Developing rug for children with their own hands

When such a small miracle as a child appears in the family, young parents begin to think about how to ensure the correct physical, emotional and mental development of the baby. Faced with such a task, difficult trips to children's stores begin in search of the right solution.

In our time, the modern industry for the production of didactic games, manuals and toys for children of different ages is not only at a high level, but also continues to rapidly gain momentum. In particular, at the moment, such a versatile product as developing rugs for children is in considerable demand - they can be easily made by yourself.

You can see one of the master classes on making a small round rug below.

Appointment

The children's rug is a kind of the first didactic manual for kids and parents. When developing such a product, the main idea was to place all kinds of developing elements on a colorful and bright canvas of different sizes: fabrics of different textures and colors, musical details, rattles, rodents, etc.

The purpose of this attribute is to develop hearing, motor activity, cognitive sphere and sensorimotor skills of the baby. With the help of such rugs, the child learns during the game to reach for toys, crawl, sit, walk, distinguish colors and shapes.

It is important that the mat meets the following requirements:

Materials must be of high quality. This requirement applies not only to the fabric, but also to the component parts in order to avoid an allergic reaction in the baby.
The integrity of the materials, i.e. lack of various kinds of damage, cracks, chips, poor-quality seams, etc.
The build quality of the product must be high. Decorative elements and various accessories should not dangle, but should be firmly sewn and attached.
The versatility of the canvas. Since babies grow up rather quickly, there will be a need to improve this children's accessory. It is worth paying attention to whether it is possible, if necessary, to change and supplement the developmental parts and toys on the purchased rug. For example, if such a developmental product is sewn for newborns, babies up to 3 months old and is planned to be used in the future, the ideal choice would be models with folding soft sides and strong hinged arcs, to which various didactic materials can be attached. The presence of arches and folding sides in this product makes it possible to modernize and increase the playing area.

Age features of the child. You should not sew a canvas full of musical and electronic elements for a baby, or make puzzle rugs. Babies of this age are just beginning their acquaintance with the environment and are not able to think logically and establish cause-and-effect relationships.
A variety of accessories. The more noisy, rustling, ringing, sensorimotor, moving, interactive, mirror, glowing, etc. elements that are different in texture, color, size and shape - the faster and easier the child will become interested in the game. Such a canvas not only develops the baby, but also entertains him when the parents are busy and cannot pay attention to him for a while.
Mobility. The ability to easily fold and transport this product if desired.
All elements of a children's development rug should be easy to remove and unfasten, especially musical and electronic ones. This must be taken into account, since the linen will sometimes need to be washed.

The search for a product that would meet all of the above requirements can lead parents to a result where the price of such a children's attribute will be quite high. An excellent way out of this situation is to make such a development center on your own.

DIY sewing process

Without a doubt, the benefits of such a product for the development of the baby are quite obvious and clear. Therefore, if the choice is made in favor of a home-made center, you should work a little, stock up on patience and imagination. And first you need to think and decide how the rug will look and which option to choose for its manufacture, so that the result is an original attribute filled with parental love, care and warmth.

In order to prevent mistakes in the creation of the canvas and not to harm the baby, it is important to consider the following points:

Firstly, the presence of mirrors on the rug is unacceptable. This is dangerous not only because the mirror can break or part of it can break off, but it is also harmful for the baby's eyes, since the light is 100% polarized when reflected from the mirror surface.

Items for fine motor skills of the fingers should not be uniform. The child will quickly lose interest in this play activity. It is necessary to alternate textures that are different to the touch. This is also necessary in order to comprehensively develop the tactile sensations of the baby.
For the basis of the canvas, you should not choose saturated monochromatic fabrics with a glossy effect. The baby's eyes will quickly get tired and the passion for the game will disappear.
When decorating a product, it is important to take into account the level of development of the crumbs. Don't get too detailed or overcomplicated. Better to leave some free space to make the desired changes later.
Use in the manufacture of this children's attribute of fabrics of both cold and warm shades. The colors should be bright, but not flashy.
It is also important to think over what zones the canvas will be divided into. Choose the decorated elements in such a way that they look appropriate and reflect the idea of the plan.

