I think the best toys for kids happen to also be the simplest. A good doll or two, a roll of aluminum foil, a ball, paper and pencils, a shovel and a couple of cardboard boxes.
Big boxes, little boxes and everything in between.
Boxes can create miniature cities, doll houses, puppet theaters, club houses and even a boy (or girl’s) dream arcade.
The followed video is about an east Los Angeles boy who created his own elaborate arcade out of cardboard boxes and his own toys. It’s awesome, and even though the video is ten minutes long, it’s worth your time.
I love big cardboard boxes. You know, the ones that refrigerators come in. And through the years we have made an awesome puppet theater, multiple club houses and this, most likely our last big box project from a few years ago:
Do you see the clear contact paper skylight? Cause this box was featured on “Pimp My Box!”
You don’t need a lot (or even any) money to treat your kids to a creative childhood.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
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{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
I could not agree more! Our families get upset that we keep donating all these toys, but forget to realize that our boys PREFER to play with items from the recycling. They have a couple cars and animals they love, but beyond that, it’s all about bags, boxes, TP rolls, egg cartons, etc. I still don’t get why people spend so much on toys! Thanks for bringing Cardboard Box Play Awareness to the forefront of our minds!
I love this so much! My kids all love boxes, of all shapes and sizes, and go to great lengths to get them. My eldest created a mini arcade a little while back, which was super cool until a certain younger sister ruined it. I’ll have to show him the video when he gets home!
I’m going to show it to my younger son when he gets home form school too!
Katy
Brenna is my daughter’s name! Not very common.
LOL. We just completed a dog house for a stuffed puppy. Complete with a picture of our family and “D O G” by a 3 year old.
They recycle nicely when we are done too 🙂
I am now a grandmother–my children loved playing with boxes–more than the toy that came in them! Then my grandchildren have followed suit. Also popular is the blanket and chairs pushed up to the sofa and made into a tepee, fort, hideout, etc. They loved cutting pictures out of seed catalogs to make collages. Also loved playing with my empty, clean food containers to play store, etc ie: I would tape closed the empty instant pudding boxes, macaroni boxes, etc and sometimes they even got to use the containers with food if the container would not hurt them–like light weight items that weren’t perishable. I think this fosters creative thinking and helps a child learn how to actively use their mind and occupy their time without being entertained. Also, always loved a good book as a gift for the kids. I guess you can tell I am getting OLD–Ha!
Nope, this kind of parenting is timeless. 🙂
Katy
I did the same things with my kids. Maybe I am dating myself but we would cut out all of the pictures from the Sears catalog and make our own doll houses and paper dolls.
Love it!
Katy
I absolutely love that video. I didn’t see a TV or an electronic toy in sight. I doubt that’s coincidence.
That is the coolest thing! I loved it. I’m going to put it on my fb timeline so I can go back and watch it any time I need a smile. Man, I was sniffling by 5:56 and downright crying by 7 minutes. Thanks for sharing that!
I love this and I’m sure my 8 yr. old son will too! Thanks for sharing.
We had just had a refrigerator delivered when a single mom came to pick up her daughter at the day care next door. She asked us if we would save the box for her daughter until she could arrange to have it picked up by a relative. The delivery man offered to drop it off at her place. He was single too and they ended up getting married! Our son loved playing with boxes. And don’t forget you can make really cool structures that your cat(s) will love.
See? Simple playthings can lead to true love. 😉
Katy
AHHH, I always enjoy a good love story
And they’ve collected over $120,000 for Caine’s college scholarship fund! My 8 y.o. was fascinated by Caine’s story, and we live in L.A., so we’ll probably swing by the arcade in a few weeks.
What?! That’s insane! Wow.
Wow.
Katy
Here’s the original blog that the filmmaker set up. It’s tracking the donations to his college fund:
http://cainesarcade.com/
Our kids loved boxes too. When we got ahold of a big appliance box, my son–7 at the time–made a greengrocer’s “store”. He even wore a striped apron that came from Goodwill, and he stocked and sold us fruit and veg, using play money of course. It was pretty damned cute. I often think it’s no coincidence that he has always loved to eat fruit. Maybe his days as a greengrocer got him interested!
His other fun toy was an old but clean garbage can that he filled up with water from the hose and “swam” in on warm days. Yes, the simple things that charge up a kid’s creativity are the best!
So very cool, thanks for passing it along.
Don’t forget sticks, my son’s favorite toy when he was a toddler. When we went for walks around the neighborhood, he picked up every stick he found.
We have two huge and very thick boxes in the basement that my hubby brought home from work (yet another job perk!!). We put them side by side and cut windows, doors, top window/escape hatch and we made a “secret passage” on the inside so that our two kids have access to each others box. I let the kids take markers and decorate anyway they wanted. Now when we have company over, they take them down there and make them sign the boxes! We just got a 3rd big box and we need to plan something cool with it too!
Couldn’t agree more! Also good are laundry baskets, and the blanket forts described by another commenter above. When my kids were old enough not to eat foreign objects, another item they enjoyed was the button jar – they made “roads” and “parking spots”, etc. for their little cars. Imagination is a vital characteristic to foster in a child.
We currently have a cardboard box in our living room. Both the toddler and cat are having a fanatic time in the tunnel.