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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.

How to Set It Up

Step 1: Prep the Chassis

Take a large cardboard box and fold the top flaps inward, or cut them off entirely with scissors. ⚠️ Adult Helper Needed — An adult should use scissors or a craft knife to cut a door on one side if your child can’t climb in from the top.

Step 2: Paint Your Ride

Use your poster paint to give the car a fresh coat of colour! Paint racing stripes down the side, draw a number on the doors, or add flames to make it go faster.

Step 3: Add the Wheels

Take four paper plates and paint them black to look like tyres. Once they dry, use strong tape to attach them to the four lower corners of the box.

Step 4: Install the Steering Wheel

Take one final paper plate and tape it securely to the inside front of the box. Now your little driver can steer their way to victory!

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?