Not a Box Book Activities AND Lots of Books About Boxes

My kids loved when we had to get new appliances. Yep! Because a new refrigerator meant a giant new box. A new stove equaled a cool new box car or bus. The possibilities with boxes were/are endless! So, let’s have some fun with these Not a Box book activities.

Not a Box Book

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A rabbit is playing with a box.  Right?  No…it’s not a box.  It’s a spaceship, a fire in need of putting out, and oh so much more in Not a Box by Antoinette Portis.

Not a Box Book Activities

Here are some bookish and literacy-building ideas to do after enjoying the book or really any book about boxes (see more book ideas below.)

Build a Box Reading Castle

Yes, a castle made out of a box that children can sit and look at books.  Sounds good to me.  See how we made ours here.—>Box Castle

We’ve also used those boxes to create an Amazon fulfillment center pretend play.—> Fulfillment Center Dramatic Play

But, a box could easily become a bookmobile too.  I love following this account on Instagram and dream of having my own traveling bookstore or brick-and-mortar store too.

Guess What’s In the Box

One of my favorite activities to do during circle time or when we have a few minutes and need a learning filler idea is to play… Guess What’s In the Box (or bag can work too)

It’s soooo easy.

Place an item in a box but don’t let the students see you put the item in the box.  It can be something you bring in from home or from the classroom. Now, close the box and give some clues to the students.

  Let’s say you chose a pencil.   Some literacy building clues might be…

The item begins with the /p/ sound.

It has two syllables or word parts.

It rhymes with the word stencil.

Keep giving clues until the item is guessed.  See how we just practiced beginning sound, word parts, and rhyming!  Easy peasy.   

Plus, you can repeat this activity over and over again.  You can even let students take turns selecting items and giving clues.

Environmental Print Billboards

Use boxes and other cardboard pieces to create environmental print billboards for car play.  Heck, you can even create a whole road system on a cut apart box.  See how to make the billboards.—-> Environmental Print Billboards

Box Letter Hunt

Have students bring in empty boxes.  Food boxes work especially well for this activity.

Then, give each child a marker or crayon and tell them they are going on a box letter hunt.  Their job is to find, name, and circle letters they know.

You may choose to let them work independently or you can guide students to find specific letters together.  For example, show the letter A, name it, and say the sound associated with it.  Then, have the students find that letter and circle it on their box.

More Box Literacy Activities

Mrs. Jones’ Creation Station has a free printable that can be added to a writing center or used as a small group activity that correlates to the book.—>  Check it out here

Use a box to create an ABC letter garden with this idea from Pre-K Pages.—> Check it out here

More Books About Boxes

What is inside each box?  Lift-the-flap and find out in What’s in the Box by Isabel Otter.  A fun pick for little ones. (board book)

Grace and Box by Kim Howard is a fun and creative read-aloud. Grace and her box have so much fun transforming into lots of creative fun. They go to space, camping, and under the sea. But, soon box starts to show some wear and tear from all the adventures.

Meeow and the Big Box by Sebastien Braun is a fun and playful story about a cat turning a box into a…

Well, it’s something red. It has a seat. You can drive it. And, it has a siren on top. It’s a firetruck.

How about a book about box play that has flaps and fold-out pages? Ummm…that is even more fun. Check out Box by Min Flyte.

Imagine lining up all the boxes to create a long train. Every little one will be cheering for this idea.

My Rainy Day Rocket Ship by Markette Sheppard is the story of an imaginative boy on a rainy day. And, the perfect pairing for indoor imaginative play is a BOX.

In this story, a little boy creates an out-of-the-world rocket ship ready for adventures.

Boxitects by Kim Smith is the story of a star box builder. But, there’s a new kid in class, and she’s an outstanding box builder too.

The two girls are paired for a competition but they can’t seem to agree on anything. Will they be ready for the challenge? Can they work together, build each other up, and forge a friendship?

Big Box Little Box by Caryl Hart is loaded with discussion opportunities from opposites, to colors, to shapes, to action words.  And, watch out for the surprise guest in the box towards the end of the story.

The Box Turtle by Vanessa Roeder is the story of a turtle born without a shell so his parents use a box instead.  Terrance loves and appreciates his shell until he starts to get teased about it.  So, he abandons it in search of something else.  But, will he return to his box shell?

Pete the Cat and His Groovy Imagination by the Deans shows us all the fun that Pete the Cat has with a cardboard box and a lot of imagination.

In Really Bird, Really Lucky! by Harriet Ziefert, Really Bird is having a very lucky day after discovering a box.  Turns out a box can be many things for Really Bird and friends.

Harriet Ziefert has a thing for box books.  This one is super clever and also cleverly illustrated.  Is a Book a Box for Words? challenges us to think of all the possibilities when it comes to boxes.

And, make sure to grab the Cardboard Creations activity book by the amazing, Barbara Rucci from Art Bar.  It is loaded with amazing open-ended creations made from boxes and cardboard.  It’s one of my favorites.

Printable List of Books About Boxes

Grab a printable list of the books mentioned above.

Enjoy all of these books about boxes and Not a Box book activities.

PIN THE BOOK LIST FOR LATER AND FOR OTHERS TO FIND!