If your summer is anything like mine, you’re gearing up for a few months full of baby showers and birthday parties. It seems like spring has sprung and almost everyone in my circle is settling down and starting families of their own.
And, as a child of the 80s and 90s, I feel like I was very spoiled in terms of sheer toy awesomeness. The toys of my nostalgic years just don’t match up to the toys of today…and I just can’t see spending all this money on a toy that was built to last no more than 2 months.
SO, I’ve resulted to creating handmade toys. Yup, that’s right…making fun play things by hand. Crocheted amigurumi characters, sewn stuffed toys, and fun games for kids are on my to-do list as I craft up some fun gifts for family and friends for these upcoming celebrations and holidays (CHRISTMAS IS COMING).
To start, I’ve been working on this cute matching fish game, reminiscent of the 90s board game “Let’s Go Fishin’”.
While these fish won’t move around and chomp on your line, they will look beautiful lying on your floor! 😉 Great for teaching kids how to match colors, patterns, or words, this fishing game is both fun and educational for young minds…best of all, it’s super easy to make!
Matching Fishing Game
Materials:
- Fabric (I used a charm pack)
- Fish Template (find one online or draw by hand)
- Scissors
- Fabric pins
- Sewing machine
- Stuffing
- Needle and thread
- Yarn
- Wooden Pole
- Bendable Wire (I used flower wire)
Instructions:
- Using your template, cut out as many fish as you’d like. Since you’ll be sewing two sides together, make sure you have the fabric positioned correctly to give you two uniform fish (outsides facing in).
- Sew the fish together, leaving a small hole for stuffing. I found it helpful to leave the hole on the bottom of the fish. Turn your fish rights side out. Stuff your fish lightly and then continue sewing it closed by hand.
HELPFUL TIP: To stuff the tail, I used the arm of my sunglasses to shove the stuffing into the tail. Worked perfectly! - Using needle and yarn, sew a small loop on front of fish. You can also use hot glue to attach numbers, words, or patterns to your fish…use your imagination!
- To create your pole, wrap yarn around one end of your wooden pole. Use glue to secure, if necessary. On other end, attach folded wire. This is what your kid will use to “hook” onto the loops on the front of the fish.
Here’s a close-up of the hook. I just wrapped the yarn around the wire, then folded the wire up to secure the yarn.
- And there you have it! This is a super easy and fun project and it makes a great gift idea for growing young minds.
Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.
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