Here’s How To Make A Cardboard Box Camera For Your Kids

Want To Make a Camera With Cardboard? Here’s How We Made Ours

Looking for (yet more) easy children’s craft ideas? We’ve been raiding the recycling to make a children’s cardboard box camera.

Like everyone, we’ve been stuck inside a lot recently, so I’m always looking for more things to do to keep everyone occupied (including, let’s be honest, me).

We came up with the idea to make a cardboard box camera after my two kept ‘borrowing’ my proper camera, which is fine, but it was always returned with sticky fingers all over the lens.

So the camera craft idea was born – we thought it would make something fun they could play with, that used items we already had in the house. Here’s how we made a camera with cardboard.

(They are still allowed to use my proper camera, of course…when I’m watching).

What You’ll Need For This Cardboard Crafting Activity

• A small-size cardboard box that’s approximately a easy to hold camera size, and that you can make a hole in (we used two halves of the box from my new phone)
• Something to make the lens – we used ketchup bottle lids, which you can flip up and down for a more fun camera lens / lens cap /viewfinder effect. You can find these types of lids on lots of different food products, and some kinds of babywipes too.

• A small bottle lid or cap
• Strong glue
• Something to make a hole in the box
• Washi tape or tape to decorate

How To Make The Toy Cardboard Camera

• Make a hole in the box, for the viewfinder
• Glue the ‘lens’ to the front and the button to the top.
• Add tape or camera markings, if you like.
• That’s it!

It’s a really simple activity that makes something really fun for them to play with, hopefully for ages. Plus, it uses up recycling and sticky fingers aren’t a problem – so everyone wins.

Say cheese!

Once you’ve read my post on making a cardboard box camera, make sure you also read:

• 101 indoor activities for children and the best lockdown birthday ideas for kids
• Make our easy banana bread
• How to make a felt ball garland
• Easy Christmas crafting for kids
• And look for more ideas on my Pinterest board of kid’s activities