DIY felt board playsets

The options are limitless! It’s all pretty straightforward ands most of it is in the pictures, but here’s the full step-by-step with some additional notes.

1. Find your template. You can draw it, find one of thousands of patterns available online, or - my favorite new felt hack - use a coloring page. You don’t want something with too many details or you’re gonna be cutting tiny felt pieces forever - coloring books made for younger kids have good sized bits and are easy to cut out. I used a printable coloring page for the caterpillar and then have just been freehanding the food on graph paper and using that.

2. Cut out the entire paper template as one piece. Use the washable glue on the printed/drawn side of the template and stick it to the back of a felt sheet - I generally go with whatever the most common color on the piece is because it’s probably gonna show through in some places where the smaller pieces meet up. Cut around the template and peel it off the felt - the washablee glue doesn’t have much hold and will peel off without damaging either piece.

Note: The way I do my pieces ends with them being glued to another base sheet in a specific color so they all have a matching outline - if you don’t want your pieces outlined I’d recommend cutting two of the base layer and going ahead and glueing them together so your piece has more stability. Otherwise it’s gonna be floopy and harder for toddlers to stick to the felt boards. If you’re making it for yourself/older kids and/or not worried about that then skip it - you do you!

3. Cut the individual sections out of the template. This gives you each piece you’ll need to cut out in different colors to make your final image. Again, use the washable glue stick to glue the printed side of the image to the back of the felt - this keeps any remaining glue marks from showing when you’re done.

4. Use the permanent glue stick to assemble the small bits to the base layer like a puzzle. If you work quickly you can put a layer of glue over the entire base and fit the smaller pieces on top - I think it’s way easier this way instead of putting glue on each small piece, but again, you do you.

5. Let this dry a bit and then use your scissors to trim up the edges. Felt stretches and compacts weird so it’s probably gonna be a little wonky, and this is when you fix it.

6. Optional outline: glue the whole thing onto a base sheet and cut around it with a margin, giving it a little outline. I like the pieces to have the outline but this is 100% a matter of personal preference.

7. Play! Felt sticks to felt so you can use the pieces you make to set up stories or games. Felt boards are also super easy to make - I just used an old poster frame without the glass to frame some felt fabric, then used command strips to put it on the wall in Henry’s room. It works out great!

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