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Drama Llama

By Drama Llama,
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HomeAgain

HomeAgain

Posted
Posted

The most loved homemade toys in our home:

A box of capes.  All with velcro closures, some with superhero emblems, some plain.

Eeyore

A tabletop kitchen.  It used a dog bowl as the sink in the wooden frame.

A busy book made of felt

Playdoh of various scents and textures

 

Things that were not loved:

A fabric crayon holder.  It had a spot for each crayon.  Never used.

Roll up chalkboard.  Never worked the way it should.

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Clarita

Clarita

Posted
Posted

Those scooting cars. They can be homemade, a lot are plastic mass produced. 

If parents are OK setting boundaries big wooden blocks are really great. They also make these pebble blocks where they aren't square/rectangular shapes. Those will be used for a long time.

My little girl loved (still loves) dollhouses my son not so much. So that's a toss up. 

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Clarita

Clarita

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Baseballandhockey said:

Can you felt crocheted things?  

You can just crochet the food too. https://www.etsy.com/listing/814633962/crochet-veggies-montessori-baby-toys?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_-toys_and_games&utm_custom1=_k_Cj0KCQiApb2bBhDYARIsAChHC9to9V4r1LCPIHyKO4cpdwITVB3-yU8m7m3gapq_URV-wjZw9UZQqQkaAu4IEALw_wcB_k_&utm_content=go_12665398257_121762925993_511610210343_aud-1408996296215:pla-314535279060_c__814633962_134292118&utm_custom2=12665398257&gclid=Cj0KCQiApb2bBhDYARIsAChHC9to9V4r1LCPIHyKO4cpdwITVB3-yU8m7m3gapq_URV-wjZw9UZQqQkaAu4IEALw_wcB

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Jaybee

Jaybee

Posted
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18 minutes ago, Clarita said:

You can just crochet the food too. https://www.etsy.com/listing/814633962/crochet-veggies-montessori-baby-toys?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_-toys_and_games&utm_custom1=_k_Cj0KCQiApb2bBhDYARIsAChHC9to9V4r1LCPIHyKO4cpdwITVB3-yU8m7m3gapq_URV-wjZw9UZQqQkaAu4IEALw_wcB_k_&utm_content=go_12665398257_121762925993_511610210343_aud-1408996296215:pla-314535279060_c__814633962_134292118&utm_custom2=12665398257&gclid=Cj0KCQiApb2bBhDYARIsAChHC9to9V4r1LCPIHyKO4cpdwITVB3-yU8m7m3gapq_URV-wjZw9UZQqQkaAu4IEALw_wcB

Oh my, those are just the cutest!

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TechWife

TechWife

Posted
Posted

Homemade play doh. You can get small containers with lids at dollar tree. You can add scent to some of them if you want to. There are a lot of recipes & ideas on Pinterest.

Not so much homemade as home assembled - a rice play box is inexpensive, easy to clean up & fun.  basically you get a plastic box with a lid, fill it 1/3 to 1/2 full of dried rice then add plastic measuring cups, a funnel, plastic measuring spoons, plastic cups. Dollar Tree is a good source for kitchen items to play with.

Another idea might be to make up six or so zip lock activity bags. 

There are a lot of ideas on Pinterest for toddler activities. 

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KungFuPanda

KungFuPanda

Posted
Posted (edited)

Omg! Your ds can make a bowl, spoon, plate, or cutting board and you can crochet those adorable fruits and veggies to go with it. Or he can make a tea tray and you can crochet a tea service. I want one!!!

ETA: he can make a cage or train car and you can make a circus or zoo animal!

I wish I could crochet. I cannot get my left hand to cooperate. There’s a bit of a gap between the fingers where I want to hold the tension and I never put in they one to find a workaround. 

Edited by KungFuPanda
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Clarita

Clarita

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

Omg! Your ds can make a bowl, spoon, plate, or cutting board and you can crochet those adorable fruits and veggies to go with it. Or he can make a tea tray and you can crochet a tea service. I want one!!!

Me too!! Not even for my kids, just for me.

I got distracted by crocheted cupcake pieces so you could mix and match. https://www.etsy.com/listing/997217825/almond-crochet-cupcake-pattern-amigurumi?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=crochet+cupcake&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&pro=1&sts=1

https://www.etsy.com/shop/KnotMonster?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1011508123

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Terabith

Terabith

Posted
Posted (edited)

We made a bunch of Montessori toddler toys when my kids were about that age:  a box with a slot in it for poker chips, another one for a knit ball to be pushed into, a ring slide, several dowels to put rings on.  I think there were a few others.  We got a surprising amount of mileage out of that kind of thing.  I'm using some of them in my preschool even now, 18 years later. My husband's aunt and uncle made us an amazing slide contraption that was the best toy ever, out of wood, but it was huge and heavy, so wouldn't work for most houses.  

Edited by Terabith
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stephanier.1765

stephanier.1765

Posted
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34 minutes ago, Baseballandhockey said:

Thanks everyone! 

We've done variations of a bunch of these things already.  We've done photo books with their family, name puzzles, ball runs, sensory tables, baby dolls and prams, lots of stuffies.

