Easy DIY Wooden Blocks

For so many months, I have watched other play centres and envied their pretty little wooden blocks. You know the ones. Those chunky, heavy expensive ones that will never be in your budget. But we've found a way to bring them into our play centre... We made them ourselves. And the best part? It cost me next to nothing. I love a good DIY project, and I especially love one that the kids can get involved in. These DIY wooden blocks were an "all hands in" activity. An adult cut the wood, my big kids sanded, my little kids painted, and now all the really small kids at day care get to enjoy them every day.

Here is what you need to make your own wooden blocks:

I used old wood scraps from a friend who was finishing a basement. She cut the ends of the 2x4s for me, so there is no rhyme or reason to the lengths of our blocks, and it cost me nothing at all. You can have your local hardware store cut a 2x4 or any size board into pieces for you. I know Home Depot does not charge for cuts. Or, if you have your own saw, you can do all the cutting yourself!

Make sure you sand all the edges of your blocks so there will be no splinters in tiny fingers later. We used a palm sander for ours, but you could use a sanding block just as well.

Now for the fun part! I gave my kids an array of colourful acrylic paints, paint brushes, and permanent markers to cover the wooden blocks however they would like. Some blocks were painted as buildings...

Some were striped, polka-dotted, or made to look like pools of molten lava...

Some of the blocks even had a bit of picture scenery on them...

Their imaginations are the limit! When the blocks are painted on all 6 sides, let them dry completely before adding a coat of Mod Podge. I chose to clear coat them so the paint would not chip during play time. I used Wash Out for Kids Mod Podge because it is non toxic, it dries clear, and it's safe for little children to use.

Once the clear coat has dried completely, the blocks are ready to be played with! We keep the baskets of wooden cars, trees, people, and accessories close by so the children can build and create as they please.

These wooden blocks remain a favourite at our day care centre and are played with nearly every day!