This year has been a crazy one for parents. Many Americans have been forced to work from home and have been doing this with all their family home with them. This has led to a new family dynamic and certainly has made life a bit tough for some families. Understandably, it has also made life better for some families as they are able to spend more time together. Though spending time together is great, some ways to entertain your children while you work or get things done around the house is important as well. So we have found that making crafts out of boxes is a great way to keep your kids entertained and in some cases even when you are not there.
With all the increase of online shopping our garages are full of shipping supplies and boxes. This leaves us with tons of extra shipping supplies to make into crafts. Yes the bubble wrap and inflatable wrapping along with the boxes all come into play. With this extra material sitting around until trash and recycling day there are other things you can do while you wait. I think the most classic thing to do is make a box fort.
To make a box fort you will need lots of cardboard boxes. This is usually not an issue these days since the shopping that we do is mostly online. There is also the need to make sure these boxes can be put together and that will require tape. I suggest a real thick packing tape but that is simply the kind I buy for my house so it is already sitting around. I like to be able to slap boxes together because they are useful for a lot of different things. Now scissors are also another tool you will need and maybe a knife if you feel comfortable and safe using one. But scissors will do nicely. Now that you have all the tools, find a good plan.
It is much more easy to make a cool structure if you don't have to think about how to do it. Yes, some people find that to be half the fun and if it is, then do it. Make it all up in your head and have a blast, but some of use are simply too tired to think and just want to make something quick to get your kids busy! If this is your than youtube or google is your friend. There are so cool quick plans at your fingertips and they don't cost a thing. Once you start putting it all together, I find I feel more like a kid and get some energy back. It really is fun to make a cool fort and then see your kids get into it and start their own imagination stories. It is also a great way to spend 30 minutes and find that your kids will spend a few hours a day using it till it breaks down or till it is trash day. That is a wonderful thought and a wonderful break in the day.
But make sure your kids are old enough to play alone. Also make sure they are old enough to use tape or scissors. If not this will all be on you. So build quickly and enjoy!
