Toy Making Experience Day for Schools
Our Toy Making Experience Day gives pupils the opportunity to surprise themselves with what they can achieve through a focused, hands-on making experience.
Delivered directly in your school, this immersive workshop introduces children to toys from the past before guiding them through the complete process of making their own wooden toy, which they take home at the end of the day.
Designed to support the National Curriculum, the session combines practical craft skills with historical context, encouraging pupils to think about how toys have changed over time and what this reveals about everyday life in the past.
Hands-On Toy Making Workshops
Each workshop lasts approximately two hours and allows pupils to follow a clear, structured toy-making process from start to finish.
Every child is fully and individually involved in making their own toy, working at their own pace with close supervision from our experienced session leaders. Pupils will safely use a small range of hand tools and techniques, including hammering and assembling, in a carefully controlled and supportive environment.
The focus on individual making helps children develop concentration, fine motor skills and confidence, while experiencing the satisfaction of completing a physical object themselves.
Our toy making workshops are suitable for children aged 4 and upwards and are carefully adapted to suit the age, ability and learning needs of each class.
National Curriculum Links
The Toy Making Experience Day is a rich cross-curricular workshop, supporting several areas of the National Curriculum, including:
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Design & Technology – making a functional product using tools and materials
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History – understanding aspects of everyday life in the past
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Science – exploring materials and simple forces through practical experience
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Art & Design – developing creativity, form and finish
The workshop also supports wider learning skills such as independence, focus, perseverance and pride in achievement, making it ideal as a topic hook, enrichment day or end-of-unit experience.
Toy Museum and Handling Collection
To deepen understanding of toys through time, schools can also make use of our Toy Museum display and separate Handling Collection.
Toy Museum Display
The Toy Museum is a visual display of historical toys from different periods, showing pupils the variety of toys available to children in the past. These objects are presented for observation and discussion, helping pupils compare past and present childhood experiences.
Handling Collection
The Handling Collection is used separately and includes robust replica toys designed specifically for hands-on play. Pupils are encouraged to try these toys for themselves, gaining a practical understanding of how traditional toys worked and how children played in earlier periods.
We recommend using a hall or larger space where possible, as some of the toys benefit from extra room.
Ready to Start your Toy Making Adventure?
Click the button below to send us your enquiry and book your Toy Making Experience Day. We’ll be happy to discuss dates, group sizes, and how the day supports your KS1 history curriculum.
Workshops in Schools