DH is thinking maybe some kind of play kitchen with me making crocheted fruits and veggies for the older one.  The younger one still has the play kitchen Grandpa made for his sisters, so that won't work there, but we have time.  Obviously, we need to talk to parents before making something that big.  

For the kitchen, you can go thrifting for that, as well. You can find one to fix up or you can take a nightstand, paint it, add knobs and turn it into a stove. If you wanted to go further, you could add a backing that has a shelf for plates and hooks under the shelf to hang utensils. The dollar store is a great way to pick up utensils (real ones). They are small enough for small hands but look real, which kids really seem to love.

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Wildcat

Wildcat

Posted
Posted
18 hours ago, Idalou said:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1252217877/activity-board-montessori-toys-for?ref=share_v4_lx

Google busy board or Montessori activity board. Seems like your guys could make one

I was coming to this thread to post this. I love the idea of this and some of the things are great for hand-eye coordination development, too.

The next toddler in my life will get one with latches, cabinet pulls, light switches, etc, like these. Just pay attention to little finger danger, choking, etc. There are tons of Google images with various things on them.

https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/build-a-toddler-busy-board-with-items-you-already-have/

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3f/8b/65/3f8b659e78c5391d6f475fb45b6c7481.jpg

 

15 hours ago, Catwoman said:

Is there a reason why it has to be handmade? 

I'm only asking because I know that whenever I make a handmade gift, it ends up costing me more for all of the supplies than it would have if I'd just gone out and bought something nice. 🙂 

Isn't that the truth!?

That's why I stick to making things that are fun for me to do. LOL.

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Carol in Cal.

Carol in Cal.

Posted
Posted

Sensory box with dry beans in it.  (Beans from Costco for cheapness)

Crochet an unrolled (ie 2dimensional) cube shape, 6 connected squares, tightly crocheted.  Embroider initials and simple designs, one per square.  Fold into cube, stuff, and close.  Voila, you have a completely quiet homemade block to throw around at church or otherwise play with.

Felt Advent calendar with little crèche figures in the pockets.

Crochet veggies in ‘slices’ connected by Velcro, with a very dull wooden knife shape to ‘cut’ them up.

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katilac

katilac

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Posted
23 hours ago, HomeAgain said:

 A tabletop kitchen.  It used a dog bowl as the sink in the wooden frame.

I can't believe this never occurred to us, lol. 

21 hours ago, TechWife said:

 Not so much homemade as home assembled - a rice play box is inexpensive, easy to clean up & fun.  basically you get a plastic box with a lid, fill it 1/3 to 1/2 full of dried rice then add plastic measuring cups, a funnel, plastic measuring spoons, plastic cups.  

We had beans in ours as well. One, because when you live southeast Louisiana, you can't think of rice without also thinking of beans. Two, it lets you add a slotted spoon for sifting. 

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mom2scouts

mom2scouts

Posted
Posted
On 11/12/2022 at 6:19 PM, Terabith said:

I teach older 2’s, turning 3, and they struggle a lot with even two piece jigsaw puzzles.  

It depends on the 2 year old! My dd was a test subject for psychology grad students and they were shocked when she took one look at a 10 piece puzzle and then completed it in a couple of seconds. For some reason she was really good at puzzles! The friend who was in charge of the grad students  wanted DD because she knew dd would give the students and interesting test subject.😂😂 My 2 year old granddaughter can do the kind of puzzles where each shape fits into one space.

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Beth S

Beth S

Posted
Posted (edited)

Taking a Rabbit Trail = "sentimental-and-lower-cost" rather than Homemade.
If it's for the Grandkids, our strategy is to shop on Ebay for a (nice-but-used) toy our kids enjoyed at that age.

Fisher-Price, Duplo, beloved books, Matchbox cars.
My husband just finished rehabbing our dd's old bike, to gift to our granddd.
We repainted her old doll's bed, & sewed matching doll/girl fleece throws.

Highly sentimental, but lower cost.
 

Edited by Beth S
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smfmommy

smfmommy

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Posted

My toddlers loved nesting cups and poker chips.  The cups could hold the chips and be dumped out over and over.  The cups could make a tower.  The chips could make roads and fences for animals.  With a thin board and a circle saw you could make the chips.

 

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Terabith

Terabith

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, smfmommy said:

My toddlers loved nesting cups and poker chips.  The cups could hold the chips and be dumped out over and over.  The cups could make a tower.  The chips could make roads and fences for animals.  With a thin board and a circle saw you could make the chips.

 

Poker chips are such an awesome toy for so long!

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Jaybee

Jaybee

Posted
Posted
On 11/13/2022 at 7:20 PM, mom2scouts said:

It depends on the 2 year old! My dd was a test subject for psychology grad students and they were shocked when she took one look at a 10 piece puzzle and then completed it in a couple of seconds. For some reason she was really good at puzzles! The friend who was in charge of the grad students  wanted DD because she knew dd would give the students and interesting test subject.😂😂 My 2 year old granddaughter can do the kind of puzzles where each shape fits into one space.

Yes, my 2yos were able to work simple puzzles--mostly like you mention, where you don't have to fit the pieces to each other, just into the piece-shaped hole.

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