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:
- Draw windows and doors in pencil first and check against the height of a child.
- You don't necessarily need four walls. Can you place the structure in a corner so you only need two sides?
- Don't overthink it. As long as it's roughly the right shape the kids will love it.
- Bigger is better. Kids love big structures. This is where a homemade cardboard playhouse can win over one of the kits.
Homemade playhouses aren't generally as easy to decorate as the kits - it's hard to get plain white cardboard for free.
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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!)
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 :)