Cardboard Fun

When you have an excess of cardboard laying around, what do you do with it? Is it like anything else you have extra of and you just throw it away? Or does it pile up and get in your way eventually?

The thing is, it’s sometimes better to repurpose old, everyday items. People create some pretty extraordinary things out of ordinary items, so why couldn’t you, too?

Well, shipping boxes are one of those everyday materials that we find just sitting in a corner of the house more often than not. Rather than dedicate them to the same old use in storage as you always have, why not try getting a little crafty as a bonding experience with your children?

Check out our crafty ideas below for art projects with your family. They’re cheap or pretty much free, so why not give them a try!

School diorama

A lot of the time, old shoeboxes work for smaller dioramas. But slightly bigger shipping boxes could increase the possibilities of such a project. The thing about dioramas you need to keep in mind is that you have to get creative with other household items. Cotton balls worked well as clouds or maybe even fog, actual sticks made for the perfect trees. While going to your local arts and crafts store would likely yield much more specific or niche items, try to get your creative juices going and round up a handful of formerly useless things around your house that won’t cost you a thing.

Cardboard playhouse

This one never gets old. Of course, you’ll need some furniture boxes or home appliance boxes for these to be big enough for your kids to play in for the day. Don’t you want to help create the same experience for your kid that you once felt when you were their age?

The trick to these is having fun and getting creative. Don’t just draw on windows with marker from the outside. Cut out square holes, create a “door” by reusing the door cutout and even giving it a hinge of sorts. You could even paint the entire outside to make it seem far more imaginative and fun for your kids. Plain brown cardboard houses are boring -- spruce it up with some color.

Just remember to be creative. These two ideas aren’t much, but you can do a heck of a lot more with cardboard. While boxes are one commonplace item, you want to extend on that idea and gather as much as you can in other everyday resources to really make the most out of your cheap project.