First, cut off the top—the part with the plastic, where the tissues come out. You can either recycle it or use it for scraps in your cardboard projects. My daughter likes to glue them in with collages, paint them and add them to masks for added details, and sometimes even have me draw animals on them that she can cut out and play with. Then you have an open box that you can use for…
Storage. This one is easy enough, right? We like to use ours to keep ongoing projects in—say, beads, feathers, and string to a necklace we’re working on. We also use them to hold crayons, rolls of tape and glue sticks, and other art supplies. They also make great sock holders for little kid socks!
Houses. My daugher’s current favorite use of tissue boxes is to make them into houses. If you get varying sizes, this is even better. You can paint the outside to make actual cities, or as she prefers, simply leave them as-is and use them as you play with stuffed animals and small toys. She’s had me cut out “doors” and “windows” for them as well. She’s even used them as hospital beds for “sick” animals, too.
Party Favors. Instead of sending home a cellophane bag of stuff, create your own party favor box with your old tissue boxes. Have the kids go on a nature hunt and fill the boxes themselves with acorns, sticks, rocks, and whatever else you have around, then provide glue, string, and a few odds and ends for easy craft-making at home. (Alternatively, do the craft at the party, then send it home in the box.)
Make a diorama. Boy did I love to make these in school! I made one once with several acts from Romeo and Juliet, complete with “spotlight” holes above each scene. Let your little ones pick out any small toys, outdoor finds, magazine pictures, and anything else they like and go crazy adding them to make a fun scene.
Clown Shoes. Little ones who want to play dress up can do so in these easy-to-make clown shoes. Just put one box beneath the foot and tape the other box, with a semicircle cut out to fit, above the foot. This should be a supervised activity, however, as it can cause tripping!
What do you use facial tissue boxes for? Be sure to share your ideas in the comment section.
See also: Reuse It: Drink Boxes