Now that my kids are back in school again, we’ve been trying to get back to our regular routine. Over the summer we relax and enjoy life without a schedule or obligations – they love it! It does make the switch to regular programming hard though, and changing our habits hasn’t been easy. We’ve been taking it in baby steps!

One resolution I made with the kids was to cut screen time during the week. Only games, reading, playing, and outdoor activities are allowed. The first couple of days were hard, but now the kids have gotten used to it. Since I cut one of their favorite things to do, I needed to have a plan B in place to prevent the typical complaints: “Mom, I’m BORED,” “I have no toys,” “There’s nothing to do”. I decided that I would create a special toy for each of my kids.

So far, I made these large-scale wooden dolls using my leftover supplies. I mixed all the shapes together: wooden cubes, circles, beads, balls, finials, and boxes. Add in some glue, paint, and imagination and the dolls suddenly appear! They’re lots of fun to make and my kids have loved playing with them so far!

• Wooden craft supplies (any shapes)
• Wood glue
• Paint
• Paintbrushes

Step 1
Glue together your different wooden shapes and let dry.

Step 2
Now it’s time to paint! I picked three colors to use, but you can mix as many colors as you like. This is the fun part, so go wild and get creative, especially if you’re doing this with your kids.

Step 3
Add on the final touches: eyes, cheeks, smiles and accessories. Let dry completely.

Your dolls are ready for playtime!