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Cardboard boxes are fun even before the crafting begins. Photo: iStock
Can you say ‘parenting win’?
Keeping your kids engaged and off screens can be a challenge, especially during winter break when playing outside is not always in the cards.
The good news is that the solution is waiting in your recycling bin. You can use cardboard boxes to create new toys and games, and if you are anything like me, there are usually at least a few boxes from recent deliveries on hand.
The possibilities are as endless as your imagination (or your Pinterest feed). Make a fort, an easel, marble mazes, boats and more. With each of these crafts, you get an engineering or art activity in the creation of the project, plus the enjoyment of playing with the end result.
Click through to see each project, or jump to the one that looks the most fun below:
- Mini foosball table
- Cardboard bed
- Cereal box monster jaws
- Carriage of their dreams
- Parking garage
- Simple airplane
- Marble run
- Marble labyrinth game
- Cardboard-box Noah’s Ark
- Cardboard-box town
- Car track and train tunnel in one
- Dressing table
- Cardboard easel
- Cardboard stackers
- Dino feet
Up first: Mini foosball table
More boredom-busting ideas: |
Editor’s note: This article was originally published several years ago, and was most recently updated by ParentMap’s content editor Kari Hanson on Feb. 4, 2026, with a thorough fact-check.
