by S D Rios

Created on: March 03, 2010

How many times have you purchased an expensive toy or other gift only to find that the kids are more interested in the box the gift came in than the gift itself? Boxes offer a world of possibilities unlike many toys which often come with a predetermined purpose and few outlets for creative thinking. As any kid knows, boxes can become just about anything on any given day. Keep a collection of boxes of all shapes and sizes on hand for all sorts of creative fun.

Here are just some of the many fun things to do with a box and a few supplies you might have lying around the house.

 1. Create a home for stuffed animals, Bakugans, Littlest Pet Shops, Barbies, and the list goes on. Let the kids use paper, stickers, markers, and other items to create furniture and decor. 2. Make a garage or repair shop for toys cars. 3. Make a diorama of an Indian village, a desert scene, the African savannah, another planet, or whatever currently interests your child!) 4. Play basketball with the box as the hoop. 5. Make varying sizes of holes in the lid and make a beanbag toss game. 6.  Make a vehicle by adding wheels and axles. 7. Make a time capsule. 8. Use several as pieces of a larger structure. 9. Make a pirate's treasure chest. 10. Make a piggy bank. 11. Make a castle using boxes, canisters, paper cones, and other supplies. 12. Decorate and make a window box full of small potted plants or silk flowers. 13. Make a marble maze by creating a route using smaller pieces of cardboard. 14.  Design a jewelry box. 15. Make a puppet theater. 16. Make a television set and scroll drawings from one side to the other on dowels. 17. Make a drum or a string guitar. 18. Make a mailbox. 19. Create a robot. 20. Make a mask or helmet.  21. Make a fairy house or a leprechaun trap.

And the list goes on and on. Kids are infinitely more creative than most of us adults. Give them a collection of boxes, markers, painters, stickers, and other supplies and you will be amazed at the things they create and the fun that they have. A good box can be so much more fun than many of the toys collecting dust in our toyboxes! 

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