Boxes Ignite Imagination
Now that the holidays are finally over did you find that your young grandchildren liked playing with the boxes their toys came in more, or the toys inside the boxes more? When my son was very small those boxes held more fascination than the precious gifts they held. He eventually grew out of that of course, but it was fun to watch while it lasted.
The bigger boxes were the best. You know the ones. They were either big enough to crawl inside or they could wear them on their head. At that age where they love peek-a-boo the boxes are especially fun. Now you see me. Now you don’t. Wrong, but amusing.
Boxes certainly sparked the imagination. They could become a spaceship and take my son to far away places, or something as simple as a watch tower to look out at whatever he imagined was there to look at. There were always crayons involved in making the box look the part.
Boxes provided countless hours of fun. Once the boxes were worn out then the toys that came in them finally got some attention.
Do children these days view boxes in the same way? Since the introduction of tablet computing have boxes lost their attraction? I would love to hear about your experiences.
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Filed in: Playtime
Well I don't have any children, but our cat totally loves them! I think there is something unique about boxes, even for adults – the surprise of what's in them and also what other use you can put them to. If I had enough storage, I'd probably never throw away any boxes! 🙂
I must admit that I have a really difficult time getting rid of boxes. They only go when I have no room for anything else. 🙂
Boxes always seem to spark the imagination. I remember making cars and forts out of them to the exclusion of playing with other toys. My kindergarten teacher once brought in a huge box that a refrigerator came in, and the entire class played with it for days and days.
I had some very similar days as a child. Boxes are great! 🙂
My love of boxes has lasted long after my days of being a child were over………………….lol In fact I used old shoe boxes when wrapping presents at Christmas……..
Oh how funny. Just a couple weeks ago I took pictures of our little 11 month old grandson playing inside a big box. 🙂
Boxes just seem to have an attraction, don't they? 🙂
Cheryl,
Funny I have a friend who had her first child and this Christmas he was one years old and she bought tons of toys only to be dismayed that he played with the boxes. I told her kids have always did that, I remember doing it. Boxes bring out their imagination, so for his birthday and Christmas just give him a bunch of boxes in a variety of sizes. Rap them up and let him open them and play with the boxes. It was a lesson I had to learn and when my kids were small I actually gave them boxes, year a few toys but boxes cause I knew they would get many hours of enjoyment with them and they did. I helped them make clubhouses and all kinds of things, we drew on them, painted them and they had a great time, until they were old enough to want toys they saw on TV or that other children had.
Jenn
Yeah, it really is a learning experience for first-time moms. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Cheryl, We often joked about how much our kids loved the packaging that their gifts came in – often more than the gifts themselves. When we bought a new stove last year (out of necessity) our kids turned the box it came in into a fort that lasted for quite some time. Boxes are great!
Oh yes… I remember the forts. Love those big boxes!