and welcome! I'm Anna, Mama of 4, early years teacher and play enthusiast from the UK! Click here to read more about me.

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