This little craft is great fun for a toddler to play with, and simple to make with items you likely have at home.

Start with an old sock and fill it about three-quarters of the way with dried beans. Twist the end to make a tail, and secure with yarn or string.

I drew on eyes, fins, and scales with a fabric marker; if you want to get a little craftier, cut out pieces of felt for these details. To make the fish mouth, poke the fabric in slightly where a mouth would be and use hot glue to secure.

I wriggled the fish up to Veronika, and she was delighted! She loved how heavy it was, and began “swimming” it around the room. I actually wouldn’t make it quite so heavy next time, or we could have played catch with it and worked on her catching skills!

I next showed her how to toss the fish into the laundry basket “ocean”. This was good fun but we quickly realized we needed more fish.

Since I didn’t want to use up all the extra socks in the house, I simply balled one inside the other and knotted string at the end for a quick version, minus the decorations.

Now she had a school of fish to play with!