Hi friends! Is it just me or are you also astounded by the amazing variety of things that can be knitted? It’s partly why I decided I wanted to knit my own wedding dress, because of course you can knit a wedding dress. And it doesn’t have to look like a jumper. It was such an exciting realisation when I learned to knit that you could make summer clothes! Or knit with plastic bags!! And don’t get me started on some of the bizarre stuff people have designed in the “Mature Content” section on Ravelry. My goodness. Today’s post is NOT about mature content, but it is about something a little left-of-field that you can knit: educational toys and games for kids! I’ve found 7 patterns from around the web and in books that you’ll want to make if you’ve got kids in your life.

As those of you who visit regularly will know, I recently posted a pattern for a colour cube and matching balls toy for toddlers to learn their colours and practise matching. My 18 month old is keen on this toy, and it is a great thing to hand her on the changing table to keep her engaged and not too squirmy when you’re trying to change her.

I loved designing this toy, and I loved that it was so simple, made from simple spheres and garter stitch squares. It got me interested in what other knitted educational toys people have designed. Without further ado, here are some of my favourites.

1. Octopush by Woolly Thoughts – Available online

Aaaaaa! I was so excited to see that someone has made a knitting pattern for one of these octocubes! I know some of you might think I’ve been living under a rock, but the first time I ever saw one of these awesome cube puzzle things, I was 19 or 20, and volunteering for an organisation that helped new mums and babies. Someone had made a bag of toys for babies and in it was a sewn version of one of these octocube toys. And in all seriousness, I was mesmerised and just astonished at how simple yet ingenious this thing is. I was so amazed that the other volunteer that I was with at the time sourced a pattern from the donor to give to me.

The Octopush is a cube with one colour for each face. You open it up and each large face has a uniform pattern. You open it up again and the patterns change but still, a uniform pattern for each face. Amazing.

I’m a big nerd.

I’m not sorry.

Now you can make your own octocube, the Octopush, by either knitting or crocheting one. And the pattern’s available as a download! And wowie, the Ravelry page even has a gif or something similar of the cube actually working! I didn’t even know you could do that on Ravelry.

2. Dominoes in 100 Little Knitted Projects and Knitting Magazine 160, October 2016 – Available in print

Would you ever think of knitting this classic game? It looks so simple, too, that it would make a great first project for beginner knitters, and a good chance to practise embroidery.

This dominoes pattern is available in the book 100 Little Knitted Projects by Sarah Keen. I haven’t read the book, but it looks like it has some very cute stash-busting patterns, and it has mostly 5 star reviews on Amazon!

 

3. Bowling Ball and Pins in New Knits on the Block – available in print

When you find a book called New Knits on the Block: A Guide to Knitting What Kids Really Want by the one and only Vickie Howell, you’re going to expect some pretty cool stuff.

I can absolutely say that as a kid, I’d have found a set of knitted bowling pins and ball to be pretty neat. When I was a kid, my friend and I used to borrow witches’ hats and a soccer ball from the sports shed and kids would line up to play bowling with us. I’m pretty terrible at actual bowling, but a short-range version is the perfect fun challenge. This would help kids with their gross motor skills, and embroider some numbers on the pins and you’ve got a chance to make it an addition or subtraction game.

Again, I haven’t read this book (but it looks awesome!), but I am really fond of another pattern book called AwareKnits also by Vickie Howell, along with Adrienne Armstrong. In fact it’s one of my favourites, not just because it has a focus on environmentally friendly projects, but because the projects are genuinely useful and beautiful. I can only assume New Knits on the Block delivers just as much value.

4. Tangram Puzzle by Woolly Thoughts – Available online

Okay, I might be picking patterns that I want for me. Oh, and my toddler. But mostly me. But you’ll enjoy them too! The tangram is such a simple toy; a collection of shapes which, put together in a certain way, create a square, but can be used in all sorts of ways. Make pictures from the shapes, use them to teach geometry, challenge your kids to recreate your designs as quickly as they can.

Just seeing a tangram puzzle takes me back to early primary school. My teachers must have loved them because in my memory they’re a quintessential part of my early maths classes. I’ve been seeing them around lately as I browse educational games for my little girl, and I keep telling myself that I must get her one someday. Well, now that I’ve found this pattern, I can make her one!

This pattern includes two different methods to make the pattern, one that beginners can do, and one that’s more involved, so if you’re new to knitting, this might be a fun project to try out. And when you’re more experienced, you can make it again with the second method.

5. Mancala Mia by Wendy Wonnacott – Available for free online

Again, who would have thought to knit this? The creativity of knitters never ceases to amaze me.

I first played this game when I was a little kid, at my best friend’s house, on her computer. It was so much fun that a few years later in my tech class, I made one out of wood. A few years after that, I learned that my mum used to play this game as a kid in the Philippines! I don’t remember if she called it Mancala Mia but it was the same game.

There are lots of versions of the rules, but in general, players move around the set of pots, putting beads in the pots as they go, and whoever has the most beads in their bowl after all the pots are emptied is the winner.

This pattern is available from the ever-worthwhile online knitting magazine Knitty, from their Winter 2004 edition.

6. Rainbow by Frankie Brown – Available for free online

 

These nesting rainbows are all the rage. They have one at an early learning play centre which my daughter and I frequent, and it gets a lot of use! They are usually made of wood and they are so sweet, and teach kids about relative sized objects and of course colours. The wooden ones are, unfortunately, usually outside of my stingy prince point, so I was pretty excited to discover Frankie’s knitted version. I haven’t made one yet but I think I will.

This rainbow is made quite simply, knit in stocking stitch, then stretched over plastic canvas rectangles. It is quite ingenious really. Two strips of the same colour are knitted, one longer than the other. When they’re sewn together around the rectangles, they naturally curve, giving you a perfect arch!

I’ve made patterns of Frankie’s before, and I love how creative and original they are. This pattern is free to download, but please consider donating to the Children’s Liver Disease Foundation, which you can do via this fundraising page.

So there you have it. 6 awesome educational toy projects for the little learners in your life. Many thanks to all those I contacted who gave permission for their photos to be used in this post.

Peace,

Kat

Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means I will receive a commission if you click on the affiliate link and purchase the item.