7 Things to do with cardboard boxes

Who else has a pile of delivery boxes building up?

We certainly do, so this week we thought we'd see how all those boxes could be put to good use with a few creative play ideas. 

Here are 7 things, 1 a day, that you can create with your stockpile of cardboard delivery boxes.

Create your very own little monster pet like these cuties from @cardboardfolk Then practice some motor control skills by feeding your monster all sort of different size and shaped treats by posting toys into their hungry mouth.

Zoom, zoom, zoom into space in your very own rocket! 
Rockets are great fun to build and they can be as simple or elaborate as you like. Just gather up your largest boxes to make the rectangular body of the rocket. Cut out 1 or 2 circular windows. Then make a pointed cone for the top of the rocket - cover in tin foil if you're wanting to go super authentic. Draw in some control switches on the inside and get ready to blast off!

Or how about sailing "in and out of weeks, through a night and day to where the wild things are" in a little cardboard box sailing boat, complete with paper sail! 

If you're feeling particularly creative, why not build a little dolls house or a doll's room like this amazing one from @cardboardfolk or perhaps a bug hotel for the garden like this one from @recycleandplay

If you're tired of your old puzzles, why not make some new ones in your favourite shapes, like these little hearts from @get.creative.with and bunnies from @littlebuttondiaries

Thinking about preschool home schooling ideas as we head back to 'home' school next week, why not build those gross motor skills, with a simple circus style throwing game like this one from @zara_play_tribe 

Or help little ones work on their letter recognition, with a multi sensory approach, by filling cardboard letter shapes with textures like rice, beans or sand.

Alternatively get your little ones to paint through pre writing shapes so they can start to get a feel for how letters are formed.

For preschoolers the pre-writing shape targets are: vertical line (|) 2 years, horizontal line (-) 2.5 years, circle (o) 3 years and a cross (+) by 3.5yrs.

A quick COVID safety note, current research has found that the virus can live on cardboard for up to 24 hours, so to be on the safe side, leave any boxes aside for this period before getting creative.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/04/how-long-does-coronavirus-live-on-different-surfaces

Happy creating and don't forget to share your creations with us xx