Build a Big Box Theater!
Topics: Model Design and Building, Kindergarten, Arts and Crafts
Sometimes you just want to go big – really big. And that’s when it’s time for this craft. A little shoebox just won’t do for this puppet theater; you’re going to need an industrial sized box and a lot of creative spirit to decorate it. But the result will be a theater worthy of Broadway.
Simply go to your neighborhood hardware store and ask to have a giant box – one that holds a refrigerator is perfect, or even one from a washer or dryer. They should be happy to give one to you. Have the kids turn the box into a puppet theater with a few cuts and a few decorations. Then turn out the lights, call your friends, and let the show begin!
What You Need:
- A large cardboard box, such as one that held a refrigerator or washer/ dryer.
- Fabric
- Scissors
- Hole punch
- String
- Markers
- Glue
- Decorations (such as ribbon, sequins, glitter, etc.)
- Turn the box over so the opening is on the bottom.
- An adult should do the cutting of the stage, since cardboard can be tough to get through. Cut a large opening on one side of the box, about one-third of the way down from the top of the box. Make the square big enough so that more than one person can fit behind it. (If the box isn’t big enough for the children to sit inside, make the cut towards the top of the box so they can lay on their tummies for their puppet show.)
- Get decorating! Let the kids decide what kind of theater they want to create – something magical, something with a theme, or something just crazy. Use paint, sequins, glitter, whatever you have in your arts and crafts toolkit to decorate the side of the box with the opening.
- While the box is drying, cut out a piece of fabric that is large enough to cover the opening where the stage will be. Then cut the fabric in half. Glue each half to each side of the opening at the top of the box, from the inside, to form curtains. While the fabric is drying, punch a hole on either side of the opening. Then gather the fabric at the sides and tie it back to the sides of the box using some string or yarn.
- Now have your child or children climb inside. Your kids have made a theater they will enjoy time and time again. Get out the homemade puppets, stuffed animals, or even action figures to use as a muse – the set is ready, now it’s showtime!
Lisa M. Cope is a freelance writer who focuses on parenting and child development issues, among many others. She is the mother of two boys, ages five and two.
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