Spring is here, and with it comes {usually! hopefully?} lots of rain. Our forecast for the entire week is rain and thunderstorms, and with 3 kids 5 and under that is going to mean lots of looooooooong days indoors. I’m always looking for indoor boredom busters for rainy days – fun things that help keep the kids {and me!} occupied, the time pass, and everyone’s sanity intact.
Inspiration recently came during our afternoon story time. We were reading my childhood copy of Christina Katerina and the Box, a book about a girl transforming a refrigerator box into a myriad of wonderful inventions. I loved this book as a kid, and it is extremely gratifying to me that my kids love it too.
A cardboard box can be a world of creative opportunity for kids. When we get our monthly subscribe and save boxes of diapers, wipes, and toilet paper; my kids keep the boxes for days. They pretend they are riding in boats. They poke holes and color on them making “projects.” A box becomes their bed, or a train car, or one block in a tall tower.
Boxes are almost always more interesting than the toys that come in them, aren’t they?
For a few years now I’ve seen darling castles and play houses made out of boxes on Pinterest. I’m not the craftiest mom in the world, but I think it would be fun and worth the effort to make a simpler one.
To help you push through your rainy spring days with littles, here’s a list of fun {and mostly simple!} activities you can do with plain old cardboard boxes. Check out Christina Katerina {and the equally adorable Not a Box} from your local library, grab a few boxes, and have graham crackers for a “cardboard box” snack- I guarantee the day will fly and be FUN!
- Build this maze-like fort from Smile and Wave, complete with sun roofs and a tower.
- Climb inside an extra-large box and draw a town with roads and lego houses, via Pickle Bums.
- Wanting to make your own cardboard playhouse? This round-up of 26 awesome ideas from Playtivities is sure to help you find the perfect option.
- Get out all of your kids’ BIG ENERGY with a stair slide, via The Contemplative Creative.
- Aspiring pilot in your house? They will love Repeat Crafter Me’s cardboard airplane.
- Race hot wheel cars with these fun lanes, via Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls.
- Or make a car they can actually ride in, following JB Mum of One’s tutorial.
- Rub Some Dirt on It shows you how to set up a simple train with a boxcar for each child.
- Kids will love imaginary blast-off’s in Create in the Chaos’ rocket ship.
- Create a mini-village with a tiny house for each child, via Pink Sugar Land. Adorable!
Or, if you are lacking creative energy, stick your toddler in a large box with crayons and markers and let them go to town. They will have just as much fun as if you’d put a fancy craft together!
If you’re looking for more great ideas to keep littles entertained on rainy days {or any day really}, I highly recommend Trish Kuffner’s Busy Books. They are jam packed with all kinds of learning fun and play inspiration.
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