Every parent has heard it, the whine of ‘Mommm, I’m borrred…’ when the temperature drops and kids are stuck inside. They’ve already watched every Disney movie you own, and unfortunately, you didn’t think ahead and stock a closet with activities for days such as this. Their play rooms, full of the newest and coolest toys, are suddenly unappealing, and you’re having visions of them as teenagers tearing everything out of their overstuffed closet and declaring dramatically they have nothing to wear. Same situation. It’s common knowledge when you have little ones, chances are they’ll like the box the toy came in better than the toy itself, so why not roll with that and turn your recycling pile into some awesome crafts and toys that will keep them entertained for hours, so you can get some work done (i.e., hide in the bathroom with a glass of wine and a bag of Twizzlers. Get it while you can.)
If your recycling bin doesn’t exactly spark your creativity, and your kids are on your last nerve, don’t waste time googling ‘simple kids DIY’s’ that they’ll finish before you have time to sit down. We’ve rounded up truly awesome, straightforward DIY’s using cardboard boxes for kids of all ages that will keep them busy for hours. From cardboard playhouses and castles for your little ones, to more intricate cardboard lights and shadow puppet theaters for your older kids, we’ve got something for everyone. Plus, you can feel good about recycling, and use this as a teaching moment for your kids to learn about upcycling, creativity and imagination. Because honestly, is there anything better than the childhood days when a box could be a spaceship, a camera, a sleepover spot, a clubhouse, or a theater?
Macaroni Box Camera
This super simple macaroni box camera DIY from Handmade Charlotte lets your little paparazzi make some bright and colorful cameras so they can click away to their hearts content (without finding your phone’s entire camera roll filled with pictures of your kids ear)
Cardboard Animals
Encourage your little ones to make a zoo with these cardboard animals. Parents.com has the full tutorial with printable templates to make it easy for your non artsy kids to create their very own menagerie.
Cardboard Food Truck
The Merrythought knows how to bust out the big guns with this epic cardboard food truck DIY. Give your kiddos some blackboard paintand let them go nuts so they can easily transform their truck from tacos, to ice cream, to the Magic School Bus, so their adventures never end.
Kleenex Box Lanterns
These kleenex box lanturns from Handmade Charlotte are not only colorful and bold, they are so easy to customize your kids will want to make a million of them. Using minimal supplies and battery operated candles will turn their rooms into the ultimate fancy clubhouse.
Cardboard Play Houses
The classic creation for big boxes, the dream team behind A Beautiful Mess made these adorable play houses your kids can switch it up with different doors, windows, wallpaper, and roofs for a one of a kind cardboard neighborhood in your playroom.
Cardboard Cat Rocket Ship
Trisha Sprouse has the how to for this incredible creation- if your kiddos aren’t in the mood to create for themselves, they might be more entertained making for your pets. This cardboard hideaway is the perfect size for a cozy cat, and you can make them a pirate ship, spaceship, firetruck, whatever suits your pets fancy.
Cardboard Dollhouse
Your teeny humans will adore making this cardboard dolls house from Handmade Charlotte, and once they’ve made the house, they can change up the interior, decorate for the holidays, and generally live their best mini life, again and again and again.
Cardboard Lacing Cards
This awesome DIY uses templates from Say Yes to make cardboard lacing cards for tiny tots working on their fine motor skills. They can paint them for added pop, or leave them cardboard colored and use bright laces. One cardboard box offers a lot of material for these cards, so you can make a lot out of a single box!
Cardboard Castle
This cardboard castle Ann Wood Handmade made is serious castle inspiration for those kids who would rather work small scale and leave the big boxes for others. Cut up a cardboard box into various shapes and sizes, play with textures and different boxes, add a popsicle stick drawbridge and you have yourself a dream castle.
Stacking Cardboard Clouds
The kids version of a house of cards, your kids will love making these dreamy stacking clouds from Handmade Charlotte. These cardboard stackers are the ultimate way for a child to expand their imagination; they can be arranged and rearranged into towers and shapes of all different sizes. And when you’re done playing, these clouds take up almost no space at all, so you can put them away for another day (although a room full of clouds sounds pretty magical)
Cardboard Shadow Puppet Theater
Kirsten Rickert has the how to for this DIY shadow box theater, a simple but super fun way to play, and the sky is the limit for puppet possibilities, so get ready for endless playing!
Pop Up Castle
Yup, every castle needs it’s royalty, and this pop up castle combines a few boxes, some scissors and a whole lot of imagination to make this sleepover worthy abode. Sorry for taking over your living room though, this is one project they’re not going to want to put away!
Dino
This little tyke knows whats up. When in doubt, becoming a huge mystical creature that can shoot lasers out of it’s eyes and stomp cities is one way to use cardboard boxes we can really get behind. Your kiddo can create whatever creature they want, and with a couple arm holes and an extra large mouth, they can terrorize the family cat in style.
Cardboard Chess Set
With just a cardboard box, some paint, glue, and a handful of pasta, your kids can create board games that will rock your next family game night. Handmade Charlotte has the tutorial for a chess board, but if checkers or candy land is more your family’s speed, go nuts and see what they can create- or make their own board game.
Lamp
If your older kids aren’t feeling a play house or macaroni box camera, Instructables can take them step by step through creating a gorgeous cardboard lamp like this geometric stunner. It requires a lot of cutting out the same shape over and over, but for a DIY project that is decievingly simple, it has maximum wow factor!
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