Crafting with cardboard file boxes

We have all been to a child’s birthday party and seen him or her unwrap all these expensive gifts only to be more infatuated with the cardboard boxes they came out of.  Cardboard boxes are indeed very fun for children to play with – it’s a fun fact that we should all embrace.  So, rather than toss them away, how about using those cardboard file boxes and a few other common materials to make something your children will love to play with?

It’s amazing what some creative crafters have made with cardboard boxes – everything from cities to farms to castles to theaters.  All these and more can be done rather elaborately by someone with the ambition to create something magical for kids to enjoy.

I will likely pursue one of these more challenging projects in the near future, but what I did recently was to make a cardboard box ice cream stand.  Care to try?  Here’s all you have to do:

1. Get a cardboard box tall enough for your kid to stand in.
2. Place the box upside down and reinforce the flaps with spare pieces of cardboard.
3. Measure where your child’s head will be when standing in the box, outline a window, and cut it out.
4. In the same manner, carve an entrance into another side of the box.
5. Use a spare piece of cardboard to create a counter top.
6. Decorate the stand using anything from paint to adhesive paper.  You can use your crafting skills to create a sign and put it up, or even design an awning.

There’s your wonderful little ice cream stand.  Now go get your little vendor and get him acquainted with his new business.  You can also hire some cheap baby dolls as his assistants.

Kids don’t need much of a reason to play with cardboard boxes, but yours certainly has one now.

Tags: cardboard file boxes, cheap baby dolls

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