Choosing a model

There are a lot of variations of children's developmental paintings. Focusing on the model you like, it will be much easier to design your own, making it more perfect and individual.

Developing mini-sites can be classified as follows.

By the age of the child

For newborns. The canvas is soft, bright. The presence of sides and arcs is required. The toys are positioned so that the baby can reach them. Additional elements are used in the form of soft laces, strips of fabric of different materials, rattling and rustling toys. Often these rugs are produced as "transformers". If desired, they fold easily enough, they can transform into a toy bag or cradle.
For babies from 6 months to 1 year. Most often these are rugs with musical attributes. The kid at this time learns to sit, crawl and walk. There should be plenty of space for play. The child becomes more comfortable and interesting to play on the floor. Based on this, the developing fabric is sewn with a foam or synthetic winterizer insert. The bottom of such a product is oilcloth. This helps in cleaning it from possible dirt.
For babies from 1 year old. For children of this age, the choice can be made in favor of a double-sided canvas. If there is a desire to change the field of activity for the game, just turn the product over. A one-year-old child will also be interested in musical or electronic rugs, as the baby is rapidly developing her auditory skills and dance movements.
For children from 2 years old. At this time, the baby's speech development is gaining momentum. The subject-didactic environment of the playing field should stimulate the baby to activate vocabulary on topics: size, first colors, animals and the sounds they make. The formation of a role-playing game takes place at this age. The ideal will be the choice of a developing attribute in the form of play houses and paths - labyrinths;
For children from 3 years old. At this age, children learn to establish cause and effect relationships. The main activity is a role-playing game. Toddlers learn to find new uses for familiar toys. Logic and thinking are actively developing. Rugs - puzzles, complicated paths-labyrinths are very useful and interesting for children of this age.

With arches and sides

Products of this model are quite common and in demand. Arcs intersect with each other, quite simply detach from the rug. They can be used to hang various game elements, musical details, etc. Bumpers-limiters are made of soft fabric, sometimes made in the form of rollers.

For boys and girls

Such canvases may differ in color, shape, component parts. There are a lot of ways how to make such gender rugs. It all depends on the imagination and skills of the master who undertook to create such a product.

Boys mainly use shades of blue and light blue in their product and the image of road and construction equipment. Such "car mats" will help the child to get acquainted with the rules of the road. As an idea for decorating a canvas for young car enthusiasts, you can make a traffic light, in which you need to choose and attach colors correctly using Velcro tape or rivets. Self-made cars that can squeak or strum because of small parts placed in them will also look worthy.

In decorating rugs for girls, red and pink colors are taken as a basis, dolls, flowers, hearts, etc. are depicted. Canvases with an emphasis on household work will seem interesting and relevant for young ladies: it is appropriate to use various deep pockets, inserts, inserts, appliqués in the form of ovens, cabinets, in which small fabric pots and doll dresses can be placed using Velcro or rivets.

In the form of puzzles

The most common canvases of this type are polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products, since it is shock-resistant, not rigid, long-term and heat-retaining. Thanks to the listed qualities of such raw materials, you can be sure that the child playing on the floor will be warm and comfortable.

There are also textile puzzle mats that mothers are happy to make on their own.

Stages of work

Having decided on the model of the children's development rug, you can proceed directly to its manufacture. It will be much more convenient to work based on the drawn up action plan.

The first stage is preparatory. At this stage, we need:

Make a drawing of the playing canvas, taking into account all decorative additional elements and developmental details.
Pick up fabric. When choosing a fabric, it is important to consider its hypoallergenicity. This quality is possessed by: cotton, coarse calico, denim material, bike, satin, felt. If there is a knitted decor element in the project, it is necessary to choose cotton yarn, since it is not only pleasant to the touch, but also does not cause irritation on the delicate skin of the child. Do not forget about foam rubber or synthetic winterizer, which will allow the baby to play on a warm and soft canvas.
Prepare all the necessary tools and accessories: scissors, needles, threads, appliques, candy wrappers, buttons, ribbons, zippers, adhesive tape, laces, beads, etc.

The second stage is working with fabric.

