DIY Cardboard Craft for Kids | Fun Upcycling Activity for Creative Play

Our recent DIY cardboard craft activity was a huge hit with my little one! He loved it so much that he even joined me while making this fun cardboard box project. At home, we always try to upcycle package boxes creatively before tossing them in the trash — a simple way to encourage sustainability and hands-on learning.

This time, I originally planned to make a train track tunnel craft. But thanks to my LO’s spontaneous ideas and adorable requests, we ended up creating many more fun pieces too! 😊 Usually, I start my kids’ crafts with a clear plan, but my little one loves to throw in suggestions or ask for small add-ons — which completely transforms the project into something even more exciting and unique.

This activity was the perfect blend of creative play, learning, and bonding time. If you’re looking for easy upcycling ideas or cardboard activities for toddlers and preschoolers, this one is sure to spark joy and imagination!

For this cardboard craft, we used recycled materials like cardboard boxes, along with various craft supplies such as scissors and glue, and marker pens. It's important to keep safety in mind when doing. LO helped me in gluing and writing stuffs. Keep the knife out of kid's reach.  

I made all the pencil markings and LO turned them to markers. And Kids can also contribute by coloring with the crayons.

We made a Police Station and Car wash on one side. 

Fire Station and Hospital on the other side. LO badly wanted to make a school, but we didn't have any school bus in our vehicle collection so I avoided it.

On the top of the box, we made just a highway kinda setup, with gas station, sign boards, trees.. etc.

He collected all the appropriate vehicles along with the figurines!

We made a tunnel for the train (which was my actual plan!), finally..😀

This was be absolutely fun. LO helped me in coloring, writing and gluing. I'm sure LO would have felt a sense of achievement!! 😃

The best part was LO's patience...! He was patient enough to wait until I captured all the snaps!!

Please try out this activity with your kids during this summer and let me know how it came out. You can customize the box according to your needs, based on the availability of the vehicles, and importantly your kids' choice!!

Happy Parenting!! 😊😊😊