Homemade Table Toys for Kids

Car Table

• Begin with a sturdy wooden table and add elements to make your kids' homemade car table look like a metropolis. Paint roads with black and yellow paint. You can also use paint to suggest buildings on the table. Leftover toys serve a practical purpose for your metropolis. Cars can drive over old bridges, trees add shade, Legos make offices and houses, and stand-up characters supply the people. Add your kids' car-related toys, too. Items such as car washes, decals and ramps add dimension to your table.

Train Table

• Turning a table into a homemade train table allows you to finally get all of the tracks off the floor and at your kids' eye level. Table legs should be about 28 inches long. This layout may require you to drill holes into the sides of the table to run electrical cords through in case you need to power up the train or accessories. Add trees and attach painted cardboard to make a landscape for your train table.

Chalk Table

• Chalk is a kid-friendly arts and craft item that many children love to play with for hours. Recent technology has created 3-D chalk, glow in the dark chalk and patterns to make designs with chalk. This table consists of jigsaw cutouts to hold chalk and related supplies and a solid table with a chalkboard spray on the top. Place small tins in the table holes to hold all the chalk supplies your kids use.

Sand and Water

• Sand and water toys effectively aid in kids' sensory development. Both structures follow the same pattern: a wooden table with a trough inside. Sand tables include such items as sand buckets, shovels, measuring cups, sand castle molds, shells, leaves and feathers. Water tables can include measuring cups, water guns, funnels, spray bottles, whisks, sponges and eyedroppers.

Dress Up Table

• A square table is best for a dress up table. Cover the front and sides with feminine fabric, such as satin or lace. A foam backboard holds a mirror, decorations and ribbons. Place small containers on the table, including nail polish, makeup, paper dolls, a brush and hair accessories.