Do you want to make new things out of old things? The upcycling trend continues and there are no limits to your imagination. The advantage is obvious: you get new things without having to spend money. If you are looking for new play and craft ideas for your children, then you have come to the right place. We'll show you what you can make with a shoebox below.
What can you make with a shoebox?
A simple craft material such as shoe boxes can be madeMake great children's toys. You can stick the boxes, paint them and decorate them however you like. Check out our great ideas and make something creative together with your children!
Pizza oven
In addition to make-up and dressing up dolls, cooking and baking are among the most popular girls' games. You can make a simple pizza oven for your little princess out of a shoebox. Simply make an opening on the wide side of the box so that the flap can be folded forward.
Two cardboard circles serve as oven buttons. So that they can still be turned, you should use round head clamps. Also make a small line to make the mark for the temperature.
The best thing is that the child can prepare the pizza themselves. Cut out various ingredients from felt: for example, salami and tomato slices from red fabric. Black olives, pink diced ham, grated cheese, red onion and many other pizza ingredients are ideal.
Marble maze made from simple materials
It's not just crafting that's fun here! What is a marble maze? This is a small playing field with a maze in which a ball can roll around. The ball is steered by tilting the playing field. There is only one way and you can't get lost, but there might be obstacles that don't allow the ball to fall in.
For the drinking straw maze you will need: lots of colorful straws, a shoebox lid, a felt-tip pen or pencil, scissors and a hot glue gun. The stretcher frame and the lid can still be covered with washi tape and colorful paper.
First, draw out your labyrinth. You can copy the template above or design your own maze. Make sure that the balls have enough space to roll through the aisles.
You should use these lines to cut your straws and then glue them in place with the hot glue gun. Cut two more openings on the frame for the beginning and end.
Make table football
A mini table football made from an old shoebox is fun for kids and adults. It is quick to make and requires only a few inexpensive materials and tools. So you can hold your very own table football tournaments!
Material needed: 1 shoe box, 4 sticks, washi tape, 10 wooden clips, green or yellow construction paper for sticking, fruit or potato net for the goal, white marker, all-purpose glue, scissors, piker, cutter, ruler, Styrofoam ball or table tennis ball.
Use the cutter to cut a gate into each of the two short sides of the shoebox. Cover the inside of the box with green construction paper. Draw the lines of the goal areas with a white felt-tip pen. Also cover the outside with colored construction paper or paint it with acrylic paint.
Use the pencil to mark the position of the holes for the torsion bars. These should be pricked at a height of 5.5 cm. It's best to measure from the center line. The wooden sticks to which wooden clips are attached will later go into these holes.
The wooden sticks should be as long as the cardboard is wide, plus about 10 cm on each side. Alternatively, you can also use orchid sticks. For safety and a better grip, wine corks are placed and glued onto the wooden sticks.
Paint the clothespin players as you wish or stick them with washi tape. Now the playing figures should be clamped onto the sticks and fixed with hot glue - exactly as shown in the picture. There should still be half a centimeter of space between the clamp and the bottom of the box.
Use tape or a staple gun to attach potato or fruit nets to each gate opening. For easy fastening, you can leave such a flap - as shown in the picture above.
You can also make a simple goal display out of cardboard and metal rings. An alternative is two pieces of wire with threaded beads. So you always have the football result at a glance.
Theater in a shoebox
If you already have someMade finger puppetsyou also need a stage where the children can perform. A shoe box is also perfect for this. You can brighten up the simple shoe box with pompom border and wrapping paper.
You can then create a fairy tale with the children. Different background images for the different scenes would also be very nice. You can also easily print out, cut out and use the theater characterson wooden sticksattach.
DIY treasure chest
If you want to throw a great party for your child's birthday, then consider the theme “Pirate Party” and let the party guests look for treasure. As a basis for theTreasure chesta normal shoe box can be used again. The rivets and hinges, as well as the keyhole, are typical of the treasure chest.
Make your own guitar
Your children would like to learn to play the guitar? Or dress up as rock stars for the next carnival and really compete with the big pop stars? Then try making a guitar out of shoebox and rubber bands. You will find that this musical instrument made from simple household items actually works. Use rubber bands of different thicknesses - the thin ones sound much higher than the thick ones. If you change the tension of the rubber bands, you will also hear different tones.
Make an aquarium in a shoebox
If you don't want to have pets, you can make a beautiful aquarium with your children. First, the inside of the shoebox is painted with watercolors or covered with paper. Then colorful fish, sea creatures and plants are cut out of paper.
The animals and plants are glued into the shoebox. Some fish are attached to the top of the box with a thin thread. It then looks as if they are floating through the water.
Shells and small stones are glued to the bottom of the shoebox. A sand mixture (sand and paste) would also be a great idea. The opening that faces you at the front can also be closed with a transparent film. The whole thing really looks like a real aquarium.
DIY cardboard dollhouse
Ready-made dollhouses are sometimes too expensive and take up far too much space. Shoe boxes, on the other hand, are an inexpensive craft material. You can also decide on the architecture yourself - the dollhouse can also look like a block of flats or a house with a gable roof.
A real castle on three floors can also be made from several shoe boxes. Simply glue the boxes on top of each other and use colorful paper as wallpaper and carpet. Leftover wallpaper is also ideal.
So you can design each room in the dollhouse differently: pink wall color in the bedroom, yellow in the kitchen, green for the bathroom, etc. The finishing touch is white “baseboards”. A great idea is to use printed pictures of windows with a view.
It shouldn't always be purchased dollhouse furniture. These are also super easy to make: chest of drawers made from stickwood boxes, carpet made from cake doilies, table made from toilet roll and bottle cap, etc. Take a look online for more ideas!
If you don't want to build a large doll's castle, you can also start with a small project - a 4-room apartment with a front garden. The cardboard can be covered with stone-look paper and imitate a real stone facade. The grass area here forms a piece of felt and next to it there is a sandpit with a slide.
Once the dollhouse is finished, you can also make seasonal decorations together with the child. Whether for Christmas or Easter – the ideas are countless!
