Build a Cardboard City
Recycling bins become streets, towers, and tunnels. A favourite rainy-day make that can last all week.
How to do it
Start with one street, not a skyline.
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1 Flatten or keep boxes 3D — both work.
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2 Draw roads. Name the city.
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3 Cut doors and windows (adult job for little kids).
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4 Add people from bottle caps or paper.
Build a city from boxes: roads, buildings, a park, maybe a volcano next door.
Cardboard boxes, tape, markers or crayons, scissors (adult). Optional: bottle caps for cars.
Invent a city rule (no cars on Tuesdays, everyone must hop) and play for ten minutes.
Helpful Idea
Build a Cardboard City
Recycling bins become streets, towers, and tunnels. A favourite rainy-day make that can last all week.
How to Prepare for Your Child’s First Arts Activity
What children may need
Clothes that can get messy (or a smock), tied-back hair, and curiosity. Studios usually supply paint and tools.
What parents should bring
A bag for wet artwork, allergy notes about materials, and questions about drying/pickup of projects.
What children should expect
Exploring materials, trying techniques, and finishing something they can take pride in — not gallery-perfect pieces.
Beginner tips
Praise process (“I love how you mixed those colours”) more than realism.
Simple things to practice at home
Cutting paper safely, gluing collage scraps, and drawing for five minutes without erasing everything.
Age-appropriate preparation
Younger kids need washable materials and short projects. Older kids may enjoy sketchbooks and theme challenges.
Useful Products & Resources
A mix of local KidsPact programs, learning resources, and optional products to help you get started — not a shopping list.
Some product links may be affiliate links. KidsPact may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate disclosure
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A recommended product for this activity.
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Arts & crafts for kids in Ottawa
Studios and creative programs across the city.
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When your child wants brush-focused sessions.
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National Gallery of Canada — family programs & ideas
Ottawa’s national gallery often shares family-friendly art inspiration.
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Free art activities and inspiration for children.
Want to take it further?
Home art supplies and gallery resources are listed above.
Keep exploring
Make Friendship Bracelets
Simple knots, big pride. A calm make that works at the kitchen table or on a picnic blanket.
10-Minute Creativity Challenge
Paper, markers, a timer. Invent something nobody has ever seen before — then tell its story.
7 Screen-Free Activities for a Rainy Afternoon
Ottawa rain (and shoulder-season drizzle) doesn’t have to mean a movie by default. Seven ideas that use stuff you already have.