I’ve made several fun toys and activities for kids using cardboard, egg carton and shoe boxes but nothing like these amazing projects. You’ll be blown away by these 97 things to make using a cardboard box, cardboard tube, egg cartons and shoe boxes. They are DIY activities, games, and imagination building props to encourage your child to play for hours.
Cardboard Box City
1. DIY Cardboard Playhouses ~ Create an entire city block with these amazing playhouses. You can make trees and cars to complement the city.
2. DIY Cardboard Castle ~ Your little princesses will adore playing make believe in this fabulous castle! And, you can make the entire castle for around $4.
3. Castle One and Castle Two ~ Two amazing cardboard castles made for a window display for a store owner. They are seriously so impressive and would make an amazing castle for a little boy who loves to play with knight figurines or amazing spray painted in black and used for Halloween decor.
4. Cardboard Box City ~ A darling Sweetopia made for a birthday party complete with shopping center, dental office, beauty boutique, and pastry shop.
5. Cardboard Box Party ~ This party is seriously so creative with box cars, buses, and even a castle.
6. Barn for the Farm ~ A darling barn made for a 1st birthday party in a farm theme complete with a silk flower window.
7. A Townhouse Village ~ A sweet little townhouse village for little animals made from a cardboard box, paint, sharpies, clear vinyl, ribbon, and scraps of paper and packaging.
8. DIY Kids: Ice Cream Shop ~ This wonderfully social, imaginary play led me to the recent construction of our next DIY Kids Project
I present to you, the Ice Cream Shop.
9. Cardboard Coffee Shop ~ Fashion your little barista with their very own coffee shop made from cardboard.
Cardboard Toys
10. How to Work With Cardboard ~ If you want to make a few fun projects, be sure to check out this great article. The Ikat Bag shows tons of amazing tutorials on things to make with cardboard. Click on any of the images at the bottom of her post to be taken to that tutorial on how to make it.
11. Cardboard Mailbox ~ A fun way to create your own post office at home and a fun activity for kids.
12. Cardboard Washing Machine ~ How fun is the pretend washing machine? Your child can work right along side of you. {wink} (The post is not in English, but with the pictured step by step tutorial you can make your own.)
13. Cardboard Dog House ~ Anna Dawn constructed a dog house out of a cardboard box – so cute with the roof shingles!
14. Recycled Three Little Pigs Puppet Theater ~ A darling theatre made out of a box with a fun dry-erase board topper to write the title of the play.
15. Puppet Theater ~ A refrigerator box turned into a fun puppet theater.
16. Play Dressing Table from a Cardboard Box ~ Two boxes made into a play dressing table and wrapped in wrapped up in some bright pink self adhesive book covering.
17. Cardboard Play Tunnel {Gross Motor Skills} ~ This is a super fun activity to set up for your ready to crawl baby! All youll need is a large cardboard box and some tights! Create the play tunnel with the help of this tutorial, then sit back and watch your baby explore and develop without even knowing its helping with their gross motor skills! {score}
18. Cardboard Box Marble Run ~ A fun activity for kids that uses several pieces of cardboard taped together to make a fun marble run.
19. DIY: Castle Story Box ~ A darling Jack in the Beanstalk castle to inspire imaginary play.
20. Cardboard Guitars ~ Pictured instructions on how to make your own guitars out of a box.
21. Super Hero Phone Booth ~ Clark Kent now has his phone booth to transform into Superman and save the world! What boy wouldnt think that this was the coolest idea ever?! The transformation of this refrigerator box is amazing. Youd better be on the lookout for a refrigerator box because you are definitely going to want to make one for your little superhero.
Cardboard Dress Up
22. Cardboard Party Hats {diy} ~ Create party hats from cardboard with this basic tutorial. There are three tutorials to make a peaked engineer/railroad-operator hat, the Mad-Hatter and the flat boater. Not only are these hats adorable, but very sturdy. After they are constructed you can let the children decorate them with stickers and/or paint.
23. DIY Cardboard Crown ~ This corrugated cardboard crown is fit for a princess or king! It would be darling for a birthday crown too!
24. Robot Costume ~ Jill made this Robot Costume using cardboard boxes, paint, dryer hose, metal, spot light, & silver gloves. I dont think Ive ever seen such a fabulous homemade robot!
25. Cardboard Box iPod Costume ~ With a lil paint, minimal artistic talent and a few supplies you will find around your home, you can easily create an iPod costume for your budding music man.
26. Pirate Ship & Treasure Chest Costumes~ These home made pirate costumes are made with boxes, paint, and plastic jewelry/coins. The ship is shaped from a large box. Jill tells us how to make ever detail for these fabulous costumes!
