20 Ways to Play with a Cardboard Box

Sometimes, the best presents come in small packages.  However, the best fun comes in BIG BOXES! But, how can you play with a cardboard box?

Before sending it off to the recycling bin, let the children be creative and watch their imaginations stretch. Follow their lead or pull our some props to spark ideas.

What can you do with a big cardboard box or two? Have tons of fun!

1. Use markers and decorate it like a playhouse.  Cut out windows and doors.
2. Hide inside with a flashlight.
3. Poke holes in the box and be a secret spy.
4. Add a couple of wooden spoons and sail away in a boat.
5. Be a human jack-in-the-box.
6. Read a book, sitting inside.
7. Play peek-a-boo.
8. Fill it with small treasures and cover them with cotton balls or packing peanuts and have an archeological dig.
9. Flip it over to be an oven.
10. Stand it up to be a refrigerator.
11. Cut out holes for the head and arms. Decorate with foil and be a robot.
12. Poke it with holes, put a light inside, sit in a dark room and count the “stars.”
13. Make it into a space ship and blast into outer space!
14. Add wings and you have an airplane.
15. Link several boxes to ride the train to the zoo. Line the tracks with stuffed animals.
16. Add a periscope and dive, dive under the sea in your own submarine.
17. Build trust. Have an older child cover their head with the box (leaving the space where the box meets the body open for air ventilation, and ask another child to direct them around obstacles using only words.
18. Invite the princess to a royal tea at the “castle.”
19. Make super big building blocks.  Use a bunch of diaper boxes or shoe boxes to build a tower to the moon.
20. It’s demolition derby!  Stack them up outside and let children bust through them, riding their bicycles.
21. What can you think of?

Trying to find a big box?  Home improvement, furniture and appliance stores often have some in the back.  Just ask.

What are your ideas for growing a child’s imagination with a big cardboard box?