Project of the Month - Toys & Games

Christmas is right around the corner so I thought I might do some gift ideas for this month's project. And since I am always looking around for fun things to make Amy, these are mostly games and toys for your kids. Hopefully one of them will be something your little ones will love.

Felt Mr. Potato Head
I love this idea! I need to go buy felt to make this one right now!!! I only wish I was creative enough to think of it. Oh well, I'll just borrow her idea. :) So fun.

Doodling Satchel
I have run across multiple crayon/notebook holder tutorials out there. A simple roll for crayons, colored pencils, or even crochet hooks, or you can go the tri-fold route with this fun crayon wallet. But this one is one of my favorites. I love how it has a handle for them to carry around. You can make it big enough to hold their coloring books or smaller for just a little notepad. Once Amy starts coloring she will have one of these to hold all her goodies.

*Variation: While inspired by this beautiful Fold n Go Organizer (top left if you zoom in the picture) by 31 Kids that was made out of oilcloth, I thought how great it would be if you could waterpoof any kind of fabric. And here is a little information on what I found out about waterproofing. This would be great to do on a bunch of things you make your kids. Even bibs!

Memory Game

When I saw this I knew I had to make Amy one. She might not be able to actually play the memory game right now, but we can flip all the tiles over and she can find the pictures that match. Instead of the wood that she used in the tutorial, I am going to use coasters. I found some at Michael's in the 50 cent bin. Woo hoo! I have even seen them at Kroeger in the clearance bins for under a dollar. Some of the restaurants might even be willing to give them to you for free if you ask.

*Variation, why not put pictures of prophets and temples on the back and it would be the perfect quiet game for church. For older kids you could match the word with the picture. All you need now is to make a cute little drawstring bag to keep them in.

Checkers
This one is definitely over Amy's head, but I thought it was so cute I had to post it! This would be the perfect way to use some of your favorite scraps you have been holding on to. And instead of covered buttons you could use some of those vintage buttons from your mom or grandma that you don't know what else to use them for. They would be perfect checkers for this game.

Fruit Lacing Cards

I thought this was another really good idea and something else that might keep your kids busy at church or on an airplane. (Can you tell I have a crazy child and am trying to find things for her to do so she will behave herself for 3 hours!) For even more lace up card templates click here . They have some really cute animal ones.

Fabric Playmat

I thought this was so cute! This would be the perfect playmat to help your kids imagination run wild. Yep, Amy needs one of these for sure! For another fun playmat perfect for the child who loves cars, click here.

Peek a Boo BoardThis was another idea I thought was really fun. I even like how you can change the pictures out to keep it interesting. Amy LOVES books with flaps in them - sometimes she loves them a little too much and rips them out. Oops. This peek-a-boo board would be the perfect substitute. She still gets to play with the fun flaps but they are not going to be easily ripped off. Perfect.

For some other fun ideas, check these links out!

Harvest Felt Food (There are lots of felt food tutorials out there, this is just a fun one I found recently. Thanks Kelli for the tip!)

Car Cozy (For another version, check out Craft #4 at this link.)

Anyway, those are just a few of the fun games and toys I have run across lately and wanted to share them with you all. I really hope that you might be able to use these ideas for your kids or to give to someone else's. Happy crafting!