You may know Kiwi Crate as the folks that deliver hands-on fun to your doorstep in the form of a sweet crate chock full of the goods needed to create engaging arts and crafts projects with your kids. Beyond their convenient and cool service, Kiwi Crate also offers a variety of awesome DIY crafts and ideas from fun recipes to science experiments and everything in between. They’ve shared with us 10 toys that you can make at home with your kiddos, all which can easily be made with a few household items. Are you ready to say goodbye to the “I’m bored” blues?
Easter Egg Maracas
Kids love making noise! We imagine that’s why they love rocking out to homemade instruments. These easy-to-make maracas look like papier mache–but without all the mess.
Felt Play Mat
What better way to let the kids get creative than to let them design their own towns? The sky is the limit on what they can create for this fun play mat that is easily folded up and stored anywhere. Our kids were in heaven designing their dream towns–no shortage of water and sea creatures for them!
Lego Puzzle Cards
This is for the kids who think the best toy is a brand-new LEGO set. We were so excited to find these DIY LEGO Instruction Books. For little building fans, this is a great activity to bring the energy level down and focus– for a little while, at least!
Photo Puzzle
These personalized puzzles were a big hit with our little artists! They had a great time picking out the perfect pictures and trying their little hands at decoupage. They even make for a great math review for preschoolers working on their counting skills.
Sock Snowmen
These cuddly little friends are a huge hit. We made them using all of our mismatched socks and it was the best use of socks we’ve found so far! The kids had a great time decorating their snowmen with our craft supplies. We love how they can be personalized.
Glow Stick Balloons
Winter means long hours of indoor activities or finding creative ways to play in the dark. These balloons are a surprise hit requiring only two materials!
Milk Carton Animals
An easy animal craft for fans of barn animals! From piggies to doggies, cows and sheep, your kiddos can create a whole little farm in no time.
Cardboard Tube Marble Run
If you’re like us, there’s a pretty good chance that you have a growing “collection” of toilet paper and paper towel rolls filling up your recycling bin. What we especially love about this activity is that it requires very little in terms of materials, the clean-up is minimal, and it encourages children to use problem-solving and creative thinking skills.
Story Wheel
Storytime is one of the most special times with kids–sitting with them and their wonderful imaginations and making up stories together. This will quickly become a favorite way to spend an evening as a family.
Tin Box Monsters
When our kids started stashing all their little trinkets, hair clips, and crayons in empty mint boxes, we thought we could make their habit into a great craft. By adding a little bit of felt and some googly eyes, these boxes are transformed into adorable little treasure keepers that can be personalized for any little creative little artist.
