Take it from a boy mom whose son went through an all-truck-everything stage that was three years long: truck-loving kiddos are not that hard to entertain. Give them some Hot Wheels, some rescue vehicles, and a few construction trucks to play with and odds are good they’ll occupy themselves for a while. A great alternative for when that gets old is to drive them to a nearby construction site so they can watch the dirt-digging in action. Honestly, it’s guaranteed hours of free entertainment.

But still, there are ways to make their truck-playing at home more fun and creative. These DIY ideas from clever mamas on Instagram are great to try if you want to mix up your vehicle-obsessed toddler’s play routine and/or if you’d rather not have them watch monster truck races, Blippi’s excavator clips, or the Cars movies on a loop. 

Check out a few recommendations on Instagram that’ll keep your little ones off the screens and deep into independent truck play:

• Make a monster truck bridge by connecting a row of popsicle sticks with two sides of blue painters tape. Then stick it to your kitchen counter to keep your kiddos busy while you prep dinner.

• Craft your own cardboard box road for toy trucks by laying it out flat and drawing your own “city” onto it. Then introduce trucks, magnetic tiles, and more of their favorites to help get the creative juices flowing.

• While you’re at it, use those magnetic tiles to build a car park so kids can watch their mini vehicles race to the finish line.

• Try these car tunnels made from half a sheet of construction paper and painters tape. You can adjust the width to fit monster trucks, matchbox cars, or other small vehicles.

• Build your own toy truck parking garage with—yet again—strips of painters tape placed against the wall. 

And if you’re wondering where to store all those four-wheelers? Consider stashing them on hanging shelves like this or, for bigger vehicles, investing in a large shoe rack. These Montessori-style organizing hacks mean your child can see all the toys in front of them, plus cleanup is easier since they’re not taking every single truck out of deep bins to find the one they want.

What’s your favorite toy truck DIY (or vehicle storage hack)?

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