Fun Things for Kids to Make Out of Large Cardboard Boxes

Have you purchased a large item recently? Did it come in an equally large cardboard box? If you have school aged kids, don't get rid of the box! Read on for some fun, creative ways my kids used large, empty boxes.

When my twin boys were about 10 years old, they kept asking if we could go to our local appliance store and find out if they had any large empty boxes. They had been playing at a friend's house and the family had just gotten some new appliances that came in large boxes. The kids spent hours playing with the boxes and they wanted to have some at our house.

I contacted a local appliance store and found out they had a large, empty box we could have. The boys were excited and off we went to pick up the treasure. The box was from a washer or dryer.

The boys had more fun with that big, empty box inside our house and outside. When the box was inside, it was a little house. There was no bottom to the box, so the boys would turn it on its side and put pillows and blankets in it. They would read in there or watch TV in cozy comfort. They even cut out small squares on two sides for windows and hung some cloth up inside for window coverings.

When they tired of playing with the box inside, they took it outside and transformed it into a fort. They cut out some letters and glued them on the front. Their fort was called "Fort Buds". One of their friends joined them and they spent many hours playing in our yard in and around the fort.

The boys had fun with that box, but what they really wanted was an empty refrigerator box so they could make a sno-cone stand. After checking with the appliance store several times, we finally were able to get one. Talk about excitement! You would have thought we had just purchased the latest and greatest toy.

Once the box was home, the transformation began. Under adult supervision, the boys cut a door in the back and a large window in the front for serving customers. They painted the entire box white. They cut large sno-cone shapes out of colored paper and glued them to the sides of the boxes. There was just enough room inside for a small tray table, two small chairs and an ice chest with frozen juice ice cubes so they could make the sno-cones right in front of their customers. They didn't make much money selling sno-cones, but their professional looking stand was a big hit.

So when your kids are bored in the summer, call your local appliance store and see if they have any large empty boxes. They can provide many hours of creative and imaginative playtime for your kids. Best of all, they're free!