There is one toy that I maintain is THE best toy a child can have. A cardboard box. It doesn’t have to be huge, though it certainly doesn’t hurt. My kids love to sit in smaller boxes and make cars or trains out of them or simply pull each other around in them.
This particular box, though, has been around for about 3 years and has seen better days. For a long time it was folded flat in our garage, but I broke it out the other day and sure enough, it hasn’t lost its touch. When Drew was about 4, we inherited this box and went at it with markers and crayons and I cut out windows, a door, a mailbox, and a peephole. It is a most collapsible and completely free awesome little playhouse. The kids absolutely love pulling little furniture or play kitchens into it and peeking out the windows. It is hours of creative play at its best. Just goes to show you that they don’t need anything too fancy to have fun.
I like to pass this cardboard box tip on to new parents because inevitably we all think our kids must have every educational expensive toy to play with and sure, they likely play with them for a while. In my experience, children somehow always find out that playing with cardboard boxes and laundry baskets and sticks and dirt and water and leaves are just awesome.
my kids loved them too! i have a friend who’s son would cut them up and make swords, and armor and a shield and then he’d go around like a knight on a stick horse. it was so cute!!!