Do The Robot This Easter With Kite Packaging!

Interesting uses for Packaging

Back in December we were interested to read a report from Ribena which declared that 46 per-cent of parents claimed their child enjoys playing with the cardboard packaging more than the costly toys and games inside.

This got us thinking about how great it would be to compile a list of children's toys and games that could be made at home using cardboard boxes and other packing materials. Even better, get the little ones involved in the actual production process to keep them entertained on those frequent rainy days.

By investing in a pack of single wall corrugated boxes and sheets from Kite Packaging, you can turn any of these this into a family project.

Here are our top 5 suggestions:

1. Do The Robot This Half Term!

One of our favourite finds online, was a book called 'Welcome to your Awesome Robot', which is about making a robot costume from cardboard boxes. It consists of a charming series of instructional comics showing a little girl and her mother converting leftover boxes into an awesome robot -basically a robot suit that the child can wear.

This promotes learning as well as keeping children stimulated, and is ideal for school holidays in the fight against boredom. All you need are a couple of large cartons - one for the body and one for the head. We thought it was a great idea, and many of us wished we had found this when we were young!

2. Be A Doll And Invest In Boxes!

Many people have fond memories of their parents making them dolls houses from unused cardboard boxes and bubble wrap in their younger years. It comes as no surprise that store-bought dollhouses can be very expensive, yet these are not necessary when you have a few boxes and scraps of cardboard lying around.

Begin by cutting the cardboard to make room partitions inside two or more medium sized boxes placed side by side, and be sure to cut out the windows. Glue the partitions in place using strong craft glue. Once complete, cover the floors with bubble wrap cut to size to act as carpet. Craft paint can be used to finish the walls.

3. Try A Marble Maze!

Handheld marble mazes made from plastic or wood can be quite costly. Using a shallow cardboard box as base, design a maze by bending small strips of cardboard sheeting and glue them in place.

When the glue dries, children can tilt the cardboard boxes in just the right directions to move a marble from start to finish.

4. Welcome To The Kite Cardboard Theatre!

We discovered some amazing puppet theatres that were made entirely from cardboard. For this project we would recommend a couple of our large double wall boxes, for the extra strength and sturdiness they provide. Simply stack the boxes on top of each other, cut out a hole in the front of one of the boxes and put on a show!

Whether you are a fan of Punch and Judy, or The Three Little Pigs, you can customise your own mobile theatre using other packaging materials such as bubblewrap for curtains, and encourage your children to get theatrical this half term.

5. All Aboard The Cardboard Train!

One of the most outstanding bits of DIY we have seen for children's toys has to come from a website called Tip Junkie where they have created a full size miniature train from a series of boxes to seat children. This makes a great fun and interactive party decor for a train themed birthday party!

We hope this has got the creative juices going this Easter! We would love to find out if any of our customers have tried similar projects and welcome any tips or images of your handiwork.