5 toys you can make with your kids that are completely free

Whether you want to recycle cartons into Star Wars masks, or create a road map from old jeans, we've found ideas that are perfect

Drive your kids towards creativity

Here’s some toys and games you can make for free:

1. A dolls house

A dolls house is all about collecting and creativity - so why not start with the house itself? Instead of forking out on a twee model, make it yourself.

We’ve found houses made from an old chest of drawers, a suitcase and a bookshelf.

2. A junk marble run

You don’t have to have a super shiny marble racer run. All. You. Need. Is. Gravity. And marbles. Grab toilet rolls, Lego, insulator strips, foam and masking tape, find a staircase and make the most extreme marble run you can.

3. A car play mat

Give your kids’ toy cars a destination.

This blogger cut up old jeans to make reusable roads, or you can even print out a pre-made road map. If you have more time on your hands, try using old fabric scraps to make a reusable roadmap with all your local landmarks on it - like this one.

4. Masks

Fancy dress parties, disguises, freaking people out - every kid needs a mask.

Get in the mood for this year’s inevitable Star Wars madness by making this amazing Stormtrooper mask from plastic milk cartons. Or make a papier mache mask with a carton as the base.

5. A bowling alley

If your kids are gulping down juice by the gallon, keep the bottles and create a bowling alley. Strip the bottles of their labels and fill each one with grit or similar weight.

You can decorate the bottles in lots of different ways - this blogger made gnomes, while this one has created a team of sumo wrestlers. Or fill the dark evenings with glow-in-the-dark bowling.