Simple Toys for Children

The first time I tried to clear out toys in our boys room, it was a bit of a disaster. I was pretty ruthless, not just with the toys but also with Roman's feelings about what I was doing. He became pretty upset even though, they were toys that he no longer played with or were broken. It wasn't until after that I realised how disrespectful I was to him. How would I feel if Kaleb had cleared out my craft/fabric/yarn stash without consulting me first?

As I have been slowly accumulating simple toys from the secondhand shop or making them at home, I have been removing a plastic, broken or seldom played with toy.... one for one. An easier transition, for sure.

Changing toys over in this manner does not need to be expensive. Scouring op shops is one of my favourite things to do. This week while looking through all the bright, plastic toys I came across a beautiful timber Hammer for .20c!!

Here is my criteria for toys:

Does not make noise (apart from simple musical instruments)

Does not require batteries

Is not plastic (except Lego)

Preferably homemade/handmade

Here are some toys I have made for the boys:

Gnome with Tree and Apple Basket

King's Robe and Crown

Homemade Crayons

Little Baby

Baby Birds

Gnome

Crochet Balls

Soft Toy Owl

  

Crochet Fresh Produce

Beanie Bags filled with Rice and Dried Lavender

and some good stuff, found secondhand:

Handmade Farm $10

Push-along Moose $1

Handmade Doll $2

Leo also likes to play peek-a-boo, so a length of material is a good addition to the baby toy box. I have also found many a packet of timber beads at the op shops, which Roman uses to string up and make necklaces for Mama!

Don't forget to look to nature for toys. Logs, sticks, pinecones and rocks all make for good open-ended play!

What do your kids like to play with?

x Shara