From Package to Playtime: The Joy of Cardboard Creations
Submitted by Carlie Ramotowski, Lethbridge School Division
Has your child ever been more excited about the box than the gift that came inside it?
If you have witnessed it, you're in good company. To adults, a cardboard box may look like recycling—but to children, it's a stage, a fortress, a spaceship, a storefront… or an explorer’s hideout. Its only limit is their imagination.
The Value of Unstructured Play
Boxes are the ultimate open canvas—no instructions, no batteries, no screens—just endless possibilities. This kind of child-led, unstructured play isn’t just fun; it’s foundational.
The Play Today: B.C. Handbook emphasizes that:
“The experiences of children’s play have a profound impact on all areas of their growth and development.”
This underscores that even the simplest play—including imaginative box adventures—supports creativity, cognition, emotional well-being, and social skills.
What Boxes Teach
Through box play, children learn far more than how to build forts:
Creativity & imagination – Transforming cardboard into limitless objects
Problem-solving skills – Figuring out how to assemble or modify their creation
Physical coordination – Crawling, lifting, stacking, and cutting
Social interaction – Collaborating, negotiating, and sharing ideas
Confidence & independence – Leading their own play and decisions
The Magic of Playing Together
What’s even more powerful than watching? Joining in. Slip inside that box-turned-submarine. Pretend you’re at their cardboard café. Ask, “What does this button do?” or “Can I help build the fort?” No elaborate props needed—just presence, curiosity, and shared delight.
Playing together connects you—not just in the moment, but by reinforcing trust, communication, and the message: Your ideas matter to me.
The Joy in Simple Things
In our hectic, tech-heavy world, it’s easy to overlook simple joys. Yet a cardboard box offers some of the richest learning and bonding experiences—and it’s free.
The next time you find yourself with an empty box, consider the play possibilities it holds before recycling it. Let your child choose what to build—and maybe crawl in beside them. You might be amazed where that plain piece of cardboard can take you both.
Because sometimes, the best toy isn’t what’s in the box—it’s the box itself.
Sources: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/early-learning/teach/earlylearning/play_today_family_guide.pdf