You and the kids can easily make a cardboard box doll bed for pretend play. The DIY project has just a few simple steps to make a cozy bed for dolls and stuffies from an everyday household recyclable.
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Create a cardboard box doll bed for pretend play with just a few simple steps and basic craft materials. This doll bed is an easy prop to spark role play and support kids development in the early years.
Pretend play is an important part of early childhood development. It helps kids interpret and communicate interactions with the world around them through dolls, puppets, and stuffies, building thinking skills. It helps them engage with characters, tell stories and create events, building language and social skills.
- Kids mimic the words and actions of others as they dress a baby doll, tuck a stuffie into bed, or read a book to a teddy bear.
You and the kids can make the doll bed together with a recycled cardboard box
Easy to make cardboard box doll bed
This is a very basic tutorial for a doll bed. You can easily adapt or extend our project with your own ideas.
Elaborate on the design according to your own preference, by making it larger or smaller, adding other features, or decorating it in different ways.
Supplies for a doll bed
Rectangular cardboard box
Solid foam for mattress
Fabric to cover the foam mattress
Fabric for pillow
Stuffing for pillow
- See options for stuffing in the tutorial
How to make a doll bed
Mattress
Cut out a piece of fabric to cover the foam. Allow up to 1 inch (2.5 cm) margin for sewing seams, and to fold over at the top.
With right sides together, sew three sides on sewing machine or by hand.
- This fabric piece was large enough to cover the foam in one piece, so it only had to be sewn on two sides – the long side opposite the folded edge and the bottom short side. The folded edge did not have to be sewn.
- The top edge is left open to insert the foam.
Pillow
Cut out a smaller piece of fabric for the pillow. Sew in the same way as the mattress cover.
Slide the mattress cover over the piece of foam.
Fill the pillow with the stuffing.
- Use cotton balls, yarn scraps, or a smaller piece of solid foam if you don’t have pillow stuffing
Fold over the excess fabric at the open end, then tuck it into the pillow or mattress. Sew by hand, or seal with two-way adhesive hemming tape.
Headboard
Cut a piece of cardboard to the width of the bed.
Draw a half circle on the cardboard with a small plate.
Cut out the curve, then cut the cardboard to length.
Decorate the headboard with stickers, markers, or any other materials you choose.
Attach the end of the doll bed with tape or a glue gun.
Place the mattress and pillow into the cardboard box to complete the project.
Doll bed DIY for pretend play
This cardboard box project is simple and quick. Your doll bed will be ready to use in no time.
Kids can start role playing right away – creating scenes and engaging in conversation with their dolls and play mates.
