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What You Can Do with a Shipping Box: 4 Fun, DIY Play Props for Toddlers
- Gabrielle Fischer Posted On Mar 27, 2017 | STEM
Show us a little kid and a big box and we’ll show you a little kid IN a big box! Kids love the boxes almost as much as they love what’s inside. And with the continued popularity of on-line shopping, parents have more shipping boxes on hand than ever before.This next post in our DIY Toddler Play Props series features a few fun ideas for transforming a cardboard shipping box into play props your toddler will love.![](https://www.learningresources.com/media/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Robot-e1490628835778-768x1024.jpg)
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Robot
Your child can design their own 2-D friend using a flattened cardboard shipping box. Simply cut the tape on the top and bottom of a large shipping box, cut one the side of the box open, then open the box so it’s lying flat. Using a marker, outline a robot shape, complete with a square head, rectangular body, and legs. Use a box cutter to cut him out. Let your child color the robot with paint, markers, or crayons, and then add found items to adorn it. Collect coils, wire, switches, buttons, screws, washers, and other spare parts and press or glue them into place to bring your creation to life.![](https://www.learningresources.com/media/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Robot-e1490628835778-768x1024.jpg)
Shape Sorter
A large cardboard box makes a great DIY shape sorter! Start by cutting the flaps off one end of the box and turning it over, so the open side is on the bottom. Next, outline the basic shapes (circle, square, triangle, rectangle) in different sizes on each side of the box. Cut them out with a box cutter and trace around their edges with brightly colored markers, then watch as your little one attempts to place balls, blocks, and other shaped objects into the openings. Lift the box to remove the objects inside and begin again!Play Fort
Let’s face it—there’s nothing as much fun as a fort to a toddler. Simply cut the flaps off a square shipping box, cut a door into one side, and voila! Your toddler will delight in doing her own decorating using paints, markers, and stickers. Add some crepe paper curtains over the door for the perfect finishing touch.![](https://www.learningresources.com/media/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Fort-1024x768.jpg)