Monday, September 21, 2009

Hanging Toys

It can be hard to find interesting toys for little babies.
One of the places we go to play inspired this idea. They have silk scarves hanging from the ceiling on bungee cords. Here is my own version of that. This simple toy can serve so many purposes!
For babies who can't roll over it is good eye and hand exercise to have something to look at or just out of reach to try touching. With moving babies (crawl/walk) hanging things are a great motivation to keep moving. Even a toddler can have fun swatting at a ball or learning what happens if you pull and let go!
This is so simple to make. All you need is a clothes pin, some elastic cord and a soft object for the end. The ball is actually a dog toy with a jingle bell inside. It had a little loop to tie the elastic to. The other thing is a bandana. A light weight silk scarf that will move with the slightest breeze would also work well.
Tie one end of the elastic to the clothes pin and the other to the object.
Use the clothes pin to clip onto a curtain rod, door frame, etc.
As with any long string supervision is important. If the child manages to get a good grasp on the object he/she could also get wrapped in the string. I regularly shorten the string to keep the challenge in the activity.

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