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We love cardboard crafts. But then, Evie loves playing in my office and pretending to be the ‘Big Bad Boss’ too.
We thought it was time to bring the two together.
Evie always enjoys playing on my computer and I think it’s a fantastic way to encourage computer literacy; it’s such an important aspect of everyday life in 2021.
I don’t know about you, but I spend more time typing than handwriting by a country mile, so I always try to encourage Evie to use a computer where possible.
Evie’s too little for a laptop of her own, so we decided to make one for our imaginary play.
This is a super simple cardboard craft project, but looks really effective.
Give it a go and let me know how you get on!
You will need:
- A cardboard box (A shoebox works perfectly here)
- A craft knife
- Glue (PVA or Pritt Stick)
1. Mark your your box
The first thing you’ll need to do is mark the shape of your laptop onto your box.
You’re effectively just going to keep two of the sides of the box, but here’s the important bit…
You need to keep a small edge around the left, right and top of one of your sides.
This will give the freestanding section the rigidity it needs to stand upright.
2. Cut the box
Scissors are always a safe bet, but I find them tricky to work with when you get to the corners.
Over the years, I’ve tried all sorts when it comes to cutting cardboard.
Personally, I use a craft knife like this one, although please remember to keep it out of reach of your little nippers!
I’ve marked where you’ll need to cut on the diagram below.
The box should now look like this.
3. Add a screen
No high-spec laptop is complete without a high definition screen!
Just cut out rectangle from some leftover cardboard (we used the lid of the shoebox), making sure it’s about an inch smaller on all sides.
Use plenty of glue, as expertly demonstrated by Evie, and get sticking.
4. Add buttons
We were very loose indeed with our buttons and just made them roughly the same size. Depending on how careful you’d like to be, you could measure the buttons out.
Want a full QWERTY keyboard? You can use this as a guide…
You can stick the buttons using a simple PVA glue, just make sure you get a good covering because they have a tendency to come loose!
5. Add accessories
No laptop would be complete without a cardboard mouse to go with it! Wireless, clearly.
Using a few leftover buttons and a little rectangle of card, you can add a little mouse to go with it!
Et voila! We hope you enjoyed this very simple cardboard crafts guide for kids.
This is one we really enjoyed and will definitely be doing again!
If you’re looking for more inspiration, check out our activity guide here for low cost, super fun activities to do with your kids!
