Seven homemade toys that cost almost nothing

The most-loved toy in your house may turn out to be a wooden spoon. Babies do not care about price tags. They care about textures, sounds, faces and the thrill of discovering that if they drop something, it falls. With a few household items and some careful safety checks, you can create a whole toy box for almost nothing.

First, the safety check every toy must pass

Before any homemade toy reaches your baby, check it against this list:

• The tube test: if an object, or any part that could come off, fits through the cardboard tube from a toilet roll, it is a choking hazard for babies and toddlers.
• No button batteries or magnets, not even sealed inside.
• No long strings, ribbons or cords that could wrap around a neck.
• No plastic bags, balloons, polystyrene or cling film.
• No sharp edges, glass, splinters or peeling paint.
• Sturdy enough to be chewed, thrown and stood on. Check it again every few days for wear.
• You are there. Homemade toys are for supervised play, not for the cot.

1. The treasure basket (from sitting, around 6 months)

Fill a low, sturdy basket or box with everyday objects of different textures, all larger than the tube test: a wooden spoon, a metal measuring cup, a soft brush, a sponge, a large clean lid, a small cushion, a piece of velvet or ankara fabric. Let your baby explore, mouth and bang. Swap items every few days to keep it fresh.

2. Pots, pans and spoons orchestra

A saucepan, a plastic bowl and a wooden spoon make a drum kit. Show your baby how to bang, then let them experiment. Sing along. It is loud, joyful and teaches cause and effect.

3. A sealed sensory bottle

Fill a small, sturdy clear plastic bottle with water and a few drops of food colouring, or with dry rice or pasta that rattles. Glue the lid on firmly with strong glue and wrap it with tape. Your baby can roll it, shake it and watch it. Check the seal before every use and throw it away if it cracks.

4. The cardboard box

A large, clean box can be a peekaboo house, a tunnel for a crawler, or something to push along the floor. Remove any staples and tape first. Cut a window to play peekaboo through.

5. Peekaboo scarves

A light scarf or square of fabric is perfect for peekaboo, which helps babies learn that things still exist when hidden. Pull it slowly from a tin so it "flows" out. Always tidy scarves away after play.

6. A posting box (from around 9 months)

Cut a slot in the lid of a shoebox or a large plastic tub and let your baby post large items through: old cards, wide jar lids (larger than the tube test), or fabric squares. Then open it, tip them out and start again.

7. Stacking and nesting cups

Washed yoghurt pots, plastic cups and containers of different sizes can be stacked into towers, knocked down and nested inside each other. Knocking down is usually the favourite part.

The best toy in the room

No toy, homemade or bought, replaces you. Your face, your voice, your hands playing round-and-round-the-garden on their palm. If you only have energy to lie on the floor and make faces, that is play, and it is enough.

Joy in the ordinary

There is a verse that fits a morning spent banging saucepans: "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24). Today is not a waiting room for some better day when you can afford nicer things. It is a day God has made, with a baby who thinks a wooden spoon is the most exciting object on earth. Rejoice in it, mess and noise included.

A prayer for playtime

Thank you, Lord, for simple things: spoons and boxes, scarves and laughter. Give me eyes to see the joy in ordinary days, keep my baby safe as they explore, and help me to be present on the floor with them today. Amen.