It is not a myth. Buy a child a huge and very expensive toy and you will see what happens. Sooner rather than later he will play more with the box than with what came inside. Whatever the reason, cardboard boxes children are passionate about it. What do you think of the idea of making a homemade toy elevator with a cardboard box?
Besides being a lot of fun and stimulating your imagination, with this toy elevator children they will learn basic concepts numerical, such as the name of numbers and the order and spatial concepts, such as inside and outside, up and down, forward and backward Of course, it will be a very fun way to explain how an elevator works and what it is for.
Materials to make a toy elevator
To make this toy elevator you will basically need a large cardboard box with four flaps.
To decorate it you will need stickers and/or cardboard, glue, a binder, scissors or cutter and a marker.
In addition, they are very useful: masking tape or adhesive tape to reinforce, ruler and pencil to mark, a piece of rope if you add a pulley, straws as guides, skewers or sticks for axles, one cap or button as a door handle and, if desired, adhesive paper or water-based paint for finishing.
How to make a toy elevator from a cardboard box
Step 1
- Place the box vertically.
- Cut the bottom flap and set it aside. You will need it.
- Put the top flap up and cut it into a semicircle. Reserve the remains.
Step 2
- Decorate the large flap. These will be the doors. To do this, mark the frame with a marker.
- With a piece of cardboard left over from the top flap, cut a rectangle and decorate it as if they were call buttons, indicating up and down or, in English, as it usually appears, up and down.
Step 3
- With the bottom flap cut, make a panel with the floor numbers. Don't forget the garages. You can also include the mezzanine.
- Stick the panel inside the elevator wherever you like.
Step 4
- Decorate the top flap with the floor numbers (the same ones you used on the panel).
- Cut a piece of the excess that you cut on that same flap in step # 1 and make an arrow. Secure it in the center with a binding so that it can rotate.
Clever! Your cardboard box toy elevator is ready.
Recommended age and pedagogical benefits
It is an ideal activity from 3-4 years with supervision. Promotes the number recognition, counting and seriation (1st, 2nd, 3rd). It also works spatial vocabulary (up/down, open/close, in/out) and skills of fine motor when handling doors and arrows. For older children, add addition and subtraction playing at going up or down several floors.
Game proposal: take turns as “neighbor” and “doorman”, simulating calls, rules of coexistence and vial education (wait your turn, don't block doors), practicing social skills.
Project variants and extras
- Functional doors: Tape the side flaps along the edge to create a hinge so they open and close smoothly. Add a shooter with a button or cardboard.
- More precise arrow: place one cardboard washer between the arrow and the flap so that it rotates better and does not rub.
- Version with pulley (optional): Place two vertical straws inside as guides, a small box as a cabin, and pass rope through a reinforced top hole; the cabin goes up and down by pulling the rope. You can balance with counterbalance (small bag of rice).
- Expanded button panel: add symbols of Opening close, bell and emergency (simulated only), and includes accessible symbols such as pictograms and homemade Braille with drops of dry glue.
Safety, recycling and maintenance tips
- Reinforces edges with tape to avoid cuts with the cardboard.
- Usa cutter and scissors only by an adult and cuts on a base.
- If you paint, choose water paints and let it dry well.
- Avoid small parts unsupervised in children under 3 years.
- When it deteriorates, recycle the cardboard in the appropriate container and save the arrow or button panel for future projects.
A simple, economical and very complete project: it encourages creativity, learning and symbolic play with everyday materialsCustomize the design with colors, floor names, or languages, and turn it into a resource that accompanies many hours of gameplay.
Seen repeatcrafterme.com.
