The weather has recently gotten very cold where we live. Cold to the point where I walk outside and it takes my breath away (not a fan!). So, I’ve had to become creative with some engaging, indoor activities to keep little hands busy. Let me tell you, these Animal Box Houses are a life saver! And when I say that, I mean that they are truly amazing! My kids worked on their houses for OVER AN HOUR! No joke; that’s more than 60 minutes of quiet, engaging, creative play! AMAZING!!! You absolutely must try these, I insist!
Animal Box Houses
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Materials
Empty box (you know you have one from Cyber Monday!)
Scissors
Packing tape or fun duct tape
Crayons and markers
Stickers (try these fun foam star stickers!)
Prepping your Animal Box Houses
To get your houses started, cut the two shorter flaps off of the top of your box. Using your duct tape (or packing tape), tape one of the flaps you cut off to the top of the box between the two remaining flaps. This will create a roof for the house.
Now, use your tape to put a border on the house. Tape every edge that remains exposed on the box. I did this for safety reasons. My kiddos play hard and cardboard paper cuts are no joke! This house is mainly for their animal figures, so there will be a lot of in and out while playing. The last thing I need is a cardboard cut! If you think your sweeties will be more careful, you can skip this step. But be sure to watch them closely!
If you’d like, you can cut out a door and even windows to make this feel more like a house (I used a box cutter for this part).
Set up the Supplies
I had these awesome supply holders from my classroom, but you could just as easily use bowls, mason jars or even the ground to hold your supplies!
I made two separate supply holders for my kiddos because I wanted to vary their supplies a bit. my older sweetie got normal crayon and thin markers since he is a bit farther along in the fine motor department than his younger brother. While my younger cutie got thick markers and these awesome crayons that I made for him using our silicone molds. However, I did give them both the same stickers to use.
I also set out our stamp set for both of my kiddos to use. Paint or paint dotters would be awesome for this activity as well! I just wanted to keep it as ‘mess-free’ as possible today. 😉
Decorate that Animal Box House!
Here comes the fun part! Lay out your supplies and invite your littles to decorate! There is no limit to what they can do!
As you can probably see, the star stickers were a big hit in our house! The best part about these beauties? My kiddos had to peel the backing off of each individual star. Now, that may not be the best for your kiddos, but for mine, it was perfect. It was the reason that this activity lasted so long. To remind you, they decorated these houses for OVER AN HOUR! It was pure magic. Not to mention, it is amazing fine motor work to peel the backing off of each star. Hard work!
We decorated these all the way up until nap time and then my sweeties were back at it after naps! I foresee weeks of play with these awesome Animal Box Houses. Too much fun!
Give it a try and let me know what you think! What will your sweeties use their houses for?!
Looking for other great indoor activities to keep those little hands busy? Try out our Sticky Note Letter Sort Activity.
