by TerriRexson
We've had lots of fun with cardboard playhouses! They make a brilliant decoration and activity at a kids birthday party.
They're great for entertaining kids indoors on a rainy day too.
On this page you'll find ideas for making your own house from scrap cardboard, and also ideas for buying a themed cardboard play house.
Kids love a playhouse! A cardboard playhouse is an inexpensive way to make a kids birthday party memorable.
You can either make your own cardboard house or castle (tips later) or buy one of the kits that is available. Most of the kits are suitable for kids to decorate with marker pens, stickers and other items.
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| Crafty Kids Adventure Castle |
There are lots of different cardboard structures you can make, depending on the theme of your party. Here are a few ideas:
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| My Very Own House - Color Your Own Playhouse Cottage Only $63.84 |
A cardboard house or castle make a fun addition to a kids party. Here are some ideas on how you can incorporate your playhouse into a party:
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| Corrugated Carriage - Markers Included |
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| Crafty Kids Shuttle Imagination |
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| Pirate Ship - Markers Included |
We've made a few cardboard playhouse and party props. The key is to plan ahead and have a design in mind before you do anything that can't be reversed. A few tips:
Homemade playhouses aren't generally as easy to decorate as the kits - it's hard to get plain white cardboard for free.
Here's the safari lodge or animal watching hide that we made for my son's African safari party for his 5th birthday.
We used it as part of a safari treasure hunt, as a photo prop and to set the scene for an animal Safari.
The structure had two walls plus a roof and was placed in a corner of the room.
We used MakeDo (see below) to hold it together and it was very stable. It coped with a party of 14 kids and is still standing now. (I think we're going to have to redecorate it as a Christmas grotto!)
If you choose to make your own cardboard playhouse then you'll need to find some big pieces of cardboard.
You might be lucky enough to get a large cardboard box with a child's birthday present if you buy something large like a playtable or outdoor play equipment. Or maybe you're buying a large household appliance or furniture.
Otherwise, you'll need to ask around. Electrical warehouses are often a good source. How about your employer or other businesses in the area, do they have spare boxes?
We get ours from my partner's work - they get computer equipment delivered in big boxes that they then need to get rid of.
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| Make Do Kit for Three (165pcs) |
We used to make cardboard houses using scissors and packing tape. That works okay and you might be able to use stuff you have around the house anyway.
Then we found Make Do (or MakeDo) which is designed for making cardboard models. It has clips and pins to hold pieces together, a tool for making holes and cutting cardboard, and hinges for creating windows, doors and other moving parts. Very cool. It's quick and easy, very sturdy and means you can easily take the structure apart afterwards to recycle it.
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| Make Do Find & Make a Playhouse |
You can also check ebay for cardboard playhouses. Look out for fairytale castles and space rockets as well as houses.
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Have You Made a Cardboard Playhouse?
I think the old adage is true: kids often like the box something comes in better than the actual thing itself! I always used to love playing with big boxes. Imagination makes the best toy :)