Free Toy Box Plans

For Building Toy Storage that Matches Any Theme!

These free toy box plans are simple, yet brilliant if I do say so myself. I love how you can create something that matches with any child's room theme just by switching out one piece of wood. So simple.

Even with the best intentions of keeping toy clutter down, most parents fail. I did, which is why I decided to design these toy storage boxes. I knew I wanted a simple box and no lid. Having no lid means there is no lid to get in the way, just easy access for the kids.

Sure, it is a wooden box - but with a clever twist. By cutting out a shape for the front wood panel it is no longer a boring box!

For my two examples, I made a vintage inspired amp toybox and a robot toybox. These were perfect for my sons, and you could make something that is just perfect for your little one. Simple shapes and silhouettes will work best for the front panel.

Free Toy Box Plans Instructions:

The first thing is to decide on is your final dimensions, which brings up safety. For both our amp and robot, our dimensions were approximately 16" tall by 20" wide for the front and 15" deep. This is a good size for a four year old, but would be much too tall for a one year old. Keep in mind you want the child that will be using it to be able to reach inside safetly. Stick to a shallow toy box design for wee ones so they can reach the bottom and not fall in.

We use a no-nails construction and drill holes for wooden dowels that we glue in place with wood glue. Before you drill holes, make sure none of your wood is warped or you will have horrible gaps and it won't fit together...we had one smaller box that wound up as scrap for this reason.

For our robot box, we drew and then used a jigsaw to cut out the front panel shape. Then we clamped the box overnight until the glue dried completely. Finally, we used a hand sander and smoothed all the edges before painting.

By the way, I first woodburned the details in, which is the woodburning signature style I developed with my Woodmouse toy line and then used acrylic paints. They were sealed with my homemade beeswax polish.

Our robot box is our dress-up box, while our amp box is used for musical instrument storage.

With the scraps, I made a small box, perfect for small toys! This one was painted with a wash of watercolor paint to let the grain show through.

Front panel ideas for these free toy box plans:

• car, truck, firetruck, train, football, basketball, beachball
• flower, tree, star, rainbow, butterfly, castle
• elephant, turtle, fish, house, bird

I hope you enjoy using these free toy box plans to build your own custom design to match the interests of your little one!