Tired of throwing away cereal boxes? Here are some fun activites to do with your child when you’re done with breakfast.

 

Puzzle: Make a puzzle using the front of the cereal box.

Material: an empty cereal box, tape, glue, scissors, Think Breakfast’s maze template, and an adult.

Directions: With help from an adult cut out the front of the cereal box.  Print off and glue Think Breakfast’s maze template to the back of the piece you have just cut out, make sure that you can see the lines before you glue. Let the glue dry then cut out the puzzle pieces by following the solid lines. Now you’ve got your own puzzle, store pieces in a zip-lock bag.

 

A Bookmark: No longer fear losing your page.

Materials: an empty cereal box, hole punch, ribbon or yarn, and an adult.

Directions: Find your favor spot the box. Measure and cut out a 2” by 6” rectangle.  Using the hole punch, punch a hole at the top of the rectangle. Thread a piece of ribbon or yarn through the hole and tie.

Want a custom bookmark? Follow the directions above but before punching a hole, cover the bookmark with paper and color, or just color it with markers. Have fun and make it your own.

 

A Magazine or letter or papers holder: Keep paper in its place.

Materials: Empty cereal box, Scissors, acrylic paint, a paint brush, and an adult.

Directions: Cut off top, where you open it, of cereal box. Halfway across top of box, cut at a 45 degree angle down to front of your magazine holder, cut straight across then back up other side at the same angle. Don’t cut all the way down to the bottom, cut about half way down the side.

Example: We marked 3 inches in on the top on both sides and we marked 6 inches down from the top on both sides. Opposite sides to make a triangle, using a ruler we connected our marks on both sides and cut on the lines.  Cutting away a right triangle.

Spray paint the box white, or paint on with inexpensive sponge brush. Let dry.

After the box has been painted you can do any kind of decorating technique on it. Try gluing on fabric, or making a paper collage on the outside.  You could paint on design, or a scene, or paint it to match your room. You could also use contact paper to cover the sides.

 

A Bag

Materials: An empty cereal box, scraps of paper or fabric, glue, Mod Podge, scissors, and an adult.

Directions:Cut the top, the part that you open, off of your cereal box.

Cut handles, rectangles or ovals, on both sides of the box, about 2 inches down from the top. Cover the box with scraps of paper or fabric. Mod Podge the outside of the box over your paper or fabric. Don’t have Mod Podge? Use a liquid glue and carefully brush it on. Make sure it will dry clear first!

Example: We used a cereal box that measured 10 ¾ inches high by 7 ½ inches wide, a 12 oz box. We marked 1 ½ inches down from the top, and another 1 ½ inches down from there. We marked 2 inches in on either side and drew lines with a ruler to mark where to cut. We cut away a 3 ½ inches wide by 1 ½ inches tall rectangle on both sides of the box.