Box Crafts

Boxes can be used for many things. They make great dollhouses with
only a few preparations. Cut one end out of two boxes. Stack them and
attach with a few pieces of tape. Let your child help you find items to
stick in the house. A picture cut out of a magazine makes a great photo
to hang on the dollhouse wall. An old washcloth makes an excellent rug,
bedspread and curtains. Various boxes can be used for beds, tables,
dressers, cars and tons of other things. Use your imagination. You can
come up with many things for their house.

Large boxes make great clubhouses. A fridge, washer or stove box is big
enough for most children to make their clubhouse out of. Let them color
and decorate the inside and outside of their new home. An adult can cut
windows out and even fashion a door in the side of the box. A child can
make it into a restaurant, store or even an apartment just for
them.

Tie two or three boxes together and you have a train that can be pulled
around with toys in it. Brightly colored yarn is easy to use as a
pulling cord and attaches the boxes together. Your child can color
their train and even find decorations to attach to it. A small bell or
horn makes a great addition also.

Cover a small box with contact paper. Cut a hole in the top, just big
enough for your child's hand to fit into. Fill the box with various
items (i.e., a piece of yarn, a small ball, a piece of cloth). Let your
child put their hand in and, without pulling the item out, guess what
it is. After the guess, they can pull it out to see if they were right.
This is a great game that will make your child really think.

Take a microwave size box and cut out a side panel. Ta-dah! It's a
television that has your favorite child on every channel! Let your
child put on shows for you with their sock puppets. The can put on a
news program, updating you on all the wonderful things that they have
learned at school. Take turns playing with this learning toy. You'll
know exactly what your child is watching&;#8230;You!