Make a town inside a large cardboard box for a fantastic small world play time that uses the whole body! Such a great way for toddlers and preschoolers to play together indoors or outdoors.
My husband told me I can only keep this giant cardboard box until the weekend, then it’s got to go. What’s a girl to do?! PLAY in it as much as we can before he gets to it with his dreaded Stanley knife that’s what! First Pop got in the box as I filled it with play balls and she crawled around in it madly, having a whale of a time flinging them here, there and everywhere! Then we set about making a small world imaginative play space.
I drew a (very basic!) road system, park, train station, train tracks and car park. Pop helped out and loved adding a touch of colour here and there (and all over her face too of course.)I added our basket of wooden building blocks and she loved stacking and arranging them while I built some others into a little city-scape.
We did a little round up of play people, trucks, cars, trains and trees and added them to the scene for some imaginative small world play. She thought it was the funniest thing ever to get the train driver to whoosh down the slide!
And I think it’s possibly the first time she’s ever impressed Big Sister with an idea she has had! C loved it and encouraged her to do it again and again.
And with that she climbed right into the box with her and joined right in, driving trucks, busying the little people and arranging the buildings just so.
What they are learning as they play:
- Knowledge and Understanding of the World: block play and construction/ transport/ road systems
- Literacy: language and vocabulary development/ labelling objects/ mark making
- Maths: building/ solid shapes/ counting/ manipulating objects/ sorting and matching
- Physical: fine motor skill and co-ordination/ gross motor- stacking and balancing
- Creativity: imaginative play/ mark making/ experimenting with materials
- PSE: sustained concentration/ independent play/ co-operation
Oh what fun! I am so glad to see all of these fabulous cardboard box ideas because I sure do have an abundance of them now that I am unpacking from our move!
Aww what a little cutie standing all on her own 🙂 You know I just might be able to find a cardboard box lying around the house somewhere 🙂
What a wonderful idea! I bet the kids loved it.
How fun! I can totally relate to the ‘when are you getting rid of that thing?’ from hubby 🙁
Little Pop is getting cuter and cuter every month!
I love it! It seems so simple, I’ve thought of it a million times but never thought Henry’d get a kick out of it – but now that I see this, I bet GEORGE would love it! I gotta try it! 🙂
Such a fun and simple idea!! Wish I had a big box like that! Sharing this on my Counting Coconuts Facebook page. 🙂
What a great little town. I love that it’s so contained in the box. I never thought to cut the box in that direction… we always do them standing up. This looks like its own kind of fun. 🙂 Sharing on my Wahm Life facebook page.
Thanks everyone and thanks for the Facebook shares too!
congratulations on standing, little pops!! what a beautiful moment. and is there no end to the boxes? 🙂 great post, anna.
Right, now all I need is a giant cardboard box! Is that an interactive whiteboard box?
What a marvellous idea, so simple yet really effective.
L-O-V-E!
What a great idea!!! I just wish we had a spare box here too – might just have to go shopping, lol 🙂
Great idea, I need to go find a box.
Oh my how very cute! Love the “containedness” of it 😉 but my kids also love sitting in boxes, so this would go down a treat!
Thanks, as always, for linking to Kids Get Crafty!
Maggy
@The Boy and Me- I WISH it were an interactive whiteboard box! Swoon. It was from a wardrobe so was shaped in v unusual way, cut vertically instead of horizontally. (these things please me so!) 🙂
Another creative idea – house for kids http://www.cart-pack.pl/domek-tekturowy.html
Just wanted to say that I love your cardboard box ideas and featured you today on my blog-
http://dimplesgiggles.blogspot.com/2011/08/boxes.html
🙂
Thank you SO much Jacqueline!
Jacqueline, Thank you so much for the inspiration! I just love what you are doing and can’t wait to ignite my the imagination of my two and a half year old. What fun, you have certainly set my inagination alight!!!
Now that is a fab big box. Perfect for creating a world for the giant baby to play in.
this is very cool. I guess it’s obvious to your followers, but if you don’t mind posting the kid’s ages in these activities, it’d be great! I’m so sad now that we got rid of a box this size just a month ago.. I bet my 15month old would have enjoyed it as something!
I have done this too with big flat boxes. The children love adding their own touches and buildings. Such great fun with a simple box..!!
Love, love, love! I have been able to save large boxes in our garage by folding them flat and leaning them against the wall, then they aren’t in my husbands way. We fold them back when we use them, keeping packing tape handy to secure the sides so they go back to their original form, or a new form if we want to change it up!
I LOVE this!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!!!!
This is a fabulous idea! I just added it to my list for Cardboard Boxes Up-cycled!
http://www.brainstorminbloom.blogspot.com/2012/12/cardboard-box-up-cycled-csa.html
Thanks,
Sara
Hi! I loved this game so much! I featured you on my blog post “Recycle cardboards and make games for kids!” .You can see it here http://maros-kindergarten.blogspot.gr/2013/02/blog-post.html
I would love your feedback! Have a nice day!
What a great idea. This fits right in with what we are doing at “Redefining the Dream.” See our work at http://www.facebook.com/redefiningthedream.