We are in the home stretch for moving and it is a mad house over here! My house if filled with boxes and packing supplies and I am feverishly trying to get everything packed up before the movers get here a week from today. While packing under normal circumstances is a stressful event, it becomes a billion times more stressful when you have two active (and bored!) toddlers underfoot.
I am not going to lie and tell you that I’ve been coming up with creative ways to entertain my children while I pack. Truth be told, my kids are watching far too much Disney, Jr. and playing on their iPad than I care to admit. Occasionally, however, when I realize that my kids have become screen zombies, I try to encourage them to go outside to play for a while. And to make outside a little more enticing for them, I whipped up a quick and easy craft for them to use in some imaginative play. Mom win!
DIY Village Blocks
My kids love to pretend. My son loves to play cars and my daughter loves to play “people.” So I thought I would build them a colorful block village they can take outside to help exercise those imaginations of theirs. This project is so quick and easy, you could make a few sets and give one as a gift!
Supplies:
- Several pieces of 2X2 or 4X4 wood (I used 2X2 because that what I had on hand)
- Miter saw
- Sandpaper
- Craft paint in various colors
- Sharpie paint pen
Directions:
1. Cut several lengths of square wood, from 5″ to 8″ or so.
2. Put your miter saw on the 45-degree mark and start chopping off the corners of one end of each block. They don’t have to be perfect. Mine aren’t and I like the whimsical look of uneven “roofs.”
3. Once all your blocks are cut into little “houses,” sand all the rough edges.
4. Time to paint! I used a different color for each of my houses. I started by painting all the sides of the houses with their designated colors and let them dry for a few minutes. Then I went back and painted the roofs with black craft paint.
5. After the “houses” have dried, I used a Sharpie paint pen to draw on (and color in) the windows and doors of each house. I let everything dry for a few hours at least.
That’s all, you’re done! Now you have an entire play village ready for playtime! They can be used outside or inside and if you’re really ambitious, you could make some extra flat-roofed blocks to look like skyscrapers!
As you can see, our village is put to good use. We already have several residents, including Sully and a dinosaur. Our village has a wide Disney demographic!
There’s nothing better than a quick and easy craft project that will keep your kids entertained for a solid 20 minutes at least, right?
How do you keep your kids entertained when you have things you have to get done?
Wow! I love this SO much! I feel like this a project that my whole family could get in on! My hubby would be in charge of the wood. My daughter and I could paint and then I could “paint” the windows. This is the cutest thing ever. I will definitely be doing this over the summer!
This is so smart! I can’t wait to make this during the summer for my kids!