You know we love flexing our creative muscles and using recycled materials, so we thought we'd start a cardboard craft series!

Our first craft is a simple one that packs a lot of punch. It's fun to make and the completed project makes a great activity for building fine motor skills and practicing shoe tying! It's also just cute and the overall design can be applied to making a 3D birthday card. The possibilities are endless!

This cardboard craft was inspired by @_girlwithkids_that_craft on Instagram.

Supplies:

• Cardboard
• Paint and/or markers
• String, like embroidery thread or yarn

Step 1: Paint your design

We made two versions--one on brown cardboard and one on a piece of white cardboard from a USPS box. Either can work well. Whatever your base, start by painting your balloon design and then let dry.

Add details, like the knot and a white highlight to give your balloons dimension.

Step 2: Add balloon strings

This is easiest done with a large sewing needle, but you can also poke two holes per balloon and push the string through with your fingers. Either way, loop string in from the front, to the back, and then to the front again.

Step 3: Practice tying

Now you have a homemade board for little hands to practice shoe tying! Instead of balloons, you could also paint shoes or a bowl of noodles. Get creative!

If you try this one out, we want to see! Tag us on Instagram or Facebook with #PlayboxesCardboardCrafts. You can also follow us @playboxes.co to see how-to videos for all of our activities.

Happy crafting!