Crafts for Kids
Cardboard crafts are so much fun. They cost practically nothing to make and bring hours of fun both creating the toy and playing with it afterwards.
Most of these cardboard crafts can be made either at home or at kindergarten for all of the kids to enjoy. Turn it into a class project where everyone participates and contributes something. The kids will be so proud to know that they have made these toys themselves! When they get tired of playing with it you can just throw it out and start working on the next project!
Cardboard Castle
This is a really simple project which can be completed in an hour or so. Cut notches along the top of the box, paint it brown and cut a hole for the door/window. Use a fabric remnant to cut out a curtain and staple it to the top of the box. If you have more patience then you can attach it to a string so that it can be opened and closed. Fold the top of the fabric and staple or sew. Insert the thread through the hole and attach either end of string to each side of the box. This way your child can move the curtain.Make a flag and get your child to design it.This castle is sure to bring hours of fun!
It’s made with cardboard tubes and a box. Your child can have so much fun with this by rolling balls through the maze. Many years ago I made something similar with my kids using recycled boxes, milk cartons, shoeboxes, cups, toilet paper rolls and anything else that my kids could find. There were 2 or 3 different ways to roll the ball to the bottom and they would have competitions to see which ball would reach the end first. They first joined all of the things together and then painted them to add color. It kept them busy all day!
Cardboard Castle
This castle from parents.com is really cute and can be such fun to play with. You could also make a moat to add additional fun! Click here for instructions on how to make it.
DIY Playhouse
I love this playhouse.It was made by “a girl and a gun glue“. Its so pretty and cute! I wish I had a girl!It has a roof, shutters and a mailbox! I just love the flower box!
Cardboard Oven
This cardboard oven is made by Martha Stewart. I love the way you can see what’s inside just like a real oven. You can find detailed instructions including a template for the knob labels on the site. It has burners made from disks and you can put a battery powered light inside the oven.
DIY Play Kitchen
This cute kitchen was made by Hillary Gilmore and featured on PBS.I love the sink made from a mixing bowl and the tap/faucet made from a liquid soap dispenser!There is so much to do here that it can keep kids busy for ages!
I like the idea of an older sibling creating a game for a younger one. It makes him or her feel so proud and grown up. This is a great example of a game that a child can make. The child will obviously need assistance when cutting out the shapes but he or she can do a lot of the work. Once it is complete the kids can play together. Older kids love to teach younger kids. It makes them feel all grown up!Take a square box (although any shape will do) and draw shapes on it with a pencil. Find different shaped objects that will be pushed through the holes and draw the hole slightly larger than the shape to be inserted. Cut the shapes out. This stage should be done by an adult. Draw a border around each shape with a colored marker.
Sailor Boat
This is a really cute sailor boat from Naturestore with a tissue paper sail and a ship wheel. She also made some paper maps (which were given an aged look by dipping them into strong tea and by tearing the edges). A sailor needs to know where he is sailing to!
If you have a huge box then this is an amazing cardboard craft. This one was big enough for a few kids to climb into which is so much fun!I would stick buttons inside (using buttons, caps, corks, etc) to make it even more interactive. If you want to keep the kids busy for even longer you can make astronaut costumes with them that they can wear while playing in their space ship!
Mum of One
These look such fun. Thanks for sharing with the pin it party!