27. Vintage Auto Costumes ~ Jill made these Vintage Auto Costumes using cardboard boxes, spray paint, foam, and material. Im guessing her kids were the envy of the Halloween party!
28. Mailbox & Popcorn Box Costumes from a box No Sewing required ~ Two costumes featured here are a blue mailbox and a popcorn box.These were so much fun and very simple to make. Michelle says they were super fun to make and got tons of attention!
Cardboard Kitchen
29. Cardboard-Box Oven Craft ~ Make this lovely cardboard oven with materials from around your home.
30. Cardboard Pizza Making ~ A fun activity for kids using cardboard and colored paper and other supplies around your home.
31. Cardboard Pizza Oven ~ Make a pizza oven complete with a brick front to bake cardboard pizzas. It’s made from two boxes and lots of scraps. It would be a fun project after a trip to Costco and receiving a bunch of empty boxes. {wink}
32. Cardboard Refrigerator ~ Stock the pretend refrigerator with play food for hours of play!
33. Cardboard Bedroom Suite ~ An absolutely darling room decorated with a box dresser, headboard, frame and lamp.
34. Night Owl Birthday Party ~ This party is so fab! Look how she used cardboard and made the table look like a bed!
Cardboard Transportation
35. Lego Star Wars Party ~ Make your little Jedi a card board snow speeder for their party. It doubles as entertainment and fun photo ops.
36. Cardboard Airplane ~ With Summer rapidly approaching, this indoor activity while entertain your child and is sure to score you coolest mom of the year award! Youll need a large diaper box and a flying ace!
37. Cardboard Box Party ~ This cardboard box party is pure genius down to the last detail! Ordinary boxes were transformed into a play-yard complete with rocket ships, trains, helicopters and planes. There were even lunches in a box.
38. Backyard Drive-In Movie {Summer Party Themes} ~ What child wouldnt have a blast with this backyard drive-in movie party?! Its perfect for a fun summer night of entertainment! You can make the cars using a cardboard box and paper plates for the wheels.
39. Gas Pump and Car ~ Fill up your tank at the gas pump! This fun car and gas pump combo is sure to be a hit.
40. Scooter made from a box ~ This scooter is seriously so impressive! What kiddo wouldnt want their own life-sized scooter made out of a box!
41. Cardboard Spaceship ~ A fantastic spaceship with an extra partition glued on to the back to allow for intergalactic personnel transport. {snicker}
42. Cardboard Fire Engine Truck Tutorial ~ A darling prop and boy-sized toy for a Fire Truck themed birthday party.
43. Giant Rocket Ship ~ Using a potato box as the base for the structure, all the cardboard was brought home after a trip to Costco. It took about 15 sheets of the corrugated cardboard that they have in between the pallets of diaper boxes/toilet rolls/cereal boxes.
44. Train made out of Boxes ~ A fun and interactive party decor for a train themed outdoor birthday party. Choo choo!
45. Homemade Toy Car Wash ~ A car wash made for the toy cars out of a box and stuff out of the recycling bin and fabric strips.
46. Cardboard Surfboard ~ Pretend surfing with this fun cardboard surfboard.
47. Narnia Ships Craft ~ A free printable template for creating your own ships from The Chronicles of Narnia out of cardboard. This takes the measurements and work out of it but still allows the little ones imagination to run wild!
48. Cardboard Bus ~ Your child’s stuffed animals will definitely travel in style with this fabulous bus complete with a license plate! I love how it was covered in fabric.
49. DIY Ice Cream Truck ~ How about starting the summer off with an ice cream party? Entertain the kids with ice cream crafts, an ice cream bar and a cherry guessing game. An awesome homemade ice cream truck and an ice cream cone lined walk way should round out the decorations. Just add hungry kids.
Tube Crafts
50. DIY Heart Stamping ~ Use cardboard tubes (toilet paper or paper towel rolls) and some paint to stamp heart shapes. This was a fun project that I did with my two year old. Well give some of the artwork to her grandfather and dad for Father’s Day.
51. Crafty Cardboard Princess Crown ~ How To Make A Princess Crown Out Of Paper Towel Tubes (and other miscellaneous odds and ends you have laying around your house) a fun project kids can do almost totally by themselves.
52. Craft Cardboard Stars {Recycled Craft} ~ These gorgeous stars are fairly simple to make and have a definite wow factor! You will never believe this recycled craft was made from toilet paper rolls.
Toilet Paper Tube
53. Owl Play Set {Paper Crafts} ~ This is a great craft for the preschool and early elementary age. All you need is toilet paper rolls, paint and some material or patterned paper. It can be paired with a lesson on owls or just as a fun afternoon craft session!
