Sewing a Frog Bean Bag for Kids

Bean bag animals might no longer be the latest craze, but they still make versatile gifts and toys for kids. If you’re feeling crafty or you like toys you can’t just buy in a store, make your own frog bean bag for your toddler or preschooler. Even with minimal sewing expertise, you can treat your little one to a handmade friend he’ll cherish for years.

Both the good news and the bad news is that you don’t need much fabric for a frog bean bag; it makes for a rather inexpensive craft, but small pieces can be tricky to deal with. Choose 1/4 yard of cotton fabric or felt for the body of your frog. The other required materials include googly eyes, sewing machine, hot glue gun, thread, needle, pins, scissors, paper, and rice or small beans.

Draw or print the shape of a frog on a piece of paper to make a template for your frog’s body. Secure the template on your fabric with pins and cut out two pieces. If you want your frog to have a slightly taller body, you will need to make two separate template pieces, one for the top and one for the bottom. The bottom piece will be the same as your drawing of a frog shape; the top piece will be half of the bottom piece, except with an extra 1/4 inch on all edges and a slightly curved edge down the middle of the body of the frog. You will cut one bottom piece and two top pieces.

Place the right sides of the fabric pieces together and sew around the edges, leaving a 1-inch slit open for stuffing the frog. If you make the taller frog, first put right sides together and sew the two top pieces together down the curved edge. Sew the top and bottom with right sides together. You will also need to leave a slit open for this frog. If you don’t have a sewing machine, you can sew a running stitch with needle and thread.

Glue the googly eyes on the top of the frog’s head to finish decorating your frog bean bag. Alternatively, you can sew two buttons for eyes. Fill the frog with beans or rice and use the needle and thread to close the slit. For a variation, add a tongue to your frog. Before placing the right sides of the top and bottom pieces together, place a piece of ribbon or felt on the frog’s head where his mouth would be. Place on the right side of the fabric on the top piece so the raw edges of the ribbon match the raw edge of the fabric. Place the right sides of the body pieces together and sew. Choose a contrasting fabric and glue the spots on the top piece of your frog to add spots.