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3 Easy-to-Make Toys for Kids

By Holly Campbell

If you're a creative mom who loves all things DIY and enjoy making homemade kids toys, check out these incredibly easy-to-make children toys ideas. They are not only fun but also a great way to recycle and reuse things around your home.

Easy Recycled Kids Toys to Make

Indoor Golf Set

Watch little "Tiger Woods" play indoor miniature golf with this almost free game set.

Gather these household items – aluminum foil, wooden spoon or cupboard tubes and a few empty soda cans.

Make sure the pull-off rings are completely discarded and that there's no sharp edges on the cans before washing the cans. When the cans are cleaned, dry well in the sun.

Wooden spoons or cardboard tubes double up as golf clubs. Show the kids how to hit the soda cans with the balls and club.

And, be sure to check periodically for signs of rust on cans and throw away any immediately.

Glow Bottles

Kids (and adults) love things that glow in the dark. Why not surprise the little ones with fun glow bottles? Kids can play hide and seek in darkened rooms or just have fun under a table covered with an oversized sheet!

The materials you'll need to make glow bottles are a peanut butter plastic jar or plastic bottles, store-bought glow in the dark items or glow in the dark paint, soda bottle caps and pasta shells.

You can buy small glow in the dark items such as stars at dollar stores and add into a bottle.

Or, make your own glow in the dark paint. That way, you'll have more things to go inside the plastic bottle. Leftover glow in the dark paints can be used to add extra touches to Halloween costumes or to add safety to ordinary items so that they are visible in the dark.

Get glow in the dark powder and a clear paint medium from your local craft or home improvement store. There are many grades of glow in the dark powders, just buy the lesser grade since it's a small toy project. You also want a water based paint medium so that your kids are not exposed to hazardous paint fumes.

Grab a container, pour only the amount of paint medium you need. Then, slowly add in anywhere from 15-25% volume of the glow in the dark powder.

Be careful with the amount you add. The more powder you add, the brighter the paint will glow in the dark and the rougher the paint will become. Read package if you're not sure how much to add.

Stir glow in the dark powder into the paint. Paint bottle caps, pasta shells and whatever you have with glow in the dark paint.

Once they're completely dry, pop them into bottles, secure lid tightly with duct tape before giving it to your children.

Musical Pull Toys

This simple toy does wonders for a growing child. As your toddler pulls the musical toy, it helps encourage proper development of smooth and efficient movements.

You need a cylindrical can with lid (such as infant formula cans, coffee cans), colored contact paper, stickers, scissors, string or any yarn, jingle bells, hot glue gun, clear contact paper or book tape, hole punch and hammer.

Prepare a clean can by covering with colored contact paper. Decorate with stickers.

Using a hole punch and hammer, punch holes in lid and can bottom. You need just a small hole to thread a piece of yarn through.

Drop a few jingle bells inside the can and thread yarn through both holes.

Tie the ends together. Make the yarn loop no more than 16 inches long for your kid to pull with. Secure lid tightly with hot glue gun, seal can and edge of lid with clear contact paper or book tape to finish.

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