“I’m a bird! Feel the wind when I flap my wings!” 

“Welcome to my house! Here are my shelves where I put my special things.” 

“These are the controls to go to the moon on my spaceship!” 

With simply cardboard, scissors, crayons, and duct tape, children’s imaginations can open wide. What will you create?!

“Young children live in their imaginations. Stories, plays, puppet shows, and dreams are preferred media for early childhood. We need to structure programs like dramatic play; we need to create simulations in which students can live the challenges rather than just study them.” –Childhood and Nature: Design Principles for Educators by David Sobel

Fantasy and Imagination are one of the seven play motifs, or recurring play patterns, David Sobel has identified from observing children playing freely outdoors around the world. Here are some books to spark Fantasy and Imagination ideas with cardboard boxes:

Big Box for Ben by Deborah Bruss

Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

What to do with a Box by Jane Yolen

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