Check out these amazing and creative cardboard box crafts and activities are absolutely perfect for all ages. After checking out these ideas you will never throw out another cardboard box again!
I am so excited for this post! I love using cardboard for activities. It is incredibly versatile and absolutely free! I wrote this blog post thinking that I would add about 50+ ideas using cardboard boxes and I quickly realized that I would have to increase that number… by a lot!
There are just soooo many ways to use cardboard and I didn’t even include cardboard tubes in my list!?
I have organized this truly amazing list of cardboard box crafts and activities into 3 sections:
RELATED… 65+ Toilet Paper Roll Activities and Crafts for Kids
Cardboard boxes make the BEST toys for kids! And this list will help you find all the best ideas to make the most your cardboard stash.
Looking for more crafts using other recycled items such as plastic bottles, paper or string? Check out:
Cardboard Box Crafts
1. DIY Jet Pack Craft
Craft this DIY Jet Pack with your kids and let their imagination take off! This easy to create up-cycled craft is a great craft for kids to make and can provide hours of pretend play fun! An amazing craft for any kid obsessed with space and flying!
2. Cardboard Box Castle Craft
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s a cardboard box castle in the sky! Create this amazing castle in the sky craft the next time you get a cardboard box in mail! It’s a great craft for kids of all ages to make!
3. Marble Run Craft
There’s nothing better than a marble run to keep your kids entertained. Next time you’re looking for a craft to make with them, try making your own cardboard marble run craft for a fun engineering and crafting challenge!
4. Cardboard Box Guitar Craft
Channel your inner rocker with this Cardboard Guitar Craft inspired by Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s legacy on rock and roll music. It is perfect for Black History Month. This fun craft would also make a great addition to any musical unit for toddlers and preschoolers!
5. Tissue Box Monster Craft
Your little monster will love creating this little tissue box monster craft using a tissue box and a few fun craft supplies! The best part of this craft is that they can use their imaginations to bring their monsters to life!
6. LEGO Cardboard Robot
Have you ever made a life size robot out of LEGO? We did and it was immediately a hit! All you need are a few recycled material supplies and your imagination to create the coolest looking robot ever!
7. DIY Cardboard Tent Craft
DIY Cardboard Tent Craft is a fun cardboard painting craft for kids. Create and decorate a cardboard tent and use it in pretend play this summer!
8. Dandelion Turtle Craft
This unique and whimsical craft is the perfect activity for kids of all ages, and it’s easy to make using just a few simple materials.
9. Cardboard Box Robot Craft
This fun Cardboard Box Robot Craft is the awesome craft for kids! Create a cool looking robot that your toddler or preschooler will love!
10. Pipe Cleaner Rainbow Craft
Rainbows, rainbow and more rainbow! Check out this fun pipe cleaner rainbow craft for an amazing fine motor craft and activity in one!
12. Fire Truck Craft
Do you have a fire truck obsessed toddler or preschooler at home? Well, feed their passion with this fun and easy Cardboard Box Fire Truck Craft. It’s a simple and exciting way to make a fire truck with little kids.
13. Cardboard Bicycle Craft
Cardboard bicycle craft is a fun and easy craft for preschoolers and kindergartners. Create your very own bicycle craft you can take for a spin!
14. Pretend Play Cardboard Laptop Craft
Are you looking for a fun and creative craft to do with your kids? Look no further than the dandelion turtle! This unique and whimsical craft is the perfect activity for kids of all ages, and it’s easy to make using just a few simple materials.
15. Giant Cardboard Bird Craft
This Giant Cardboard Bird Craft is a fun and easy art activity for kids! Create a giant colourful bird out of cardboard!
16. Cardboard Crown Craft
Craft a regal looking crown with this cardboard crown craft for kids inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat. It’s a great way to learn about Basquiat’s life and art for Black History Month. This fun craft is great for kids of all ages.
17. Cotton Pad Ice Cream Craft
This cotton pad ice cream craft is an easy, hands-on activity that’s perfect for little hands and big imaginations. Kids will love adding colorful water to their “scoops” and watching the colors spread and blend. It’s simple to set up and makes for a fun mix of art and skill-building play.
18. Cardboard Rainbow Sunshine Craft
You will want to save those cardboard boxes for this happy little craft. A cute and easy one to try with your toddler or preschooler.
