How to Build a Child Size Cardboard Castle

Consider where you are going to place the castle before construction.

Children can crawl inside an ordinary cardboard box and it will become a wonderland of adventures. Give your child's cardboard box an overhaul by turning it into an imaginative castle fit for the youngest royals. Include your child's input with the design and help with the construction process. Then she will have a sense of pride and accomplishment as she steps inside her new playhouse. If you have the play space, extend the solitary castle into a village by adding more box castles in varying heights and widths.

Things You'll Need

• Large cardboard box, such as for an oven or washing machine
• Box cutter
• Yarn
• Hot glue gun
• Black permanent marker
• Gray spray paint
• Stone-textured spray paint
• 1 yard cloth

Instructions

1. Cut off the top of a large cardboard box that is approximately 3-by-3 feet in size using a box cutter.

2. Cut a rectangle across the top of the box that is 4 inches from the top and extends within 6 inches of each side to identify the front side of the castle. Remove the rectangle of cardboard.

3. Make a notch around the top of the cardboard box at every 4 inches. Cut down 4 inches at each measurement. Fold over the cardboard at every other notch to form ramparts; these are a signature style for castle walls. Remove the sections of cardboard that are folded down to complete the ramparts.

4. Draw a semicircle for a window that is approximately 7 inches wide and 10 inches tall at the back side of the castle. Cut the shape out of the cardboard.

5. Draw a rectangle that is at least half the height of the box and 1 foot wide on the front side of the box. Cut across the top and down the sides of the rectangle; do not cut across the bottom of the rectangle.

6. Fold the rectangle down and out from the box to identify how far the drawbridge will extend. Attach a piece of yarn on each side of the drawbridge in the outer corners using hot glue. Extend the two pieces of yarn until they reach the top corners of the cut-out rectangle. Cut the yarn to fit and attach the remaining ends to the corresponding corners.

7. Draw horizontal lines spaced 4 inches apart around the outside of the castle and all the way to the top of the box using a black permanent marker. Add vertical lines spaced 4 inches apart in between the horizontal lines; stagger the vertical lines in each row to mimic the appearance of stones.

8. Spray the inside and outside of the castle with gray spray paint. Allow it to dry. Add texture to the castle by spraying stone-textured spray paint over the outside of the castle.

9. Cut a 12-inch square from one yard of fabric. Hot glue the top side of the cloth over the window on the inside of the castle; do not attach the sides or bottom so you can lift or pin back the curtain, if desired.

10. Cut a 6-by-9-inch triangle out of the same yard of cloth as you used for the window curtain. Trim a 2-by-8-inch strip of cardboard from the scraps you cut out of the box. Hot glue the 6-inch side of the fabric along one end of the cardboard strip. Attach the other end of the cardboard strip to the top of the front side of the castle using hot glue to form a flag for the castle.

Tips & Warnings

• Ask a local appliance or department store if they have a large cardboard box you can have or buy.

References

• Enchanted Learning: Box Castle
• Education; Construct a Kid Size Cardboard Castle; Kris Vagner