Spending quality time with your son just got a little more entertaining. Creating wood toys is a perfect project for your child to tackle and one that you will equally enjoy. Don’t worry Moms, when I say, “create,” I do not mean running out to the tool shed and grabbing the hacksaw! Many online specialty stores offer beautifully crafted unfinished wood toys such as tractors, paddleboats, trains and just about anything you can possibly imagine. Here are a few hints to help you and your favorite little one get creating . . .
While you can buy specialty paints especially for wood surfaces, cheap acrylic paints also work well and are much more budget friendly. The key to using a cheaper paint such as acrylic is coating the finished piece in a good sealant. Sealants come in glossy and matte finishes. Which one you will choose will depend on the end result you are trying to achieve. While you can cut corners with paint, refrain from skimping out on a good set of artist brushes. Cheaper brushes can be course and hard to work with. A good quality set of brushes usually cost around ten dollars but they will last you many years.
We are going to explore the many possibilities of decorating your own toys. Let’s use a tractor for our example. By painting each part of the tractor in an unusual way, you can create a whimsy that cannot be bought in stores. Try creating polka-dotted tires and striped frames. Old buttons make the perfect “headlights” and “wheel spokes”. It’s also a good idea to use various colors and not stick to just one or two.
So what’s the secret to designing great wood toys? That’s the beauty of it – there is no secret! Simply use your imagination. If you see stars on your paddleboat or pigs flying on the side of your wooden train – just paint it! The only rules are that there aren’t any.
Happy creating!
