Cardboard box train

A plain, simple cardboard box has so many possibilities for kids' play! So when I saw a whole pile of copy paper boxes in the recycling bin at work - I leaped at them! Mr 2 1/2 is so excited by 'things that go' right now - cars, trains, buses, garbage trucks, motorbikes, cranes, tractors, trams, trucks, concrete mixers, planes, helicopters, fire engines, ambulance vehicles, police cars etc etc etc ... which makes it pretty fun just stepping outside! The 'obsession' also makes for some lovely observations which find their way into imaginative play scenarios both inside and outside the home... and are even woven into his dreams. Even the other night as he was drifting off to sleep, it was all about a soft "brrrroooooooooom................ brrrrrroooooooooom........................... motorbike.......................... motorbike.........................."  - Ah I love it:-) So anyway, let loose with the boxes, B set about filling seats of a bus with his little friends.

He requested his favourite bus song, made a spot for himself, found a steering wheel (a plastic plate DIY pizza as it happens!!), went through an extensive repertoire of bus sounds, and shouted out when the bus should 'go', 'stop', and  'wait'. My favourite though, was opening the bus door (made by a space or a ripped down side of a box) to allow new passengers to climb aboard:-) 

So many little conversations! Each passenger met their neighbours, asked how they were, etc, and it was a nice to hear that everyone was "good" :-) 

But of course, it wasn't long before the "very long" and "very fast" and "very big" train pulled up - which is the great thing about boxes as loose parts in play - they can be moved about and used in loads of different ways! The other great thing is that no decoration is required, no tape, string, signage, time, storage space (can be recycled afterwards), - no fuss in general - just plain, ordinary cardboard boxes. So, after "Alec" the baby doll did a poo and had his nappy changed, it was time to shout out "All Aboard!!" and get this show on the road!

There was a good deal of negotiating and problem solving to get all the carriages through the doorway, but once through, B managed to direct a few circuits of our little unit at high speed (most of the coolest pics are blurry  - sorry, it was indeed a very fast train!)

What do your kiddos love to do with cardboard boxes?

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to check out these other ideas from Kids' Play Space:
DIY Train Set Accessories
Aeroplanes and Gross Motor Fun
New Toy of the Day  - more cardboard box fun!

Thanks for visiting Kids' Play Space!
happy playing,
'til soon,

Anna :-) 

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