One of my favourite symbols of Christmas is the Nutcracker – so colourful and elegant in all his finery standing proudly on the mantel or hanging from the tree. So last weekend I chopped up a block of balsa wood into cubes and made a quick n’ sweet child friendly nutcracker handmade stacking blocks toy to build and play with.
Stacking blocks are such an easy and accessible toy for parents to make for their little ones, and blocks are such great toys for babies, from the age of about 12 months, especially for developing hand-eye coordination skills. At this age babies naturally start to learn to organize, balance, and stack.
All you need to make is enough balsa wood to cut and give you four cubes, and acrylic paint. (I love working with balsa wood, it’s so light and fluffy almost! perfect for little hands, so light each block feels like a cube of foam)
Freehand paint the blocks or mark out your design with pencil first and then paint.
And Voilla!! you have a friendly little nutcracker to turn on his head and back again.
Note: water-based acrylic paints that are completely toxin free and safe for children. Coat the blocks with one layer of Mod Podge® to seal the colour and wood: it dries clear, providing a wipe down surface which can help to keep the blocks hygienically clean.