Fun in a Box

Have you ever given a child a present and within minutes the child left the toy to play with the box? Why would they want to play with a box? A box to us is nothing more than cardboard, but to a child, a box is much more.

It's an adventure. A child can do many different things with boxes. By experimenting with boxes, imagination will develop. They'll be learning about their surroundings and how they see themselves in relation to this box. They'll try to fit in the box, get under the box or place objects inside the box. Some will wear the box. Should you encourage this type of play?

Any imaginative play should be encouraged. Children learn flexibility, originality, and by creating with these boxes they also develop a positive image of themselves.

Children won't think twice what to do with their box. They'll just do it. They'll find different uses for different sizes and should one use not work out, they'll find another use.

There are many advantages when children play with boxes. Boxes are readily available. Children will have fun with an appliance box (call your local furniture store , most will be happy to give them to you). Supermarkets boxes or smaller boxes such as tissue or food boxes are right in your home. The children can paint them, cut them, glue them, build with them, fill them, the possibilities are endless. Best of all, when your child is done and onto another box project, you can put the old box in for recycling. Take ordinary objects and make inexpensive and educational toys or let children explore with various objects. Let them create and see what they come up with.

Here are ten box activities you can easily set up for your child.

APPLIANCE BOXES
Houses
They are great for building houses. Let your child determine where windows and doors go and for safety reasons you can do the cutting. They can be placed either horizontally or vertically. Let your child place a child-size chair and a few toys inside. Your child might want to paint "indoors" and "outdoors". Children like to hide inside big boxes.

Transportation Methods
Your child might want to turn it into transportation methods such as trucks, boats, cars, or airplanes. Your child will enjoy getting in and out of the boxes. They might want a red fire truck, or a trailer. Use construction paper to form props, such as wheels, steering wheel, and mirrors. Take the time to make these props together.

SUPERMARKET BOXES
Pull Box
Take a supermarket box and cut off the flaps. On two opposite sides of the box make two handles. At 2-3 inches from the rim cut two holes and pass a cord (about 12-15"). Tie the knot inside of the box. Let your child push and pull the box. Toddlers will really enjoy this activity.

Easel Box
Take a supermarket box cut off the flaps. On the side, from one corner to the opposite corner, cut diagonally. Do the same on the other side (same corners). Turn the box over, take off the hanging piece and use as an easel, Tape paper onto to box and let your artist draw or paint. Another variation is to cut a door and this can be a doll tent.

Feely Box
Cut out a hole on the side of the box about 4-5" in diameter. Without your children present, put various household objects inside the box such as plastic spoon, small toys, foam, pieces of yarn, sandpaper... Tape the box shut. Have your child put a hand inside the box and feel different objects. Let them describe these objects to you and you have to guess what it is they are feeling.

SMALLER BOXES (tissue, cereal, cookie, or food boxes)
Box City
Let your child paint each box. Once dry, glue many of them onto a piece of cardboard and make them part of a city. Make roads, use little cars and others props you may have on hand.

Bean Bag Box
Using six to eight different boxes and cut off the tops. Have your child throw bean bags inside the boxes. Use this activity to reinforce words like inside, outside, and beside. They'll be practicing their throwing skills as well.

Babushka Boxes
This activity might take a little more preparation but find ten boxes. One small box that fits into another and those (2) go into another and those (3) go into another and so on. Your child will enjoy fitting the smaller boxes into the bigger boxes. This will develop counting skills, counting from one to ten, and as you hide a box inside another, how many boxes can you see?

Sand Box
Fill the box 3/4 full of sand. Inside the sand place tiny object such as paper clip, ring, and keys. Using a crochet hook, let your child poke through the sand and try to hook up as many objects as possible. This activity will be good for children over three years of age, as younger children will put the objects in their mouths.

Dice Box
Use a square shaped box. Cut out circles from construction paper and glue them onto the side of the box to make a big die. Once dry, play games with you child using this die. Ex. Roll the dice and that's the amount of songs you must sing, or hugs you must give each other or minutes before bedtime...

Let your child explore and come up other variations of what they can do with their boxes. When the next birthday comes around, if there's no box to go with the toy, you'll add one. The possibilities are only set by your imagination.