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Small World Play: Cardboard Box Town

May 20, 2011 by Anna Ranson

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.
ย 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.

ย 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/ ย independent play/ co-operation

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Filed Under: Activities, Baby, cardboard box, Construction, Creativity, Outdoor, Small World, Toddler Tagged With: Baby Play, Outdoor Activities, Small World Play

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Comments

  1. Jessica says

    May 20, 2011 at 2:28 pm

    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!

  2. Kate @ An Amazing Child says

    May 20, 2011 at 2:45 pm

    Aww what a little cutie standing all on her own ๐Ÿ™‚ You know I just might be able to find a cardboard box lying around the house somewhere ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Art For Little Hands says

    May 20, 2011 at 2:56 pm

    What a wonderful idea! I bet the kids loved it.

  4. Mama Pea Pod says

    May 20, 2011 at 6:09 pm

    How fun! I can totally relate to the ‘when are you getting rid of that thing?’ from hubby ๐Ÿ™

    Little Pop is getting cuter and cuter every month!

  5. Jamie @ hands on : as we grow says

    May 20, 2011 at 6:31 pm

    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! ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. Counting Coconuts says

    May 20, 2011 at 6:57 pm

    Such a fun and simple idea!! Wish I had a big box like that! Sharing this on my Counting Coconuts Facebook page. ๐Ÿ™‚

  7. Jackie says

    May 20, 2011 at 7:03 pm

    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. ๐Ÿ™‚ Sharing on my Wahm Life facebook page.

  8. Anna @ The Imagination Tree says

    May 20, 2011 at 9:55 pm

    Thanks everyone and thanks for the Facebook shares too!

  9. rachelle | tinkerlab says

    May 21, 2011 at 6:57 am

    congratulations on standing, little pops!! what a beautiful moment. and is there no end to the boxes? ๐Ÿ™‚ great post, anna.

  10. TheBoyandMe says

    May 21, 2011 at 9:48 am

    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.

  11. huana says

    May 21, 2011 at 1:58 pm

    L-O-V-E!

  12. Larissa says

    May 21, 2011 at 2:24 pm

    What a great idea!!! I just wish we had a spare box here too – might just have to go shopping, lol ๐Ÿ™‚

  13. Kristina says

    May 21, 2011 at 11:17 pm

    Great idea, I need to go find a box.

  14. RedTedArt says

    May 23, 2011 at 9:09 am

    Oh my how very cute! Love the “containedness” of it ๐Ÿ˜‰ 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

  15. Anna @ The Imagination Tree says

    May 26, 2011 at 11:24 pm

    @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!) ๐Ÿ™‚

  16. Karton says

    June 12, 2011 at 10:55 pm

    Another creative idea – house for kids http://www.cart-pack.pl/domek-tekturowy.html

  17. Jacqueline says

    August 15, 2011 at 4:55 pm

    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

    ๐Ÿ™‚

  18. Anna @ The Imagination Tree says

    August 16, 2011 at 9:11 pm

    Thank you SO much Jacqueline!

  19. kathy says

    September 29, 2011 at 6:57 am

    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!!!

  20. Here come the girls says

    January 1, 2012 at 10:27 am

    Now that is a fab big box. Perfect for creating a world for the giant baby to play in.

  21. Emily says

    January 2, 2012 at 9:31 pm

    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!

  22. Box o mania play house says

    February 1, 2012 at 6:39 am

    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..!!

  23. Heather says

    April 23, 2012 at 2:11 pm

    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!

  24. RCMom says

    July 19, 2012 at 6:40 pm

    I LOVE this!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!!!!

  25. Sara Ballard says

    December 17, 2012 at 5:40 am

    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

  26. Maro's kindergarten says

    February 14, 2013 at 3:33 pm

    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!

  27. Redefining the Dream says

    February 17, 2013 at 8:45 pm

    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.

Trackbacks

  1. Cheap, Creative, Cardboard Role Play Areas says:
    April 4, 2013 at 3:31 pm

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About The Imagination Tree Hello and welcome! I'm Anna, Mama of 4, early years teacher and play enthusiast from the UK! Click here to read more about me.

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