Cardboard Box Day ideas for OSHC
27 DIY activities for a cardboard box day at before and after school care or vacation care, usually run around Any time / World Space Week (October) or 31 October. Pick and mix, or build a balanced day in one click.
Air Guitar Contest
Children make cardboard guitars, then show off their best rock star moves in a fun air guitar performance contest.
Block World Day · Obstacle Course Day · Ninja Obstacle Day +2Block World Obstacle Course
Children run, crawl and climb through an obstacle course built from boxes and mats, styled like a blocky pixel video-game world.
Knights and Fairies · Medieval Times · Cardboard Box Day +2Box Castle Building
Children build castles from boxes and tubes, adding towers, drawbridges and flags.
Mini Golf Day · Cardboard Box Day · Maker Day +2Build a Putt-Putt Course
Groups design and build mini golf holes from boxes, tubes and pool noodles, then play the whole course together.
Block World Day · Gaming Day · Cardboard Box Day +1Cardboard Block Tools
Children make pickaxes, shovels and swords from cardboard and paint them in chunky pixel patterns for block-world pretend play.
Cardboard Box Day · Robot Day · Recycle Day +3Cardboard Box Robots
Children build their own robots from small boxes and decorate them with bottle caps, fabric scraps and other recycled bits.
Movie Day · Cardboard Box Day · Planes, Trains and Automobiles +2Cardboard Car Drive-In
Children build cardboard-box cars and make driver's licences, then park in front of the screen for a drive-in movie.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles · Wheels Day · Cardboard Box Day +2Cardboard Car Racers
Children build cars from boxes, bottle caps and skewers, then race them down a ramp. Hands-on design and testing.
Medieval Times · Knights and Fairies · Cardboard Box Day +2Cardboard Castle Building
Children build castles with turrets, walls and working drawbridges from boxes, tubes and string.
Long Projects Day · Cardboard Box Day · At the Building Site +2Cardboard City
Children build an entire city from boxes, adding buildings, roads and parks over the day.
Superhero Day · Cardboard Box Day · Recycle Day +1Cardboard Hero Hammer
Children build a mighty hero hammer from a tissue box and cardboard tube, wrapping it in foil and tape for a shiny finish.
Space Explorers · Science and Space · Rocket and Plane Day +2Cardboard Rocket Ships
Children build rockets from tubes, boxes and foil, designing fins, windows and a launch pad.
Jungle Safari · Cardboard Box Day · Planes, Trains and Automobiles +2Cardboard Safari Jeep
Children build a jeep from large boxes and use it for safari role-play.
Wheels Day · Inventors Day · Planes, Trains and Automobiles +2Design a Dream Vehicle
Children draw or build futuristic vehicles from boxes and bottle caps, adding wheels that really turn.
Cardboard Box Day · Cubby Day · Maker Day +3Giant Box Creations
Children turn large appliance boxes into cubbies, cars or castles with paint, tape and old sheets.
At the Building Site · Dramatic Play Day · Careers Day +2Hard Hat Construction Crew
Children dress in hard hats and vests to act as a building crew, working together to complete a pretend construction job.
Halloween · Dramatic Play Day · Escape Room Day +2Haunted House Role-Play
Children design a spooky room with sheets, torches and props, then guide small groups through it as tour guides.
Inventors Day · Maker Day · Recycle Day +3Junk Invention Lab
Children turn recyclables into new gadgets and inventions, testing and improving their designs.
Recycle Day · Cardboard Box Day · Maker Day +3Junk Sculpture Challenge
Children use clean recycled boxes, bottles and tubes to design and build robots or sculptures, solving building problems as they go.
St Patrick's Day · Inventors Day · Maker Day +1Mischief Maker Traps
Children design and build a trap to catch a mischievous little creature from Irish folklore using boxes and recyclables.
Movie Day · Film Club Day · Cardboard Box Day +1Movie Prop Making
Children make clapperboards and cardboard cameras to use in film play.
Dinosaur Day · Long Projects Day · Cardboard Box Day +1Prehistoric World Diorama
Children build a prehistoric landscape inside a shoebox using clay, natural materials and toy dinosaurs.
Robot Day · Recycle Day · Cardboard Box Day +2Recycled Box Robots
Children build their own robots from boxes, foil and bottle tops, then give them names and special jobs.
Santa's Workshop · Christmas · Recycle Day +3Recycled Toy Workshop
Children become toy makers, building cars, puppets and games from recycled materials in a busy festive workshop.
Loose Parts Day · Maker Day · Recycle Day +3Reverse Garbage Maker Day
Children design anything they like from tables of clean recyclables, tape and tools, turning waste into creations.
Pirate Day · Loose Parts Day · Cardboard Box Day +2Shipwreck Repair Challenge
Teams patch a cardboard ship using crates, fabric and tubes to make it seaworthy before a pretend storm. Teamwork and creative building.
Science and Space · Robot Day · Space Explorers +2Space Robot Crafts
Children build space robots and rovers from boxes and foil, imagining what jobs they would do on other planets.