The Cardboard Box Effect: The World's Most Popular Toy

It's an old joke that, when presented with new toys, children end up playing more with the boxes that they came in than the toys themselves. There is also a lot of truth in this, as many parents can attest to!

Why is this? 

The obvious answer seems to be that a cardboard box is so simple and versatile, and free of predetermined limitations. Like a blank slate, a cardboard box can become almost anything once it is the object of a child's imagination. A cave or tunnel, a ship or a house, there are so many ways a child can interact with a cardboard box. 

This is especially true of larger boxes which are bigger than they are, as these offer playing potentials that smaller toys don't.

If you ever find yourself stuck for ideas about how to keep your child happy, a cardboard box could well be the answer.

Here are some suggestions for entertaining your child using nothing more than a good old cardboard box!

Boats, Forts and Caves:

Children love to role play and use their imaginations. Playing cavemen, pirates, or defenders of the fort can entertain children for hours at a time. If you have a large cardboard box available, why not suggest one of these games? Give them some washable pens and they can draw designs on the box to turn it into a pirate ship, a fort or anything else they like!

Racing Car: 

A box doesn't have to be a stationary play-thing - why not place the box on a skateboard and turn it into a racing car or horse-drawn carriage? You'll need to supervise them if they're scooting around in their boxes, but putting kneepads and helmets on will stop your children from getting any bad bumps and bruises. 

Home Or Secret Camp: 

Why not spend an afternoon decorating a cardboard box with your child and turning it into their own miniature house? Alternatively make the box into a secret camp and let your child sleep in it overnight. 

Arts And Crafts: 

Another great way to play with cardboard boxes is to use them for arts and crafts. This is especially good if you only have smaller boxes available, such as cereal boxes and shoe boxes. Why not make a shoe box theater, or build a fairy tale castle?

From an adult's point of view, a cardboard box is also great because it's so cheap and it doesn't matter if it gets broken when the kids get a bit rough! They're also easy to get hold of. If you don't have a cardboard box handy, just head down to your local shipping store and pick one up.

Photo by Hello I'm Nik on Unsplash