Presented By the Children’s Museum of Phoenix
You know that giant Amazon box sitting in the garage waiting to be recycled? Don’t be so quick to flatten it. To your child, it’s probably not a box at all. It’s a rocket ship headed to Mars, a puppet theater, a pet adoption center, or a castle with a working drawbridge. It might become all four before the day is over.
It turns out some of the best toys aren’t toys at all.
Unlike many traditional toys that tell children exactly what to do, cardboard and other recyclable materials leave the story up to them. There are no instructions to follow or buttons to press. Kids get to decide what they’re making, how they’ll build it, and what happens next. That kind of open-ended play encourages creativity, problem-solving, and confidence in ways that are hard to replicate.
As children tape boxes together, balance cardboard tubes, or figure out how to make robot arms stay attached, they’re doing much more than crafting. They’re experimenting, testing ideas, adapting when something doesn’t work, and discovering that sometimes the best inventions come after a few failed attempts.
And maybe the best part? The supplies are probably already sitting in your recycling bin.
Paper towel rolls become pirate telescopes. Egg cartons transform into caterpillars or treasure chests. Cereal boxes become props for a play kitchen and large boxes become parking garages. A handful of bottle caps can become race car wheels, robot buttons, or pretend cookies in a make-believe bakery. When children are given everyday materials instead of finished toys, their imagination gets to do the heavy lifting.
Creating doesn’t have to be complicated, either. A simple maker box filled with clean recyclables and a few basic craft supplies can become a go-to activity on hot afternoons, nap times for younger siblings, or those inevitable moments when you hear, “I’m bored.”
Try It at the Children’s Museum of Phoenix
If your child loves building, inventing, and creating, visit the Children’s Museum of Phoenix for Thing-a-ma-jigs. Using recycled materials and plenty of imagination, children are invited to construct one-of-a-kind creations while discovering that there isn’t a “right” way to make art or build something new.
Whether they dream up a robot, a whimsical creature, a race car, or something no one has ever seen before, every creation is uniquely their own.
Thing-a-ma-jigs takes place daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Museum’s Art Studio.
Try It at Home: Start a Maker Box
Choose a basket, bin, or tote and keep it stocked with both recyclable treasures and a few simple craft supplies. Tape, glue, child-safe scissors, crayons, markers, colored pencils, stickers, rubber bands, yarn, pipe cleaners, construction paper, and craft sticks are all inexpensive additions that make it easy for inspiration to strike at any time.
Instead of tossing these items right into the recycling bin, consider saving:
- Shipping boxes
- Cereal boxes
- Paper towel rolls
- Egg cartons
- Tissue boxes
- Plastic bottle caps
- Yogurt cups
- Berry baskets
- Packing paper
- Bubble wrap
- Ribbon, string, or yarn
- Clean plastic lids
- Popsicle sticks
Then see where your child’s imagination takes them. They might build:
- A cardboard robot with bottle-cap buttons
- Binoculars or a telescope from paper towel rolls
- Homemade musical instruments like drums, shakers, or guitars
- A marble run using cardboard tubes
- A rocket ship or race car
- A birdhouse or fairy house
- A puppet theater
- A castle with a drawbridge
- A cardboard city for toy cars
- Roads for racing cars
You don’t need a perfectly planned craft or a trip to the store to inspire meaningful play. Sometimes all it takes is a cardboard box, a roll of tape, and the freedom to imagine what it could become.
