Cardboard Road Small World

It's been the season for cardboard box galore as of late. I'd just got back from the school run. Hot and bothered. The twins were busy playing with their cars on the windowsill and in these moments where I should probably take a breather - I get a random idea pop into my head, to make something.

I popped to the recycling. Brought out a box and grabbed the sharpie pen. 

I set to work.

I used the pen to create a little small world for the boys to use as part of their play. I tried to include as many things as possible that we see out and about. Their language is developing at a rapid rate at the moment so with this in mind I carefully planned out different areas of the box that would encourage language.

I took into account their interests. What they point out when were out and about. Within ten minutes I had created a world they could use with their cars and the Peppa Pig figures, which they are currently obsessed with. 

I didn't tell them what I was busy doing. When I was finished I lay it down on the floor and popped a few cars around it, and as I always do I just waited to see if it would be of interest to them. It was! 

Right away they both ran over excitedly. Their eyes scanning the box and eagerly trying to speak about all they could see. The small world instantly brought them together and got the 'child chat' flowing. They were talking to one another about what they could see, and were excitedly pointing things out to me too.

In just 10 minutes, I had created something that had started to build on social and language skills instantly. I was excited to see how the imagination would unfold. 

They took a car and began to push it around on the cardboard world. 

They talked me though as they were going about their play. "Nee naw nee naw, oh dear Mom. Man poorly" - as they whizzed the ambulance through the busy streets and into the hospital.

The boys have quite short attentions spans at the moment so it lasted around 10 minutes or so. I left the box down on the floor and throughout the day they would return to the box to play. When their sister came home from school she was thrilled with the play opportunity too. They sat alongside her and she (without knowing) was aiding their speech further, adding lots of words as they played together. 

The boys proudly called their Dad over to see it too when he got back from work. 

The box stayed out for around a week before the twins trampled all over it. But fun had been had. I had created an opportunity where I was able to take a step back and observe what they knew, and from this activity I will be going on to plan lots more fun activities. 

It shows that you don't need much to have fun. Fun doesn't have to cost lots of money.