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From Craft to Toy: Shrinky Dinks Fun!

coloring shrinky dinks made by ALEX Toys

My kids adore Shrinky Dinks – they love the magic of coloring a thin sheet of plastic and seeing it shrink down to a tiny charm (see the beetle on the 8.5×11-inch sheet of paper below – it started out roughly the same size as the bus Lily is coloring above).

Shrinky Dink kid-made game

One thing I like about Shrinky Dinks is that my kids use them as toys once they create them! This is a game Emma made. I don’t understand the strategy, but it involves math addition facts flash cards, and the beetle going around the maze to the center.

kid-made Shrinky Dink game

Johnny created this cute play scape for his monkey and fish – the fish is in a special fish tank. Can you spot the bathroom and the car on the left-hand side of the page?

Shrinky Dink playscape

Do your kids create games for their crafts?

The Shrinky Dink toys for this post were provided by ALEX Toys. All opinions are my own.

MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.

18 thoughts on “From Craft to Toy: Shrinky Dinks Fun!”

  1. You know I need to dig out the Shrinky Dinks we have. We tried them once a while ago, but the kids weren’t interested in them afterwards. I was, the kids not so much…….

  2. Anna was introduced to Shrinky Dinks for the first time this year. So far we’ve been coloring them and shrinking them, and she is playing a little with them but waiting to set up a Santa workshop scene that came with it. Next time I’ll get “free standing” shrinky dinks and see what happens.

    1. We haven’t done free standing ones yet – I think Johnny especially would enjoy those, as he is always making little guys out of paper to play with.

  3. Varya @ littleartists

    Wow, your kids are so creative! I was looking at your son’s drawing and I was amazed so much – children all over the world apparently draw the same way! Yet another special “language” that makes us understand that world is but one country!

  4. Why have I not purchased Shrinky Dinks for my kid yet?! I LOVED these as kids. I remember coloring in the Smurfs ones and then baking it, and you put them in little stands so that you can play with them after. Okay I have to look these up online! :)

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