54. Cardboard Tube Octopus {Easy Craft} ~ What child would not want to make this cute little octopus? It is made from cardboard tubes that normally go right into the landfill. Craft and recycle at the same time. Decorate your mini octopus with dots, stripes, buttons, googly eyes, and anything else you have around the house.
55. Cardboard Tube Easter Bunnies {Easter Crafts for Kids} ~ Cute little Easter bunnies as colorful as jelly beans. Your little ones will have fun making them and you will too.
56. Little Monsters {tutorial} ~ What a fun project for your budding artists! Using recycled cardboard tubes, let your child paint a silly, scary or goofy monster. You can add pom poms and other do dads for decorative trim.
57. Cardboard Tube Bowling ~ Roll a strike with this fun game of bowling! Cardboard tubes for the pins and a duct tape ball.
Egg Carton Crafts
58. Egg Carton Buttons ~ Make your own custom hand painted buttons from recycled egg cartons. Aren’t they adorable? They are sturdy enough for light use, but not for washing.
59. Egg Carton Sewing Kit {Sewing Kits} ~ This sewing kit is rustic and lovely, perfect to display in your craft or hobby room! Easy to put together to store all of the essential sewing tools and supplies for a quick job! Would even make a fabulous little gift for a bride to be!
60. Egg Carton Vase ~ Create a beautiful Spring centerpiece from an egg carton, plastic eggs and store bought flowers. You could also pick flowers from your garden.
61. Egg Carton Planter ~ Egg cartons are perfect as seed starters. Just fill each cup with potting soil and plant some seeds.
Crafts with Egg Cartons
62. DIY Fire-Starters ~ I think this is such a fun and original gift idea, perfect for a winter neighbor gift or for someone who loves to camp and/or hunt. This egg carton is filled with wax and other flammables so when you ned to start a fire, you can just rip off one of the egg cups, light the carton part and you have easy-to-burn kindling to get your fire going. The tutorial shows you everything you need to put together this gift, including a free printable template for the top of the carton.
63. Egg Carton Gift Wrap ~ Decorate an empty egg carton with water-based paint and fill it with your favorite homemade mini muffins or other small items for a homemade gift for any occasion. (This post is in Spanish, but couldn’t resist showing you how beautiful egg cartons can look when painted and used for packaging.)
Egg Carton Flowers
64. How to Make an Egg Carton Flower ~ After you’ve made mom breakfast in bed you can use the recycled egg carton to make these gorgeous flowers. The pearls and beads in the center are perfection!
65. Egg Carton Flowers ~ Surprise mom this Mother’s Day with a bouquet of flowers! Your child will love making them with paint, recycled cardboard tubes and egg cartons.
66. Egg Carton Flower Garland ~ Make a beautiful flower garland with egg cartons and spray paint. It’s perfect for Spring decorating or a summer luau.
67. Egg Carton Roses ~ Learn how to transform an egg carton into these beautiful roses with this wonderful step by step tutorial. Note: One dozen egg carton will make two flowers. Gift these beauties for mom, grandma, teacher or use as a pretty centerpiece.
Egg Carton Activities
68. The Hungry Caterpillar Activity and Printable {Books} ~ Using the classic book The Hungry Caterpillar this post features a couple enrichment activities your preschool aged children will love! First is an egg carton painting project where they can create the caterpillar. Followed by a printable with food the caterpillar eats, and finally just like in the book she shows you how to turn that egg carton caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly! Fun and educational, a win win!
69. Egg Carton Color Sorting ~ A simple way to help teach your children colors is by sorting. All you need is an egg carton, coloring pens and colored chips.
70. Math Play: Egg Carton Number Toss {Fun Games} ~ This fun game will help children practice number recognition, matching, and work on hand-eye coordination skills. If you have an older child, have them toss answer math questions by tossing the candy into the correct answer (ex: 15+19=??? or what is 12 divided by 3???). This fun game is easy to adapt to a wide range of ages.
71. Spy Glasses ~ “There’s a new agent in town!” How fantastic are these spy glasses?! They help encourage your child’s creative minds and their imagination will run wild for hours with these spy glasses.
72. Egg Carton Ship ~ It doesnt matter if you are celebrating with Pirates, Pilgrims, or Christopher Columbus, these egg carton ships will be the perfect addition to the party. Make them ahead of time to decorate a table, let the guests create their own as a party activity, or fill them with candy and send them home as a party favor.
