Television. Kids. Two words that lead to a lot of (mostly) healthy debate about the effects of viewing for children and the balance between screen and non-screen time for little imaginations. Whether you’re a no-television household or like to let the little ones enjoy their favourite show while you cook dinner, here’s a way to let the little ones bring fun and TV together in a lovely crafty way.

What you’ll need

– an old box
– paint
– foil paper
– buttons
– glue
– pipe cleaner
– pom poms
– sticky tape

What you’ll do

To create the screen, cut the base out of an old box to create the opening, leaving the lid free so the little ones can access it from the back with puppets. From the piece you cut out, you can cut rectangles to make a remote control with paint and buttons.

Paint the inside of the box black.

Cut a piece of foil paper so that when it is stuck to the top panel at the back of the box it will hang to the bottom, as this will allow your little one to poke their hands through with puppets without being seen. Glue it to the inside of the top flap at the back of the box.

Paint the outside of the box and once dry attach buttons and your antennas, which can be made by gluing pom poms to the end of a pipe cleaner.

Simple fun, but truly the best part is watching the shows the little ones put on when it’s ready. Sitting back and watching what’s on the box has never been more fun!