A Fun, Inexpensive Party Activity for Kids 10 and Younger

So, a friend of mine was talking about his weekend and mentioned a kids' birthday party he had attended. He was just amazed out how much fun the kids were having with this one particular activity. This particular set of party goers were celebrating a 4th birthday. It really goes back to the old theory of you can spend a ton of money on a fancy toy that they'll play with for 5 minutes or just give a kid a box and let them make a day of it. This activity was built around just that -- BOXES! I know, sounds too good to be true! The premise -- The kids get to create an environment with these boxes that they will enjoy for hours. So, let's get started.

Boxes
First, make sure you have boxes. If you don't have enough in your garage (which I sadly admit that I probably do!), a lot of local retail stores can provide these. They generally have lots left over from shipments received of items stocked. Just ask someone at the front or maybe a store manager. You may also just want to check out back behind the stores.

Theme
Next, you pick out your theme. For girls, you may want to go with a princess theme, for boys maybe a train theme (which was the case for this particular party), or maybe for an older crowd, do something like a space station or Star Wars. The thought here is that it needs to be a theme that you can build around with your cardboard "blocks." Once you start thinking about it -- your mind may go crazy with options -- cars, trains, castles, space stations, the Empire State Building, etc. The list goes on and on.

Decorations
Now that you have your boxes and theme in mind, you'll need to think about what the kids will need to use to turn these mere cardboard shells into the embodiment of their imaginations. A staple for any theme should probably include markers, colors, glue and construction paper. After all, this is a serious arts and craft production that will also be functional. If you're doing a space theme or princess party, I might suggest LOTS of glitter. You can decorate your space station or castle with lots of sparkles. If doing a train like the party that my friend went to, they used string or ribbon so that the kids could literally wear their train car. They all became one large train and chugged their way through the house and back yard. No matter what you choose, your decorations can include as little or as much as you'd like based on your budget and your time. You can even just pick up things around the house that might add a nice touch -- old towels for curtains, paper plates for wheels, plastic cups for binoculars or phones.

Where
Once you've got all the pieces together, it's time to figure out where it will all take place. Make sure to set up the activity in an area where you're OK with the kids all taking part in the craft of creating their functional art piece -- glue, markers and glitter probably aren't something you want to do in a carpeted room with your nicest furniture. You can always take the activity outside or just put down some butcher paper to protect the surroundings. Then, if you're doing something more like a building -- space station, farm, castle, etc. -- you'll also need an area set aside for them to both build their structure as well as play with it and in it. If you're going with a train or even a car theme, just keep in mind where the trains and cars will need to drive once they are completed.

Fun Extras You Can Add
If you'd like to take the party to another level, you can always add some entertainment with an adult dressed up in costume -- Snow White, a train conductor, a pirate, etc. -- and/or provide a show, or even read or tell a story to go along with your theme. You can do this yourself or there are lots of local entertainers that can provide this service -- we have several listed for Austin and surrounding areas on our Partiez2U page.

An there you have it -- a party in a box! Literally! I just thought the concept was so cool and yet simple that I had to share! Hope it was helpful for all you parents out there.