Cardboard box city
Ordered a lot of stuff lately? A day out in the city is a perfect play idea for all those boxes!
Got a pile of cardboard boxes lying around? Turn them into a bustling city! Stack, tape, and decorate boxes to create buildings, roads, tunnels, and even bridges. Use markers, stickers, or craft supplies to add doors, windows, and signs—your child can design a whole neighbourhood!
Toy cars, animal figurines, or little action figures can bring the city to life. Will there be a fire station? A café? Maybe even a skyscraper! Whether they’re driving toy cars through streets, setting up a mini shop, or pretending to be a giant stomping through town, this open-ended play idea is perfect for creativity and storytelling.
Materials
Prep
Step 1:
Set out an assortment of different sized cardboard boxes
Step 2:
Lay out the paint, palettes, sponges and brushes
Play
Step 1:
Demonstrate painting the boxes yourself and invite them to try. We find limiting the paint colours and materials to just 2 or 3 makes this less overwhelming for your littles.
Step 2:
If you're using the masking tape, stick strips onto a box to peel off later to surprise your little with perfectly shaped windows.
Step 3:
Add some of their favourite figurines and cars to role play a day out in the city
Extend
Delivery Truck Game: Turn a small box into a pretend delivery truck and load it up with toy parcels (smaller boxes or wrapped-up items). Your child can “drive” through the city, delivering packages to different buildings!
Glow-in-the-Dark City: Use glow sticks or fairy lights inside some boxes to turn the city into a glowing nightscape. Play in a dark room and see how the lights shine through windows and doors!
Road Map Adventure: Use tape or markers to create roads, roundabouts, and parking spaces on a big piece of cardboard (or directly on the floor if you’re using painter’s tape). Your child can drive toy cars around the city, stopping at buildings or even creating traffic jams!
