Play Ideas · September 16, 2026
Five things to do with a cardboard box
No shopping required. Five ways a box you already have becomes an afternoon, sorted roughly from youngest to oldest.
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The box a delivery came in is often better than what was inside it. Here are five ways to use one, from youngest to oldest.
1. A posting slot
Cut one slot in the lid. Hand over anything safely larger than the slot is deep. Posting things through a hole is endlessly satisfying at around one.
2. A tunnel
Open both ends, lie it on its side. Crawling through something is a whole-body problem to solve.
3. A garage
Cut doorways along one side. Every car in the house now has somewhere to live.
4. A drawing surface
Flatten it and put it on the floor. A surface that is allowed to be drawn on is rarer than it sounds.
5. A shop
Cut a window. Add anything from the kitchen. Take turns being the customer.
Trim staples and tape, and keep scissors and cutting to the grown-ups.