Cardboard, cardboard everywhere!

We have a shelf with arts and craft stuff, and as part of that I keep a bag of old cardboard,mainly boxes of various shapes and sizes. A mixture is better, as there is more scope for imagination. So any old boxes, tissue, cereal, egg, shoe, toothpaste etc...., plus rolls, toilet and kitchen, and any other interesting cardboard packaging. I keep it all in one big mesh bag, any extra goes to recycling and I top it up as necessary. Best of all this is free and easy to do, and can provide hours of entertainment for children.

Our Bag of Boxes

In the past we have used the boxes to do junk modelling, I basically let the children design and make whatever they want. Let them loose with the bag of boxes and a roll of sellotape. I can highly recommend getting a sellotape dispenser, and then they can be more independent and do the sticky taping themselves. You just have to be prepared that loads will get used! We have found that sticky tape works much better than trying to stick it all together with glue, where you have to wait for it to dry and pieces often don't stay where they put either. Below is a dog that my son made with boxes and a couple of extra bits, pompoms, and shapes he cut out of coloured paper, for ears, nose and tail.

Junk Model Dog

Recently they have been getting things out of the bag to make set ups for games, so using the boxes as various buildings/homes, including tubes as spaceships etc for characters in their games. It's amazing the imagination a cardboard box can spark off. They set it all out, making great games up, that can keep them occupied for ages. 


So why not give it a try, even if you are short of space, even a few pieces will do, and it's great for developing a child's imagination. There is no prescribed way to play with it, it has no on and off switch unless they draw one on!, and it makes no noise unless they turn the boxes into drums or guitars!. Yes mine have done all these things! It's a lot of fun for the children and great to see what they will create next. The photos below show what mine did recently with their boxes, with a few additional bits of their toys and other bits from the craft cupboard, such as paper plates,and fabrics. It may not look much to us as adults but I can assure you my children got immense fun from their game. They chose to get the bag out, and what they wanted to use, set it up and got on with playing. Simples.

Fairy Home

So if you don't already do this, I can recommend trying it, it's a useful free activity to do at home, particularly as it's the summer holidays. Maybe keep a few boxes, and if your children complain they're bored, give them a load of boxes and some sticky tape and see what happens!? Maybe you already do this with your children, what creations have they come up with? I'd love to hear about them.