The play mat consists of two main parts - the seamy side and the front side. Having decided on the fabric, shape and size of the product, we begin to make a pattern for the bottom and top of the canvas, not forgetting about the indents for the seams. Next, you should carefully neaten the edges, making sure there are no protruding threads.

The third stage is working with decorative trim.

Sew the selected fabric applications onto the upper fabric, which is the basis of the rug. We do the same with the prepared fittings, rustling and sound parts, toys. When working with the decoration of the canvas, it is especially important to ensure that the attached elements are firmly attached.

The fourth stage is the completion of the work.

At this stage, parts of the canvas are sewn from the seamy side - the base and the bottom. But in order for the rug to be soft, it is necessary to put foam rubber or synthetic winterizer between the fabrics (if it is very thin, then you will need two layers).

Master class on making a rug

Let's consider step by step how to make a developing mat with arcs for a newborn.

The manufacturing process can be seen in the video:

Step one. Preparation of the necessary tools and materials.

Attention! The fabric for the canvas must be selected of the highest quality, for example, cotton. This material is quite durable and completely natural. It is better to use fabrics of different tones to create a product - cold and warm shades.

about 1 meter of plain bright fabric on the bottom and arc;
8 scraps of fabric with polka dots, flowers, stripes, checks or any other pattern;
cotton tape, satin ribbons or strips of fabric (optional);
gymnastic plastic hoop, the diameter of the arc of which will be approximately 65 cm;
paper pattern in the form of a square with sides 45 cm long;

Attention! The sides of the square paper pattern will change depending on the diameter of the hoop you choose. If the arc is longer, the size of the product will turn out to be larger.

scissors, needle, thread, clerical knife, pins;
synthetic winterizer: 2 meters per arc and 1 meter at the base of the canvas.

Step two. Pattern of material.

Cut out the first base - the bottom of the canvas.

A paper square is superimposed on the selected fabric, which is carefully outlined with chalk or soap. On the sides, you need to leave indents of about 1.5 - 2 cm, these are the so-called seam gaps. Next, the pattern should be cut.

Next, sew the upper part of the product.

It is necessary to fold the paper square 4 times diagonally to form a triangle. Then it is alternately superimposed on 8 pieces of fabric, then outlined and cut out. It is important not to forget about leaving a distance for sewing the material. The result is 8 fabric triangles. It is from them that the upper part of the rug will consist.

Every two triangles are folded with large sides to each other and sewn together. The result of such actions will be 4 squares, which also need to be sewn together in such a way that at the end one large square is obtained. All material should be sewn so that all seams remain inside.

Now you will need to work with padding polyester. Two squares with sides of 50 cm should be cut out of it.

The result of this stage of work will be the finished top, soft base and bottom of the product.

Step three. Making arcs.

The selected hoop is divided into two equal parts using a clerical knife. Arcs are obtained, which should also be soft. For this, pieces of padding polyester must be attached to each half of the hoop, tightly pressing and wrapping them with threads at intervals of 2 - 3 cm. Further, such peculiar arches should be closed with a cloth and sheathed. However, in the middle of one of the arcs, you will need to insert two strips of braid, tape or fabric, which will be tied at the top and hold the structure.

Attention! Using pins will make it much easier to work with parts of the hoop, as they will fix the fabric and prevent it from slipping.

Step four. Creation of "pockets" for arcs.

In order for the arcs to be firmly attached to the base of the mat, it is necessary to make four "pockets" from pieces of material. It is necessary to sew a kind of tubes, the width of which should be slightly larger than the diameter of the arc wrapped with padding polyester and fabric, and the length should be about 10 - 12 cm. The arc should freely enter the pocket, but not dangle.

Step five. Completion of work.

You must first sew the pockets in the corners of the canvas. Then you need to sew the bottom and top of the product inside out, with the front sides inward (like a pillowcase), leaving a small opening through which the synthetic winterizer will fit inside. The base of the rug is ready.

Next, you should install the arcs. They should be inserted into the pockets, positioned diagonally of the product, crossed with each other and connected at the top with a sewn-in tape or braid. In order to prevent the arcs from popping out, you need to tightly wrap the pockets with arcs with the help of the material.

The developmental mat for newborns is ready. It remains only to hang toys, teethers or rattles on arcs with the help of satin ribbons or cotton braid.