How You Can Make Your Own Custom Christmas Ornaments from Toys
Did you know you can repurpose old toys into charming Christmas ornaments? It’s an easy, affordable way to preserve memories and reduce clutter while creating unique decorations for your tree.
The basic idea is simple: choose a lightweight toy (like those from kids’ meal sets or bath toys), attach a ribbon or loop, and you have a homemade ornament ready to hang.
Why you’ll love turning old toys into Christmas ornaments
Households with kids quickly accumulate small toys that end up stuffed in bins or donated. What feels like clutter to adults can be meaningful to children. Turning a favorite small toy into an ornament offers a compromise: the toy becomes a compact keepsake that can be displayed every holiday season.
Making ornaments from toys preserves the memory of your child’s playthings without keeping every item in storage. It’s a simple craft project that yields sentimental decorations you’ll enjoy year after year.
What kind of old toys to make into Christmas ornaments
Choose toys that are small, lightweight, and easy to work with. Good candidates include kids’ meal figures, small plastic bath toys, or lightweight wooden pieces. Ideally the material can be pierced with a pin or screwed into, or it should accept glue securely.
The examples shown here were made from a kids’ meal plane and a small block-shaped bath toy. Other creative sources include toys from baby mobiles or small action figures—anything that can be safely modified to hang.
What supplies you’ll need to DIY Christmas Ornaments
Two reliable methods are described below: an eye screw method and a hot glue method. Each requires only a few basic supplies, so you can pick the approach that best fits your materials and how durable you want the ornament to be.
The hot glue method is quick and easy, while the eye screw method tends to be more durable. If you plan to keep these ornaments for many years or pass them on to your children later, the eye screw method is a better long-term choice. The hot glue method is fine for temporary use and can be redone later if needed.
Method 1: Eye Screw
Supplies: a small eye screw, ribbon or string, a push pin or large safety pin to make a pilot hole, and optionally needle-nose pliers for firmer materials. A lighter is handy if your ribbon frays easily.
Method 2: Hot Glue
Supplies: a hot glue gun, ribbon or string, and the toy. This method is very quick and requires minimal tools.
How to make your Upcycled Christmas Ornaments
Follow the step-by-step instructions for the method you choose. Both approaches are straightforward and can be completed in just a few minutes per ornament.
Method 1: Eye Screw
Step 1: Decide where the ornament should hang from—usually the center of the toy’s top. Use a push pin or safety pin to create a small pilot hole. This guide hole helps position the eye screw and makes it easier to insert without splitting or rotating the toy.
Note: If a push pin won’t pierce the material, the toy may be too hard for this method unless you use a drill.
Step 2: Screw the eye screw into the pilot hole. For softer toys you can hold the toy and twist the screw; for firmer materials use needle-nose pliers to turn the eye screw while keeping it straight so it doesn’t tilt.
Step 3: Thread your ribbon or string through the eye, tie a secure knot, and adjust the loop to your preferred length. A finished hanging loop of about 4 inches of ribbon usually works well.
Step 4: Trim the ribbon ends. If the ribbon frays easily, briefly seal the ends with a lighter to prevent unraveling.
Method 2: Hot Glue
Step 1: Tie a loop in your ribbon or string and knot it securely. Adjust the loop to the desired hanging length.
Step 2: Trim the ends of the ribbon. If the ends will be visible and prone to fraying, you can seal them briefly with a lighter, or keep them short enough to be covered by glue.
Step 3: Position the knotted end on the top of the toy where you want it to hang from.
Step 4: Apply hot glue to the knot and press it onto the toy, holding until the glue sets. Lift the loop gently as needed to verify the hanging position, but avoid placing the toy’s weight on the ribbon while the glue dries.
Looking for more holiday fun?
If you enjoyed this idea, you can expand your seasonal crafting with other simple hacks for busy parents—tips like alternative ornament hooks, creative wreath placement, and quick decorating shortcuts can save time and make the holidays more enjoyable.