[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”section” module_class=”free-background-overlay” _builder_version=”3.29.1″ background_color=”#000000″ background_image=”https:\/\/imaginechildcare.com.au\/the-junction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/02\/Kids-Cardboard-Box-5.jpg” custom_padding=”65px|10px|65px|10px|true|” custom_padding_tablet=”50px||50px|” custom_padding_phone=”|||” hover_enabled=”0″ custom_css_before=”background: rgba(255,255,255,0.78);” locked=”off” bb_built=”1″ _i=”0″ _address=”0″][et_pb_row custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_padding=”26px|0px|28px|0px” custom_padding_tablet=”|||” custom_padding_phone=”|||” animation_style=”slide” _i=”0″ _address=”0.0″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” _i=”0″ _address=”0.0.0″ custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_post_title author=”off” comments=”off” featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”3.22.5″ title_font=”|700|||||||” title_font_size=”75px” title_letter_spacing=”1px” title_line_height=”1.1em” meta_font=”|600|||||||” meta_text_color=”#000000″ title_font_size_phone=”60px” title_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” _i=”0″ _address=”0.0.0.0″]
\n[\/et_pb_post_title][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22.3″ parallax=”on” parallax_method=”off” custom_padding=”32px|2px|0%|0px|false|” custom_padding_tablet=”50px||50px|” custom_padding_phone=”40px||40px|” locked=”off” bb_built=”1″ _i=”1″ _address=”1″][et_pb_row custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”3.29.1″ custom_padding_tablet=”0px||0px” hover_enabled=”0″ _i=”0″ _address=”1.0″ column_structure=”2_3,1_3″][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” _i=”0″ _address=”1.0.0″ custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.29.1″ text_font=”||||||||” header_font=”||||||||” header_2_font=”|700|||||||” header_2_font_size=”32px” animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”right” hover_enabled=”0″ _i=”1″ _address=”1.0.0.1″]<\/p>\n
And the granddaddy of them all are refrigerator boxes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Guess what arrived at my house the other day? (he-he-he!)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” _i=”0″ _address=”1.0.0″ custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/imaginechildcare.com.au\/the-junction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Peek-a-book-baby-768×576.jpg” align=”center” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.29.1″ animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”left” hover_enabled=”0″ _i=”0″ _address=”1.0.0.0″] <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Babies do it. Toddlers do it. Preschoolers too. (And I bet more than once you\u2019ve secretly wanted to as well.) The first thing little kids do when confronted with a cardboard box is try to get in it. Cute as this is, there\u2019s actually an important reason why they do this. It\u2019s called Spatial Awareness.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You see,<\/span> in the early years, little ones spend a good deal of time getting to know their own bodies, and with that comes the necessary question \u201chow big am I?\u201d But they\u2019re growing, so the answer to that question keeps changing. <\/span>That\u2019s why kids are constantly testing their own size by crawling in, through, around, over and under things. And cardboard boxes are often the perfect size for this kind of spatial exploration.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n There\u2019s also an emotional component to seeking out small spaces. Right from the start, children are soothed by a sense of being bundled up or embraced in mommy\u2019s arms. This need for \u201cdenning\u201d continues throughout childhood (and I would argue throughout life) because in many ways, it\u2019s a subconscious return to the comfort of the womb.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Imagine what it\u2019s like to always be the smallest person in a room. Everything is sized for big people. In small spaces, kids feel BIG.<\/span> (Sometimes it\u2019s good to be small.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Likewise, the light-weight construction of a cardboard box enables young children to move and manipulate an object that is bigger than they are. In other words, cardboard yields to their will.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cardboard boxes make ideal hiding places. And kids love to hide. Now, I haven\u2019t made a scientific study of this, but I believe<\/span> thehiding game may well be the first experience a child has with knowing something you don\u2019t know. <\/span>And I think this is such a powerful idea when we grow up, as adults we intuitively \u201cget it.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Think about it. The hiding game usually begins with an impish grin as she ducks out of sight. Without even thinking about it, you join the game. \u201cHmmm. I wonder where Caitlin is? I can\u2019t see her. Is she under the pillow? No. Is she behind the couch? No. Hmmm. Is she on my head? No\u2026\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Then comes the big surprise! \u201cHere I am!