Box Construction Activities

Let's be honest, kids are obsessed with boxes. Here we share how you can make box construction activities for your little ones easy and enjoyable. And they don't have to be Pinterest perfect. Friend and Mum extraordinaire Emily shares how she went about it.

How it started....

It all started with a little inspo from Instagram

Mr 3 is obsessed with garbage trucks and recycling. I’m over the brightly coloured plastic toys that we have been accumulating, so it seemed a perfect idea to breathe new life into a bunch of materials we had sent to the recycling heap. So I started searching Box Construction Activities.  Instagram is flooded with some incredible box construction masterpieces lately so I thought I’d build the “Z & T’s Park n’ Wash Garage” reposted by @life.of.enchantment. It was quite the project taking a whole day to construct. Mr 3 looked on in anticipation and I have to admit, I did enjoy the building process.

Mamas you don't need to be crafty!!

Whilst the car garage has become a super fun toy for my son, the construction process didn’t involve him. Being an early year’s teacher, I’ve engaged my students in box construction tasks. It is a child directed activity that stimulates imagination and encourages problem solving. Given that Mr 3 had seen me building, I thought I’d encourage him to give it a try too. Not all mamas have the natural inclination to craft, so if this is you, the next activity is totally up your alley. So simple, but so much fun for your child.

Here's what we did...

This book provided our inspiration

We collected a bunch of recyclable materials and discussed their shapes and properties. Mr 3 sorted them based on their ability to roll or slide. We then read a fabulous book titled Bruno’s Box by Nicola Pontin (purchase it here for just $5  ). It’s about a boy who makes things from a cardboard box and cardboard roll. It was the perfect stimulus for the activity and no doubt we will read it again to get the creative juices flowing.

Afterwards I invited Mr 3 to look at the materials and consider what he would like to build. He suggested a park. Collaboratively we drew up the plans (architects draw plans for builders). First of all, Mr 3 wanted a fireman’s pole. He then added some drums, a climbing wall, a fence, car parks and a bike path (he made connections with his real-world experiences at our local parks). Therefore, we referred to our planning sheet as we began to construct with the boxes (note that the drawing is very much open to your own interpretation but of course my son knew exactly what he was doing).
The process engaged Mr 3 for a lengthy period of time and allowed him to have ownership over the final creation. He has enjoyed playing with his park far more than the garage I made for him. The activity is an example of how the process often has many more rich learning implications than the finished product. This child-centred activity is engaging for children of all ages, is free and requires only limited parent input. Certainly, Box Construction Activities are an activity that children will never tire of.

Playing with the final versions (on his Roadtrip play mat)