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How to Make a Hut Out of Cardboard

Creating an inexpensive hut out of an old cardboard box may be the best kid gift ever. All parents experience similar pangs of reality at some holiday or another: Your 4-year-old wants nothing to do with the expensive play kitchen you purchased. Instead, the little tot is perfectly content playing with the box the kitchen came home in. It's pointless to fight it, so get out your utility knife and create the world's best play hut. A properly made cardboard hut can last several months or more, minus the heavy investment of manufactured playhouses.

Things You'll Need

Large cardboard box, at least 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide
Permanent marker
Builder's square or yardstick
Utility knife
Duct tape
Paint primer
Flat latex paint
Flat latex brown paint
Acrylic paints
Large paint brush
Paint roller
Small art paintbrushes

Instructions

- 1
  Cut the flaps from the top or bottom of the box. Follow the seams in the cardboard as a guide. Set those pieces aside. Place the box with cut end on the bottom. Fold the top flaps of the box and seal the top shut with the tape.
- 2
  Give yourself a few moments to visualize where to put windows and a door. Consider the size of the front door so kids can easily walk or crawl inside. Make a few notes and maybe even a sketch before starting, depending on how fancy you plan to get.
- 3
  Use your permanent marker and straightedge to outline the windows and door. Stand back to eyeball if everything looks even. Before cutting, look at the marked line on the left side of the door. Do not cut this line. Instead, this indicates the placement of the door's fold (or pretend hinges). Cut the other marked lines for the door.
- 4
  Cut the window holes, but leave the top marked line of each untouched. This top line, again, is the fold for opening and closing the window. Use the utility knife to cut any stray pieces of cardboard along the cut edges of the windows and door.
- 5
  Paint the exterior of your hut with the primer. A paint roller makes an easy job of this step. Allow the primer to dry. Paint the top of the hut brown for the roof. Paint a coat of your chosen paint color to the exterior of the hut. Recoat once it's dry, if necessary.
- 6
  Use the acrylics to paint a door knob, window shutters, doorbell and window panes on the outside of the window flaps. Get help from the children if needed. Use a blue acrylic to paint the inside of each window pane. Paint gingerbread trim, shingles and flowers along the bottom edges.

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