19. Nature Walk Cardboard Vase
Turn a simple piece of cardboard into a beautiful nature vase! Kids can collect flowers, leaves, and other treasures on a nature walk and use them to decorate their vase.
20. DIY Cardboard Weaving
Transform recycled cardboard into an easy weaving loom for kids! This simple activity is a fun way to practice fine motor skills while experimenting with colors and textures.
21. DIY Cardboard Nature Weaving Loom
Combine crafting and outdoor exploration with this easy cardboard nature weaving loom! Kids can gather leaves, flowers, grass, and other natural materials to weave into their creations.
22. Dandelion Bee Craft
Put those cheerful spring dandelions to creative use with this adorable cardboard bee craft! It’s a simple nature-inspired activity that kids will love making with freshly picked flowers.
Cardboard Box Activities
23. Cardboard Box Water Painting
Once a month at our house we are inundated with Amazon Prime boxes! I always keep a few of the really big ones for activities. Cardboard boxes make fantastic canvases for painting, colouring and more! This time I decided to try something new and my kids (aged 4 and 14 month old twins) loved it!! Check out this fun and relatively mess-free cardboard box activity using water!
24. Book Drop Toddler Activity
Does your toddler love to return library books at the library through the book drop? Well all three of mine do so I decided to turn it into a fun activity using a cardboard box!
25. Rainbow Rice Scoop And Pour
Set up for this great fine motor skill and hand eye coordination activity is easy once you have your rainbow rice made.
26. DIY Tools & Cardboard Activity
The next time you have a cardboard box or cardboard packaging from IKEA, think twice about recycling it right away! You can easily turn it into an amazing fine motor skill activity center using your toddler’s toy tools!
27. Giant Nail Salon
Set up the most fun giant pretend activity ever. This giant nail salon for toddlers, preschoolers and even older kids is an easy way to entertain kids indoors using a cardboard box. Paint and decorate nails in this adorable fine motor activity.
Learning Activities using Cardboard Boxes
28. Color Sorting Box with Popsicle Sticks
Create a color sorting box using a cardboard box, markers, and colored popsicle sticks to help your toddler practice learning colours
29. Mushroom Math Counting Board
Transform a cardboard canvas into an interactive learning space. Let your child’s counting skills bloom with this easy to create Mushroom Math Board.
30. DIY Cardboard Puzzles
These little cardboard puzzles make great busy bag ideas as well as quiet time activities. They are fairly simple to make and can be pulled out whenever you need a few minutes to get something done. A bonus, these little puzzles are great for developing spatial awareness and problem solving skills! Here’s what you’ll need to get started.
31. ABC Box Stamping
Super easy to set up letter recognition activity involving my toddler’s favourite toy – a cardboard box!
32. Tube Pattern Matching
In this giant pattern matching activity your toddler will match washi tape tubes with the correct washi tape circles on the box.
33. 100 Counting Box
Looking for a fun counting activity for your preschooler or kindergartner? Check out this unique counting activity using a cardboard box!
34. Cardboard Box Magnetic Tile Puzzles
I have wanted to make a Cereal Box Puzzle for my daughter ever since I first saw the idea on Pinterest. Cereal Box Magnetic Tile Puzzles is a fun twist on this super easy classic. Perfect puzzle distraction for your little one while you make dinner or finish your coffee hot because they can put it together on your fridge.
35. DIY Memory Board
Here is a fun toddler and preschooler activity to help practice letters and develop memory skills, that will also put your craft supply closet to good use.
36. Cardboard Fall Nature Puzzle
One delightful activity that combines the beauty of autumn with a fun and educational twist is this Fall Natural Puzzle. This activity not only provides an opportunity for kids to explore the outdoors but also encourages them to practice their matching and fine motor skills.
37. DIY Cardboard Rainbow Heart Puzzle
Practice memory skills and make a colourful rainbow with this DIY Cardboard Rainbow Heart Puzzle with you toddler or preschooler!
Age Suitability for Cardboard Box Crafts & Activities
These activities vary for toddlers aged children 2.5 years old and up. My kids are 5, 5 and 8 years old.
Mess Level
The mess level for this activity varies.
Difficulty to Create
Varies.
Skills Developed in these Cardboard Box Crafts & Activities
Language development, shape recognition, color recognition, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, imaginative play, creativity.
WILL YOU TRY MAKING THESE CARDBOARD BOX CRAFTS & ACTIVITIES WITH YOUR KIDS? PIN IT FOR LATER.