\u201d And of course, the tone in her voice let\u2019s you know she\u2019s got one up on you. What fun! And what a powerful role reversal that is!<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve read a lot and I\u2019ve written a lot about the importance of providing children with rich sensory experiences each and every day. Yet \u201c<\/span>asensory\u201d experiences play an important role in sensory development as well.<\/span><\/p>\n For instance, the humble cardboard box is a great example of an asensory environment. <\/span>The brown color suggests nothing in particular. The smooth sides infer little. The cube structure defines empty space. The subtle smell lacks distraction. The sound of the cardboard folding is muted and music-less. This very LACK of sensory inputs (or perhaps, more accurately said, the subtle nature of the sensory inputs) is an essential contrast to the more powerful and deliberate stimulation we traditionally think of when we talk about \u201csensory play.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This relief from the sensory world may explain, in part, why kids find the confines of a cardboard box so appealing. And of course,<\/span> its very neutrality is the blank-slate upon which children so easily imprint their imaginations\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n Much as been written about this, but for my money, the minimalist<\/span> Not A Box<\/span><\/i>, by Antoinette Portis says all that needs to be said on the subject.<\/span><\/p>\n Introducing A Big Cardboard Box For the record, turning a box into a plaything is an eco-friendly first lesson is waste-not, want-not. So when you have the opportunity, try encouraging preschoolers to think about the concept of reusing things for other purposes. For instance, you might explain the purpose of packaging \u2014 that the box was designed to protect the product so that it wouldn\u2019t get scratched. But that doesn\u2019t mean that\u2019s the only thing you can do with a box. Then wonder aloud\u2026 \u201cI wonder what we could do with this big box? What do you think?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Children\u2019s natural curiosity should take over, but if the size of the thing is a bit overwhelming, you might want to encourage a few ideas to get her started, and before you know it, you won\u2019t be able to get her out of it!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Big Box Ideas? If you\u2019ve got a great big cardboard box idea you\u2019ve tried with your kids, I\u2019d love to hear about it! Please post your link here in the comments section. Thanks so much.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Enjoy!<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”||0px|||” custom_padding_phone=”||” _i=”1″ _address=”1.1″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” _i=”0″ _address=”1.1.0″ custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_sidebar _builder_version=”3.22.5″ animation_style=”slide” border_style_all=”none” _i=”0″ _address=”1.1.0.0″] [et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”section” module_class=”free-background-overlay” _builder_version=”3.29.1″ background_color=”#000000″ background_image=”https:\/\/imaginechildcare.com.au\/the-junction\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/02\/Kids-Cardboard-Box-5.jpg” custom_padding=”65px|10px|65px|10px|true|” custom_padding_tablet=”50px||50px|” custom_padding_phone=”|||” hover_enabled=”0″ custom_css_before=”background: rgba(255,255,255,0.78);” locked=”off” bb_built=”1″ _i=”0″ _address=”0″][et_pb_row custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_padding=”26px|0px|28px|0px” custom_padding_tablet=”|||” custom_padding_phone=”|||” animation_style=”slide” _i=”0″ _address=”0.0″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” _i=”0″ _address=”0.0.0″ custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_post_title author=”off” comments=”off” featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”3.22.5″ title_font=”|700|||||||” title_font_size=”75px” title_letter_spacing=”1px” title_line_height=”1.1em” meta_font=”|600|||||||” meta_text_color=”#000000″ title_font_size_phone=”60px” title_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” _i=”0″ _address=”0.0.0.0″] [\/et_pb_post_title][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22.3″ […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tips-for-parents"],"yoast_head":"\n\u00a0<\/h2>\n
\u00a0<\/h2>\n
After a day with my grandchildren and a big cardboard box, it got me thinking about why kids love cardboard boxes, and why cardboard boxes are great for kids\u2026 <\/span><\/h4>\n
\n[\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.29.1″][et_pb_column _builder_version=”3.29.1″ type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.29.1″ hover_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\nSix Learning Dimensions of a Cardboard Box (Refrigerator or Otherwise)<\/b><\/h3>\n
1. SPATIAL AWARENESS<\/b><\/h4>\n
2. COMFORT & SECURITY<\/b><\/h4>\n
3. EMPOWERMENT<\/b><\/h4>\n
4. CONTROL<\/b><\/h4>\n
5. ASENSORY PLAY<\/b><\/h4>\n
6. IMAGINATION<\/b><\/h4>\n
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\n[\/et_pb_comments][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"