Upcycled Shoebox Dollhouse Activity

While it does take a little time and creativity, it’s amazing what you can make with things (and by that I mean junk) you already have around the house! A wonderful example is the upcycled shoebox dollhouse we recently made. It was a blast to put together, it’s got all sorts of play potential and it gave an old shoebox new life. And the best part? You can totally personalize the project to suit your munchkin’s interests!

What You'll Need

• an old shoebox (the plainer the better)
• an assortment of papers (bring out that scrap paper bin!)
• a pencil
• crayons or pencil crayons
• scissors
• glue and/or tape
• a black permanent marker (if desired)
• a utility knife (not required, but helpful)

You'll Also Love: Screen-Free City-Building Activity (Great for Minecraft Fans!)

How It's Made

To get started, trace the bottom of your box onto a coloured piece of paper and cut it out about a half centimetre inside the lines. This piece will act as the floor of your house, so go ahead and glue it down inside the bottom of your box.

Next, use the same tracing and cutting method to create four walls for the house: two for the long sides and two for the short sides. While you’re at it, cut out one extra wall piece that measures the length of the shorter pieces plus four extra centimetres. This will become the dividing wall across the centre of the house and the extra length will be used to create tabs for gluing.

Now the fun part! Think about what you’d like to see inside your house and begin designing your walls. This process can turn out several different ways. In our case, my daughter told me what she’d like to see in each room, I provided her with very faint sketches (to help her map out our spaces more than anything), and then she drew and coloured everything in pencil crayon before having me outline her art with permanent black marker. Your little one may want to design the house’s interior independently, or may prefer a little more support — do what works for you!

The only thing I would encourage you to do is to include two doors in your design; one on the dividing wall to connect the two rooms and one on an outside wall to serve as a main door to the house. At this point, cut along two edges of you interior wall and make a crease along the third so that it can open and close.

When you’re ready, glue the walls into place. Your shoebox should really be starting to look like a house now!

At this point, feel free to add any little final touches you’d like to the inside of the house. We included a cut and paste bed as well as a couple of carpets. A dining table would be a fun addition too.

You’re almost done! Now you can place the lid on your box and work on the exterior design of your house.

My daughter and I again opted for a colouring book sort of look where I drew a door, a window, some plants and some shingles in black permanent marker and she coloured them in. This was also when I very carefully used my utility knife to cut around two sides of the house’s main door.

That’s it! Your shoebox dollhouse is done. Add a couple of your favourite small dolls or figures and you’re ready to play.