• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Lil Bebe Academy

Helping Home Child Care Providers Thrive

  • Our Play School
    • Our Play School
    • Mission & Philosophy
    • We Are Accepting Enrollment for August 2025
    • Registration Fees & Offerings
      • Disclosure
    • About
  • Consulting
    • Professional Development
    • Home Child Care Audience
    • Home Daycare Operations – Where to Start
  • Activities
    • Creative Learning
    • Science
  • Nature Play
    • Nature Play
  • THE BOOK
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Activities / Recycle Amazon Cardboard Boxes into Mathematics Teaching Aides …Circle Time Lessons

Recycle Amazon Cardboard Boxes into Mathematics Teaching Aides …Circle Time Lessons

January 16, 2018 By Suzette Salmon Leave a Comment

Don’t toss your empty cardboard boxes.  If you have packages from Amazon or any other online store, then you can reuse those boxes, for many children activities and lessons.  Homemade materials can be very effective in teaching, making games and helping lessons.

Step 1 – Gather your cardboard boxes.

Step 2 – Use a guillotine or scissors to cut the pieces to size.  Cut all the pieces the same size (height and length).Step 3 – Punch a hole at the short side of the cardboard strips.  Repeat step for all the pieces.  Put an album screw through the holes of each cardboard, then secure the back with the small screw.  Album screws are the same as scrapbooking screws.  These can be purchased on Amazon and can be used for many projects.Step 4  – After the cardboard strips are attached and securely fastened, add punch holes to each strip.  I added the holes before stamping the numbers on.  
Step 6 – Stamp the numbers that correspond with holes punched on each strip.  I got the number stampers some years ago but here are similar ones.
 When finished use in your preschool math lessons.  A great way to teach toddlers and preschoolers number recognition.   

A quick fun way to recycle materials, add play and discovery, best of all ….it’s homemade.  Bonus, preschoolers can use these to practice lacing, lacing help young children develop better fine motor skill.

Here’s hoping you will have fun making one for your little one (s).  Miss Sue 🙂

Please note this website contains affiliates.  I sometimes get a commission off items sold…Thanks

Filed Under: Activities, Creative Learning, Daycare Operations Tagged With: cardboard craft, circle time activities, homemade, lesson plans, number, number activities, number stamp, preschool activities, Recycle, toddler activities

Previous Post: « Kids Art – Using Dried Fern and Finger Paint to Create a Snowman on a Snowy Day
Next Post: Make Snowmen and Snow Women From Socks »

Reader Interactions

Latest from Lil Bebe

Miss Sue and Children in the garden

How to Turn Your Garden Into a Living Classroom for Young Children 0-5. #24

Jump-Start Your Garden: Winter Sowing Mini Greenhouse Method for Educators #23

baby bath light table children inquiry

Why There’s a Baby Bath on Our Light Table (episode #21)

More Posts from this Category

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Are you ready to discover what you need to

banish burnout,

attract ideal clients,

and increase your monthly revenue?

>>> LEARN MORE <<<

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Categories

Activities Creative Learning Daycare Operations Nature Play Outdoors Play Science Sensory Play

Footer

We are on Instagram

lilbebeacademy

View Instagram post by lilbebeacademy

Oct 7

Open post by lilbebeacademy with ID 18122683837911330
Here’s an example of our cleanup process. The bell goes off for lunchtime and the children automatically start singing and cleaning up (I don’t usually sing but they do). Some are singing only for the song while others are busy cleaning up like ‘the  little red hen.’ A beautiful example of when you work alone and the children are your teammates. 
Yes, they’re my little learners and teammates - all hands on deck. We have a wonderful symbiotic relationship harmoniously working together for the good of the environment.
It makes this work enjoyable and it also helps all to learn and appreciate each other - especially when you have a yard this size. 
#earlychildhoodeducator 
#naturebasedlearning 
#outdoorclassroom 
#homechildcare 
#edulallie

Here’s an example of our cleanup process. The bell goes off for lunchtime and the children automatically start singing and cleaning up (I don’t usually sing but they do). Some are singing only for the song while others are busy cleaning up like ‘the little red hen.’ A beautiful example of when you work alone and the children are your teammates.
Yes, they’re my little learners and teammates - all hands on deck. We have a wonderful symbiotic relationship harmoniously working together for the good of the environment.
It makes this work enjoyable and it also helps all to learn and appreciate each other - especially when you have a yard this size.
#earlychildhoodeducator
#naturebasedlearning
#outdoorclassroom
#homechildcare
#edulallie
...

8 0

lilbebeacademy

View Instagram post by lilbebeacademy

Oct 3

Open post by lilbebeacademy with ID 17882438703626796
Beautiful slow approach to my early years classroom. I work alone and it’s very important that we all enjoy the space. Children are allowed to move materials, gather, play, learn and then clean up after. 
- A small mixed-age ratio provides many opportunities for discoveries, play and lots of hours outdoors. 
-This was a rainy day, we also harvest rain for their unending play. 
#playbasedlearning 
#mixedagelearning 
#outdoorclassroom 
#naturebasedlearning 
#edulallie

Beautiful slow approach to my early years classroom. I work alone and it’s very important that we all enjoy the space. Children are allowed to move materials, gather, play, learn and then clean up after.
- A small mixed-age ratio provides many opportunities for discoveries, play and lots of hours outdoors.
-This was a rainy day, we also harvest rain for their unending play.
#playbasedlearning
#mixedagelearning
#outdoorclassroom
#naturebasedlearning
#edulallie
...

14 2

lilbebeacademy

View Instagram post by lilbebeacademy

Sep 30

Open post by lilbebeacademy with ID 18007953617988398
Nature gives children something real to think about. Listen to the children - bumblebees and butterflies like nectar too.
🍃
#naturebased
#natureschool 
#learningforlife 
#inhomechildcare 
#edulallie

Nature gives children something real to think about. Listen to the children - bumblebees and butterflies like nectar too.
🍃
#naturebased
#natureschool
#learningforlife
#inhomechildcare
#edulallie
...

31 3

lilbebeacademy

View Instagram post by lilbebeacademy

Sep 12

Open post by lilbebeacademy with ID 17902605375575439
Try this if you’ve been trying to get your children outdoors!

Try this if you’ve been trying to get your children outdoors! ...

86 0
Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2026 · Disclosure · Design by Sharon Hujik · Log in