Optimizing children's growth and development can be done with various efforts, such as inviting them to play and be creative using reusable items. So, if you have cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, paper plates, or tissue rolls, don't just throw them away.
The reason is that there are various examples of the best eco-friendly toys for kids from used items that you can create. Some of these options can also be educational toys or effective learning media for your children.
Curious, what are the ideas for creations from used goods? Check out this article to get inspired!
Examples of the Best Eco-Friendly Toys for Kids
Instead of storing them in a pile, let's turn the used items around you into toys for your kids. Here are some examples of toys that you can easily replicate and that your kids will love. Take note of the method below!
1. Toy Airplane from Used AQUA Plastic Bottles
Image for illustration purposes only
After the drinking water has run out, plastic bottles usually become unused. Instead of throwing away AQUA bottles, you should utilize them to make new items, such as a toy airplane for kids.
This craft from AQUA bottles is one of the recycling efforts that can be done at home with children. Tools, materials, and how to make toys from used goods are not too difficult. Here are the details:
Tools and Materials:
- Used AQUA bottle (free size, recommended 600 ml).
- Thin cardboard.
- Glue.
- Scissors.
How to make:
- Prepare tools and materials.
- Make sure the AQUA bottle is clean and there are no remnants of drinks or labels.
- Then, cut the bottom part of the bottle lengthwise to form the tail of the airplane.
- Then, cut the cardboard lengthwise to form the wings of the airplane and glue it to the right and left sides of the bottle body.
- After that, cut a small circular piece of cardboard for the airplane cabin and glue it to the front of the bottle.
- Add landing gear from the bottle cap at the bottom.
- Decorate the body and wings of the plane with colors, text, or stickers.
- The AQUA plastic bottle toy airplane is ready to use.
2. Paper Plate Toy Animals
Instead of plain paper, you can use paper plates to make toy animals, such as tigers, turtles, caterpillars, or cats.
The tools and materials needed are also quite simple. Here is how to make a toy lion out of scrap paper that you can replicate:
Tools and Materials:
- Paper plate.
- Scissors.
- Glue.
- Colored paper.
- Marker.
How to make:
- Prepare a paper plate. Cover the paper plate with colored paper. The paper plate will be the face of the toy lion.
- Cut out the colored paper to form the legs, mouth, eyes, and others.
- After that, complete the lion's face with the cut papers.
3. Cardboard Cooking Toy
Source: Pinterest/@homeschoolaecco (Image for illustration purposes only)
Do you have a lot of unused cardboard boxes in your house? Instead of just piling them up in the warehouse, it would be better if you used them to make unique toy cooking tools. Besides being fun, this kid's activity idea is also useful for practicing their creativity.
In addition, this role-play game can also train their motor skills. To create it, you need some tools and materials. The tools, materials, and how to make toys from these used items are as follows:
Tools and Materials:
- Cardboard.
- Ruler.
- Pencil.
- Cutter.
- Glue gun.
- Scissors.
How to make:
- Make several patterns of cooking tools on cardboard.
- Then, cut out the patterns and glue them together using hot glue.
- Draw other patterns that form spices, vegetables, fruits, and others.
- Color the patterns and cut them out one by one.
- The cardboard toy cooking utensil is ready to be used for play.
4. Train from Used Toilet Paper Roll
Image for illustration purposes only
If your kids love playing with trains, instead of buying a new toy, you should encourage them to make a toy train out of a cardboard tube or toilet paper rolls. This activity is not only economical, but it can also teach your children new things.
In addition to old paper towel rolls, you will need other tools and materials when making the train. Here is the equipment needed and how to make it:
Tools and Materials:
- Used a tissue roll.
- Plastic bottle cap.
- Scissors.
- Glue.
- Decorating paper, stickers, or markers.
How to make:
- Cut the tissue roll into long and short pieces. The short pieces are used for the train chimney and others. Meanwhile, the longer part is used as the train body.
- Decorate the train body with decorative paper, stickers, or markers.
- Make a hole in the center of the bottle cap and line the paper with wheels.
- Then, attach the wheels to the bottom of each carriage.
- The toy train is ready to use.
5. Wall Clock from Used Bottle Caps
Image for illustration purposes only
Besides the bottle, AQUA bottle caps can also be transformed into toys that can sharpen children's brains. One example is making a wall clock. Through this toy, you can introduce numbers and how to read time to children.
In addition, giving them crafts from used items will also teach them about the importance of reducing waste to keep the environment sustainable. You only need to prepare the following tools and materials:
Tools and Materials:
- 12 AQUA bottle caps.
- Yarn.
- Plastic spoon handle.
- Hot glue or double tape.
- Scissors.
- Used a jar lid.
How to make:
- First, clean all the bottle caps.
- Make a hole in the center of a large, used jar lid.
- Then, insert the thread into the hole that has been made before. Then, make one with the plastic spoon handle and sew it.
- After that, attach the used AQUA bottle caps one by one around the jar lid to form a wall clock using hot glue or double-sided tape.
- Give the bottle caps the numbers 1–12, like a wall clock in general.
That is all the discussion on examples of the best eco-friendly toys for kids that can be tried at home with children. By involving children in the making process, they can feel the excitement while stimulating their motor skills.
In order to support and improve children's concentration, don't forget to fulfill their mineral water intake by providing AQUA Gallons at home. With a large size of 19 liters, the drinking water needs of family members can be met.
AQUA Galon is a refillable gallon product that can be used multiple times and comes at an affordable price starting from Rp1,000 per liter.
You also don't need to worry about its cleanliness. The reason is that AQUA has gone through a sanitization process of up to 20x using high-pressure water before being refilled. AQUA also comes from selected mountain springs that are protected through 9 selection criteria, 5 stages, and at least 1 year of research on more than 600 parameters.
Furthermore, AQUA is an authentic Indonesian product that has obtained halal certification and complies with the Indonesian Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) and Indonesian National Standard (SNI). Therefore, AQUA is safe for consumption. AQUA is 100% Pure, 100% Indonesian, and 100% Halal. So, let's always stock up on AQUA Gallons for your family at home!
