The abundance of goods corrupts us:we become capricious and lazy at the same time. On the other hand, the huge range of what can be bought in stores does not always meet our needs. For example, goods for children are often not only harmful, but also dangerous for children's health, and store-bought toys can cause allergies and even adversely affect the child's psyche. This is especially true for very young children. And if clothes and food for babies somehow meet the standards and are certified, then toys sold in stores are made mainly of synthetic materials and do not meet basic quality requirements. And what is harmless to a child sometimes costs crazy money: modern manufacturers teach us to overpay for quality. Of course, factory-made children's toys look tempting, and you should not completely refuse them. But many such goods for babies can be easily replaced with handmade analogues. In addition, toys made by the caring hands of parents have a special energy of love and kindness (at least that's what is commonly believed!). A handmade toy is not a tribute to the fashion for hand-made, but a centuries-old tradition. Without reading scientific works or attending special courses, our predecessors intuitively understood the benefits of toys for small children. And for modern parents, it is no secret that toys for newborns help babies focus their eyes and develop coordination of movements. Older children develop fine motor skills and tactile sensations with the help of toys. And in general, toys are useful for the emotional, mental and physical development of children. In a word, the benefits of toys for children of any age are undeniable. And all that remains for us to do is to find out what toys for babies can be made with your own hands.
Toys for newborns
All mothers know very well that infantslove to pinch their mother during feeding. And in general, babies who suckle the breast love to explore their mother's body with their fingers, grab and pull her hair and clothes. This behavior is natural for infants, so you can try to occupy the baby's hands with suitable toys. For example, handmade beads will be such a convenient toy for both mother and child
- Beads
Tie plastic or wooden beads withwith a hook and bright threads. You can simply knit or sew such beads, filling them with padding polyester (or better yet, natural wool). The finished beads must be strung on a strong nylon thread or cord. The main thing is that the baby cannot tear them. By putting these beads on while feeding, the mother will be spared from gentle but noticeable pinching, and the baby's hands will be busy with a bright and pleasant to the touch toy.
- Soft children's toys
Let's make it clear right away that soft toys are forare not suitable for newborns. However, you can make a hanging pinwheel with soft toys that will develop the baby's attention and color perception. Sew birds, butterflies, animals from bright fabrics or knit them from suitable yarn. Take a light wooden or plastic ring (a large-diameter hoop, for example) as the basis for such a pinwheel. Tie threads or cords of the same length around the circumference of the ring at a distance of about ten centimeters from each other. Gather all the threads into a dome, connecting them above the center of the ring, and tie them into a bundle. Hang homemade soft toys from the ring, and hang the ring itself over the crib, hooking it onto a bundle of knitted threads.
- Arch
Take two plastic gymnastic hoops.Cut one of them into two identical parts. Now place the resulting arcs vertically crosswise to create a kind of spider dome. Secure the intersection of the arcs firmly with wire and attach the dome to the base of the whole hoop, also using wire. You should get a dome with a round base and two crossed arcs-arches. All that remains is to cover the hoops with padding polyester and soft natural fabric. Such a dome is placed over children, laying newborns on a soft blanket and hanging bright children's toys inside the arch.
Educational toys
For older kids, you can (and should!) make educational toys for children. And you can start with the simplest ones.
- Cloth balls
Make blanks of various colors from bright fabricsdiameter to sew several balls, starting from the smallest one that will fit in the baby's palm, and ending with the largest one that the child will be able to hold only with two hands. Sew each piece around the circumference with small stitches, stepping back from the edge about a centimeter. Pull the thread and fill the ball with any suitable filler: padding polyester, leftover yarn, beads, scraps of fabric, cellophane. The main thing is that the baby will be interested in touching and squeezing such a ball. Pull the thread to the end, tucking the edges of the fabric inside the ball, and secure. Cover the tightened place on the ball with a round piece of cloth and firmly sew this piece of cloth to the ball.
- Bank with ribbons
This toy is suitable for a child aged fromsix months to a year and older. And you can make it from a regular jar of baby formula. You need to make holes in the lid and insert multi-colored satin ribbons into them. Tie knots at the ends of the ribbons that will prevent the baby from pulling the ribbons out of the jar. Put small objects inside the jar that will make noise (beans, beads). Now pull the ribbons, leaving only small ends above the lid, and cover the jar with the lid. The point of the game and learning is for the baby to pull out ribbons of a certain color.
- Drawing board
Suitable for children of one year of age andkindergarteners and younger schoolchildren. In addition, such a toy will protect your walls and furniture from children's art. To make it, you need to take a piece of ordinary chipboard and paint it with any dark paint. When the paint is completely dry, it must be lightly rubbed with fine sandpaper over the entire surface. So that the edges of the board do not look too gloomy, paint with acrylic paints or cover with bright self-adhesive film. You will get a toy school board on which the child will like to draw with crayons.
- Toy Products
These toys are suitable for children aged fromyears to two years as an educational game, and older children will need them in role-playing games (mothers and daughters, a store, a kitchen). From plaster or salt dough, you need to mold small dummies of various products: fruits and vegetables, a piece of cheese, a loaf of bread, and so on. Then you just need to paint them (more natural) and varnish them. You can give these homemade toys to children only after they are completely dry, and the smell of varnish has completely disappeared. Keep in mind that children under one year and even under two years like to try toys with their teeth. Therefore, do not leave such babies with such toys unattended.
Other Toys
Babies after one year can safely be givensoft toys. And for such children, you can safely sew and knit any soft toys and make dolls. From one to three years old, children play with great pleasure with a developmental mat, which can also be sewn with your own hands. They will also like homemade books and soft cubes. For children under one year old, you can make a box with cups-inserts, using colored yogurt cups for this and making holes of the desired diameter in the box. Only the cups need to be covered with cardboard lids with pictures, by which the baby can hold the inserts and insert them into the box. A pyramid with soft rings and a rod covered with padding polyester and fabric will not only be interesting for one-year-olds, but also safe for children under one year old. And remembering your childhood, you can make paper dolls or even a whole doll family for little girls. Little girls really like to dress such dolls in drawn clothes, and they will also play with pleasure in playing mothers and daughters with such a paper family. In general, fantasize! Invent games and toys together with children, play together with them. Love your children and embody this love in homemade toys. The warmth of your hands and the kindness of your heart will definitely make such children's toys special: not just safe and useful, but real amulets with the magical power of parental love. We recommend reading:
