There are many rocking chairs on store shelves today. They come in a wide variety of shapes and types. But it often happens that the price range does not allow you to purchase the model you like. One of the best options in this case is a self-made rocking chair. The child will be delighted, especially if he watches and participates in the process of making it and experiences the finished result.
Features:
The rocking chair is a figure swinging due to a specially rounded base. The figurine can be anything: a horse, an elephant, a cradle, just a chair and any animal that can come to mind. Previously, such a swing consisted of a wooden base, which was not very convenient, because the hardness did not allow you to relax. Today, the frame is sheathed with a soft cloth, stuffed with foam rubber or a sponge. It turns out a whole rocking chair - convenient and comfortable, fully substitute for a child's seat.
The benefits of the rocking chair are great. This is not just a toy for a child on which he can have fun, but also a good way to develop coordination of movements and maintain balance. And thanks to the pendulum effect, it relaxes and soothes the child. It is not for nothing that doctors recommend it for the prevention of diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Also, such a simple toy will save your stools and chairs from swaying and broken legs, scratched floors.
Recommended for children from 1 to 7 years old.
Benefits
A DIY toy has several advantages:
- Availability. High prices for store rocking chairs sometimes lead to a stupor, this is a budgetary way out of a problem situation.
- Communication. Oddly enough, but such a toy teaches a child to love animals. The little ones take care of them, feed them, wash them and even put them to bed.
- Safety. If you make yourself, you will be sure of the quality of the toy. This also applies to the materials from which it is made and to the design of the product itself.
- Handmade things have a special, warm energy. If you also involve the child in this, for example, ask him to serve tools or hold elements, then the work will bring even more benefits in family cohesion.
Materials and tools
For work you will need:
- plywood (at least 18 millimeters), boards / furniture board;
- joiner's glue;
- drawings or templates, mold;
- paint and brush for decoration;
- thread or rope for decoration;
- jigsaw;
- router (optional);
- drill;
- chisel;
- sandpaper of different grain sizes;
- pencil;
- ruler.
Here is the minimum required materials and tools to make a simple rocking horse model.
How to make?
Making a horse out of plywood is not difficult if you have ready-made templates for cutting. You can find them on the Internet, or you can draw them yourself.
Here is one example of patterns. They can be scaled and printed, or manually drawn on a regular newspaper.
Stages of work:
- We put the pattern on the plywood and circle it. To prevent the piece from moving, we attach it to the plywood with masking tape. Cut out the workpieces with a jigsaw along the drawn lines. The plywood or boards for the head, legs, and seat should be at least three centimeters thick for added strength. We make holes in them with a drill and a jigsaw, necessary for fastening, we knock them out with a chisel.
- Further, according to the diameter of the holes, we make sticks from the board for connecting parts.
- All elements need to be processed with sandpaper. First, take a coarse-grained one to remove all irregularities, then sand the fine roughness to a smooth state. It's a good idea to use a router to round off all the corners of the horse.
If the plywood at the place of the cuts has become empty, then fill it with glue or a special grease.
- We assemble the parts in accordance with the drawing, coating all joints with wood glue. It is better to fasten the lower supports with self-tapping screws, while you need to screw them in as deep as possible so that the child does not get hurt. You can grease them with glue on top.
- Further, if you wish, you can varnish the horse, draw patterns, make a tail. After waiting for complete drying, you can start using the product. Also, for greater comfort, you can thread the horse's bit and make a soft saddle using foam rubber or thick fabric.
A rocking cradle in the form of a seat or crib is created in a similar way. The only thing that complicates the task is a large number of details:
- For better fastening and minimal loosening of parts, it is better to use self-tapping screws. Under the seat, you need to hold clamps from one side to the other, which will protect against falling through and give strength to the frame.
- When making a rocking chair for small children, complement it with a back and bumpers. There must be support for the arms and legs. Moreover, the handholds should be round so that the baby is comfortable to hold on.
- In total, making crafts with your own hands will cost 1000 rubles, which is a good saving compared to store prices.
The finished rocking chair can be sheathed with fabric, made soft armrests, a back and a seat.
A handmade baby rocking chair will undoubtedly become your baby's favorite toy. After all, a thing made with love and care is valued much higher than store products. The safety and beauty of the product will be at the highest level, because no loving parent will be lazy for their child.
For information on how to make a rocking chair for a child with your own hands, see the next video.
