Want to showcase your kiddos’ art in a creative new way? Follow these steps to make a cardboard television that’ll turn their art into the next best show on TV.
Materials:
- Small-medium recycled cardboard box (empty snack boxes such as cracker boxes would work well)
- 2-4 toilet paper or paper towel rolls
- Tape (invisible, masking or painter’s tape)
- Scissors or a precision knife (precision knife to be used only by an adult)
- A sheet of construction paper
- Markers
- Crayons
- Paper for drawing
- Rubber bands
- Clear sheet protector (optional)
Step 1:
Take your recycled box and gently flatten it down. Once you’ve done this, help your child by cutting a rectangular hole in the upper half of the box.
Step 2:
Trace and cut out 4 circles using the toilet paper rolls to guide you.
Step 3:
If you’re using 4 toilet paper rolls, you can have your child, with your help, tape them together into 2 extra-long rolls.
Step 4:
Slide these tubes through the holes you cut into the box, then add rubber bands on the top to make sure there is some grip for the paper as it rolls inside the box. Then fold the box cover over.
Step 5:
Tape two pieces of paper together to create a “film strip” to feature your kids’ art.
Step 6:
Have your little one flex their creative muscles, use this extra-long paper as a canvas for some art.
Step 7:
Now it’s time to put your box back together, you can do it one of two ways:
- Option 1 – You can glue it back together, however, that means that it will be harder to swap out art.
- Option 2 – Alternatively, if you’d like to be able to swap the drawing strip out then you can use invisible/masking/painter’s tape to put the seams back together.
Step 8:
Have fun decorating the outside of your cardboard TV with markers, crayons, and construction paper. Let your imagination run wild!
Optional: Cut out the clear sheet protector to fit the cutout on your box where little one’s artwork will show to create the TV “screen”.
Step 9:
Now enjoy turning the tubes and seeing your kiddos’ art on the “small screen”!