73. Egg Carton Train ~ Upcycle egg cartons, paper plates, and cardboard tubes into this “chew chew” cute train! It’s simple enough for your child to make most of it themselves.
Egg Carton Animals
74. Egg Carton Giraffe Mask ~ How adorable is this giraffe mask?! I love it! It’s a fun craft for children to make with an end result of being able to wear it!
75. How to Make Egg Carton Owls ~ Make owls with recycled egg cartons and decorate them with paint, feathers, glitter and glue.
76. Recycled Egg Carton Caterpillar ~ Teach your children the importance of recycling with this fun caterpillar craft.
77. Egg Carton Bunny and Chick {craft for kids} – These cute little animals will be a fun craft for the kids to create and embellish. Start saving your egg cartons now.
78. Egg Carton Dragon ~ A terrific way to make a Chinese dragon by using recycled egg cartons. Kids can paint and decorate the carton and mom can attach the body and add red felt for the tongue.
79. Egg Carton Turtle ~ What fun these little turtles are! Pipe cleaner for the feet, egg carton body and a pom pom head with googly eyes.
Shoe Box Crafts
80. Chevron Shoebox Wall Art ~ Isn’t this chevron stripe wall art gorgeous?! It’s made from shoebox lids. Seriously! Gather your different sized shoebox lids and paint to make your own fabulous wall art!
81. DIY Mini Wall Art ~ One regular shoebox lid will make 2 mini wall art pieces. Decoupage some pretty paper on the lid and add some thumb tacks for gorgeous wall art.
82. DIY Wall Shelves ~ Dress up your walls with some sturdy shoeboxes, paint and pretty paper. Your wallet will be thanking you while you are admiring your pretty walls!
83. Cord Keeper ~ You won’t get your wires crossed with this handy cord keeper. It’s perfect for recharging portable electronics; cell phone, iPod, BlackBerry and PDA. Simply cover a shoe box and add extra large eyelets for the wires.
84. Shoebox Picnic Basket ~ How fun is this picnic basket?! Cover an old shoebox with fabric, handkerchief and ribbons to make this functional basket. It’s a fun alternative to a sack lunch! I think it would also be a fun date idea.
Craft Box
85. DIY Nail Polish Storage Box ~ Keep your nail polish organized in a shoebox. You can decorate/wrap the box with wallpaper, fabric or even wrapping paper. Something pretty! {wink} Label the nail polish color by painting a dot on top of the bottle.
86. Shoe Box Chic ~ Decorate an old shoe box with fabric scraps to transform it into a beautiful organizational box. It’s so pretty you will want to leave it out on display. No one will ever know it’s not an expensive decorative box. {wink} You can also make several for stacking.
87. DIY Sticker Organization ~ Organize your stickers in a pretty up cycled shoebox. All you have to do is mod podge some pretty paper strips onto the box and you are ready to start organizing your stickers. This is a great project for teachers and scrapbook junkies.
Shoe Box Toys
88. DIY Shoebox Fire Station ~ This is a fun activity that the kids can get involved in making. And boys will love this too!
89. Car Garage ~ Transform a shoebox into a car garage. You can stencil the words GARAGE with acrylic paint. There is also a tutorial to make an adorable barn. {wink} The post is written in Swedish, but there is a translator to change it to English.
90. Shoebox Houses ~ A cute way to turn shoeboxes into storage containers for kids! They’re also fun for playing with micro toys.
91. Shoe Box Dollhouse ~ Make an adorable portable bakery/doll house with furniture! It can be made in less than a half hour using a shoe box, felt, pom pom trim, scissors and glue.
92. Shoebox Stove ~ A fun activity for kids using a shoebox, colored paper and other supplies around your home.
Children Activities
93. Shoebox Diorama Ideas ~ This post contains 5 adorable shoebox diorama ideas that are perfect boredom busters or for school projects. These projects work on dexterity and fine motor skills, following steps / instructions, creativity and imagination, and even the importance of recycling.
94. 100th day of school Chinese abacus ~ This Chinese abacus is considered an ancient counting tool. It was made using a pretty shoe box and stringing fruit loops. Super easy project your kids will love!
95. Marble Maze ~ Turn a shoe box lid and straws into a fun marble maze!
96. DIY Musical Strummies ~ A fun and interactive way to teach music to small children. Add rubber bands to a shoebox lid so that they can strum their own tune.
97. Shoebox Guitar ~ Kids will love strumming on the guitar with this fun shoebox craft. They can pretend that they’re in a rock band.
You Might Also Like:
- 25 Cool Duct Tape Crafts
- 57 Clever Cardboard and Cardboard Tube Crafts to Make
- 13 Cool Tie Dye Crafts to Make
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