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Indoor activity

Cardboard Box Racing Car

Transform an ordinary shipping box into a custom-painted racing car complete with paper-plate wheels and a steering wheel!

Ages 3-8 1-2 hours Education 7/10

Materials

  • Cardboard Boxes
  • Paper Plates
  • Poster Paint
  • Tape

Illustrated Steps

1

Prep the Chassis

Fold or remove top flaps of a large box. Cut a door if needed.

2

Paint Your Ride

Paint the box with bright colours, stripes, and racing numbers.

3

Add the Wheels

Paint 4 paper plates black and tape them to the box as wheels.

4

Install Steering Wheel

Tape a paper plate to the inside front for steering.

What You’ll Create

Rev up your engines! You’ll transform a plain cardboard box into a high-speed, custom-painted Cardboard Box Racing Car. Using paper plates for wheels and a steering wheel, and bright poster paint for your team colours, your child will have their very own vehicle for an indoor drive-in movie or a sprint down the hallway track.

Have fun!

  • 🏁 Set up a cushion obstacle course to navigate the car through.
  • 🍿 Have an ‘indoor drive-in’ and watch a movie while sitting in the car.
  • 🚦 Create cardboard traffic lights (red, yellow, green) for stop-and-go races.
  • 🧽 Organise a pretend ‘car wash’ with a dry sponge and a towel.

Why It’s Amazing

  • Imaginative Play: Encourages deep pretend play and role-playing scenarios. 🎭
  • Gross Motor Skills: Pushing themselves around in a box helps build core strength. 🏃‍♂️
  • Creative Expression: Designing and painting their own vehicle fosters artistic independence. 🎨

Pro Tips

For ages 3-5: They’ll love painting and sitting in the car. Keep the construction simple and help them with the heavy taping.

For ages 5-8: Let them plan the design. Can they add cardboard headlights, a spoiler, or a custom license plate?