5 Things to Do With a Cardboard Box

The folks over at HelpParent have put together a list of 5 classic things to do with a cardboard box. I challenge you to see if you can make the box survive through all 5 different iterations:

1) House. Cut a door and some windows. Make them flap open and closed instead of just cutting out the holes. Make little curtains out of scrap material or even just napkins. Paint a window box under the window and cut out paper flowers to glue on. Put the dress-up clothes inside the house. Add kitchen supplies. You can get kid’s kitchen-ware, or just pass on some plastic bowls and wooden spoons.

2) Make a grocery store. Instead of buying play food, start saving up used containers from your kitchen. Empty cereal boxes, yogurt containers, plastic jars like from peanut butter, the box the butter sticks came in, plastic baby food containers, etc. all add up pretty quickly to a great grocery store. Make play money.

3) Post office. Save all that junk mail, old magazines and newspapers, envelopes and scrap paper, and put it to good use!

4) Theater. Perhaps when you’re done with the other set-ups, you can cut down more of one wall to make a nice theater. Let your child dress up. Write plays together and act them out. Make hand or finger puppets from material scraps or paper bags. If you’re out of ideas for what to act out, play off of your child’s favorite shows. Act out an episode and make up new endings.

5) If you’re done with all the walls, cut the whole box down so that there’s just the bottom and foot high walls all around. This makes a great place to contain messier art projects, so let your child let loose! Put scissors, glue, paper, crayons, chalk, beads, cotton balls, string, glitter, etc. in the box, and let your child know that anything goes as long as it stays in the box.