How the Kids Can Have Fun with a Cardboard Box

What can you do with a cardboard box if you are a kid?  The possibilities are endless.  Kids can use a cardboard box to play or to create.  They can use them to store things in or to keep their rooms clean (and therefore keep their parents happy and continue to collect their allowances).  It is amazing to think that something as simple as a cardboard box can keep a child happy for hours on end.  Here are some things your child might enjoy doing with a cardboard box.

Build a House
A large cardboard box can be made into a playhouse for small children.  Cut the end flaps off of one end of the box and turn it upside down with the open end to the floor.  Turn the long flaps of the other end up until they come to a point, and then fold the shorter ends into a triangle to fit under and support the longer ends and secure the roof with tape.  Cut out a door and windows and you have a house.  Let the kids decorate the house with some old pieces of fabric for drapes and rectangular pieces of construction paper to make shingles and bricks.  They can cut flowers and bushes for the front of the house from construction paper as well, or just color them on with crayons.

Beanbag Toss
Cut a small, round hole into the side of a cardboard box and sit it on the floor.  Give the kids some small beanbags to try to toss into the hole.  Teach them how to keep score.  This not only keeps them active when stuck in the house, but can be taken outside to play with the neighbors.  And keeping score teaches the children math skills, too.

Decorative Storage
Give your children a sturdy cardboard box and some child-safe paint and let them create their own decorative storage box for their bedroom.  Several boxes of the same size will stack nicely in the corner of the room and the kids will be proud to keep their toys in the boxes that they designed by themselves. 

Picture Frames
A small cardboard box can be easily turned into a picture frame that your child will be proud to give to Grandma for a special occasion, or just as a nice way to present their latest school pictures.  Carefully cut out the four sides of the box to the size of the photos that will be inserted and let the kids decorate the boxes with paint or by pasting on buttons or painted macaroni.  Once the project is complete, let the children add their photos by taping them to the inside of the box.  Use a larger box and cut out several sized holes for a collage photo frame.

There are so many more things your children can do with a cardboard box.  Be creative with your kids and let them come up with ideas.  The kids can supply the brains and you can supply the cardboard box and tools.  Together you’ll be having fun.