10 Fun cardboard DIYs for crafty parents
In the heart of every cardboard box lies a world of adventure waiting to be discovered by little hands and curious minds. Imagine turning a simple cardboard box into a time machine, a rocket ship, or a challenging puzzle. The possibilities are limited only by your child’s imagination. So, we invite you to embark on this crafting journey that stimulates both amusement and enlightenment, making learning an exciting adventure that your kids will cherish.
1. Traveling rocket ship
Things you’ll need:
- A carton box
- Foil paper
- Markers
- Planets printed on paper
- A magnet
How to do it:
- Cut half of the front part of the box
- Stick the printed planets to the top of the box
- Draw a track around the planets with markers
- Make a small rocketship with the foil paper
- Stick the magnet on the rocketship
- Take the other part of the magnet and place it under the top of the box and through the initial hole you make to the box
- Play taking the rocketship around the marked track, with the magnet
2. Nice writing on a board
Improve your writing on a board following this:
- Cut silhouettes of numbers and letters off a cardboard rectangle.
- Place the template on the board and hold it with masking tape.
- Practice your writing, using the template.
3. Recycled fish tank
Things you’ll need:
- A cardboard
- Paint and brushes
- Empty plastic bottles
- Plastic bottle lids of different colors
- Googly eyes
- A hot glue gun
How to make it:
- Cut a piece of cardboard with irregular edges to simulate a pond
- Cut shapes of fish off the cardboard
- Paint both the fish and the pond
- Cut off the corking screw cap of the bottles
- Stick it with hot glue to the pond shape
- Stick a googly eye to each lid
- Have your kids play putting the lid eyes to the fish in the pond
4. Fun math
Things you’ll need:
- A piece of cardboard
- Colorful beads
- A hot glue gun
- A thread
How to make it:
- Cut a square piece of cardboard with 5 square holes on the top
- Stick another piece of cardboard the size of the first one and stick them together
- Insert 9 beads through the thread and tie it in the back of a piece of cardboard as log as the previous squares
- Stick the cardboard with the beads to the squares
- Use this board to practice sums and subtractions
5. Dino ABCs
Things you’ll need
- A cardboard the size of a paper sheet
- A paper sheet with the image of a dinosaur showing the teeth printed
- Markers
- A toothbrush
How to make it:
- Stick the sheet with the image of your Dino to a piece of cardboard
- Laminate the cardboard
- Using your market, write the letters of the alphabet on the Dino’s teeth
Have your kids practice the letters, by using a toothbrush to erase the letters on the Dino’s theeth that you show them.
6. Colorful words
Things you’ll need:
- A cardboard
- Markers
- Paint
- A cutter
How to do it
- Draw a grid on the cardboard
- Paint each line of the grid with a different color
- Write words on the cardboard using one space of the grid for each letter of the word
- Cut the letters off the grid
- Have your kids play building words with the letters
7. Soccer maze
Things you’ll need:
- A cardboard box with lid
- Paint
How to make it
- Remove the lid of the box
- Use pieces of cardboard to make the paths of the maze on the base of the box
- Paint with green
8. A cup that changes colors
Things you’ll need:
- A cardboard
- Hot glue gun
- White paint
- Plastic sheets
How to make it:
- Cut the shape of a cup from your piece of cardboard
- Use hot glue to stick a vertical piece of cardboard on each side of the cup
- Stick a cup silhouette, with a hole in the middle, to the base cup
- Paint with white and black to give it a relief appearance
- Paint the plastic sheets and insert them in the cup to create crazy drinks.
9. Learning the time
Things you’ll need:
- A square piece of cardboard
- A paper sheet with a circle shape
- Printed numbers from 1 to 12
- A button
- A bread bag tie
- Clock sticks made with paper
- Transparent tape
How to make it:
- Stick the sheet to the cardboard
- Stick the numbers of the clock around the circle
- Insert the bread bag tie through the holes of the button and then through the clock sticks
- Put a piece of transparent tape on the bottom of the clock
- Practice writing the correct time on the tape. Erase and try as many times as you wish
10. Tower game
Things you’ll need:
- An egg carton
- Brushes and paint of different colors
How to make it:
- Cut each egg holder from the carton
- Paint each piece with a different color
- Play making a tower with the colorful pieces