Easy DIY Puppet Theater from a Cardboard Box

Cardboard boxes, especially large ones, are wonderful “toys” for kids! I can recall several occasions during my childhood when we had large boxes from new appliances and similar items. We would play for hours while pretending these were all sorts of things (houses, rockets, etc.).

Though I’m a mom now, I still love large cardboard boxes. I don’t play with them, of course, but I do get to enjoy watching my kids do so. I love seeing their imaginations come to life as they get creative with boxes!

A few months ago, we had a large box from a crib mattress. It was relatively long and wide, but not deep enough that my girls could climb into it. They’d been enjoying putting on puppet shows (they would hide behind blankets while doing this), so I decided to use the box to make them a simple puppet theater.

This was super easy to do. I cut off one side of the box and cut a window out of this piece.

I then took a couple of pieces of pool noodle (each about 9 inches in length) and sliced a thin piece off of each lengthwise, so the noodles would no longer roll.

Midway along each noodle, on the side opposite of the flat surface, I cut a crosswise gash that is about 1-1.5 inches deep.

I slid the cardboard piece into these gashes so the theater stands upright!

This theater was super easy to create and cost us nothing (the box held a mattress we purchased and the pieces of pool noodle were scraps from previous projects), but it has provided hours of entertainment!

My girls have been using dolls, figures made from craft foam, and pictures taped to craft sticks as puppets. These aren’t fancy, but they work. Someday soon, perhaps on a rainy day, we’ll work on creating some more sophisticated puppets. Likewise, we may paint or decorate the theater.

What fun things have you made from boxes lately?

Shared at the following:

Tuesdays with a Twist, Encouraging Hearts and Home, Busy Monday, Over the Moon, and Farm Fresh Tuesdays.