An old adage says a child would rather play with a cardboard box than its contents. Try thinking out of the box and you and your children can embrace this idea.

Thinking out of the box can turn ordinary cardboard boxes and paper products into easy toys for kids.

Find out how playing with toys benefits your child’s development and more about toys that help them learn.

ferocious feet

You’ll need two tissue boxes for this craft. Choose ones with a hole at the top. To make toes, cut out cardboard triangles and stick them on the top of one end of each box. Paint the boxes green with yellow triangles for crocodile or monster feet. Or try orange feet with purple toes.

going places

Fancy taking a drive? Maybe your little one wants to head out to sea for the day. Turn your cardboard box into a car by flipping over one of the top panels and sticking a paper plate onto the inside of the box. You can tuck the other panels inside and add a cushion for a comfortable seat. Use more paper plates for tyres.

To make a boat, cut off the top panels and use them to add cardboard points onto both ends of a box. Add a strip of cardboard over the middle of the box. Cut a hole in the middle of this and stick a cardboard tube into it for a mast.

king of the castle

If you have a large enough box, cut out a door and windows to make a house or castle. If you cut only the sides and top of the window, you can bend the cardboard down to make a shelf. Tie string to the top of the shelf and attach it to the box for extra support. You can add a roof or turrets, made from other cardboard pieces. Or cut the top off and shape crenels into the top of each side. Give your children some paint or crayons and let them decorate their fantasy house.

music maker

Use a thin tissue or shoe box to make a guitar. Cut a hole in the middle of one of the smaller sides and stick a cardboard tube into this for the handle. Cut a hole into the top of the box and place big elastic bands over the box so they cross over the hole. If the elastic bands are slipping off, cut small grooves into the edge of the box to hold them in place.

Find more creative ideas here.

shape sorter

Find an assortment of small, simple toys in your toddler’s room, such as a ball, a block and a rattle. Cut shapes into a big shoebox to match each of these items. Then let your toddler sort and post these shapes into the box.

something fishy

Make your own fish tank by cutting out one side of a large cardboard box. Paint the inside blue, paint some rocks, coral and sand onto the box and stick a sheet of clear or light blue cellophane over the hole. Get children to make some fish, sharks, jelly fish and other sea creatures and colour in both sides. Attach these to some fishing line. To make your fish hang into the tank, string lines across the top of the box and tie your fish onto these.

theatre lovers

Make a puppet or shadow theatre. Use a large box and cut out one side leaving a small border. Cut off the back. Fix a string or thin dowel rod on the inside above the hole and thread some material onto this for a curtain. Place the box on a table so children can sit behind the stage. If you’re making a shadow theatre, stick some wax paper or thin material over the hole. Keep in mind that you will also need a light behind you for the shadows to be seen. Then all your children need to do is make some puppets and put on a play.

Read more on how children benefit from building things.