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Cardboard Box Doll’s House
Sometimes, children love nothing more than using their imagination and playing with an old cardboard box. Just think of all the adventures they can have, from turning it into a racing car, a play house or a castle, the list is endless! Sometimes it’s nice to go back to basics with creative play. So why not escape the iPad screens for 10 minutes and get creative with an old cardboard box now!
Check out my Three Uses for Recycling a Nappy Box here too for more ideas.
To make this easy and inexpensive play house you will need the following:
1. An old cardboard box, (clean)
2. Sellotape
3. Scissors
4. Glue
5. Paint Brushes and Paints
6. Plain or coloured paper for inside the house (optional)
Step 1
Start by making a cut vertically down one of the longer sides of the box as this will form the main opening door of your doll’s house. Next, following this cutting line along both the left and right horizontally so that you can open both ‘doors’ of the house. Once you have done this then you can sellotape the lid of the box down securely as this will form the roof of the house.
Step 2
Next, cut out four small square window frames on the front of the doll’s house. I find it easier to push through the corners of the window frames first with either scissors or a sharp pencil. Then you can use the scissors to cut the rest of the windows out. You could simplify the design to cut out four larger squares if you prefer without a window pane.
Step 3
Stick plain or coloured paper down inside the doll’s house using glue. Although this step is optional, I find it helps to make the house last longer and your children can draw and colour in furniture, people and items more easily on the paper.
It also allows for cheaper water-based paints to show through more vibrantly against the white paper.
Step 4
Your inexpensive doll’s house is coming together nicely now! Once all the painted sections are dry, all that is left to do is to decorate the house and add the finishing touches to it. Drawing a wavy line on the roof section can give the impression of roof tiles. You may even wish to draw bricks on the sides of the house by drawing rectangles. Get your children involved in the creative tasks too!
I added climbing vines to the sides of ours by simply drawing waving lines and adding dots for the flowers. Even the most amateur artist can manage this and it can still look really effective. Then I used orange paint to create a colour contrast for the front door and voila! A fun cardboard box play house for your child’s toys. Low on cost and high on fun!
Remember you can scale this project up and use on larger cardboard boxes, perhaps from a kitchen appliance. Let me know what designs you create!
Looking for more craft activities to do with your children? Then check out my Homemade Paper-Mache Bowls Craft here!
