How To Make Faux IKEA Kids Wagon From Upcycling Cardboard Boxes

Last time I browsed for IKEA products for my post IKEA furniture ideas for office-kids playroom and for nursery – craft – guest room; I came across a cute wooden wagon for kids. I just couldn’t get over it, it had stayed in my head until I decided to make my own faux IKEA kids wagon from cardboard boxes. It’s easy, super cheap and great upcycling project to celebrate the coming Earth Day. And more importantly, is to cheer up your kids with the diy toy wagon.

How to make the wagon for your kids? Well, before that, let me list down all easy upcycling materials you can find at home to make this faux IKEA kids wagon:

• Two small cardboard boxes in different sizes but able to fit each other if you insert the smaller one to the bigger box. I happened to have this red cardboard boxes, so I use the red side cardboard as the red accent. As you can see, the IKEA’s wagon uses green as the accent for the wheels and the pulling rope.
• Chopsticks (2 sets)
• Balloon stick
• Red cotton rope, to match the red wheels
• Kraft paper
• Glue

Now, these are the steps on how to make the faux IKEA kids wagon by replacing the wooden material with upcycling cardboard boxes;

1. Cut the 4 wings (2 long and 2 short wings) of the bigger cardboard box, keep it.
2. Cut two short wings of the smaller cardboard box, keep it.
3. Tuck the smaller box into the bigger box and leave about 1 inch space underneath; this is to have a space for the wagon wheels. Get the two cardboard boxes glued.
4. Cut the remaining wings from the smaller cardboard box.
5. Get one short wing and cut into two and use it to fill the shorter area (short wings area) of the smaller box.
6. Wrap the entire wagon with kraft paper.
7. Get the 2 long wings and 3 short wings as the wheels. Draw the circle pattern and cut it into 12 pieces.
8. Make wheel-sandwiches, each glue 3 pieces into one wheel. Find four best red circles and use it as the front side of each wheel.
9. Get one pair of chopsticks to be made into one long stick. Secure the joint with balloon stick. Make another one.
10. Punch a hole to each cardboard wheel and have a long chopstick inserted to two wheels. Make another one.
11. Punch 4 holes on the faux IKEA kids wagon and have the two pair of wheels inserted in proper symmetry.
12. Cut 8 small circles from the remaining cardboard wing and punch a hole on four circles.
13. Insert the four cardboard small circles to each wheel. Cut the remaining chopsticks and secure it with four other small circles to each wheel.
14. Glue each cardboard circle every time you put them together.
15. Punch 2 holes in front of the cardboard kids wagon and insert the red cotton rope. Secure each both ends with a knot.
16. Your upcycling cardboard boxes has turned into faux IKEA kids wagon! Hooray! Your kids will go banana for it and I can assure you that the wagon can move!

Although I have to explain the how to make it in such a long description, actually if you make it yourself, it would be a lot easier and faster than my written steps sounds like. So, try to make yourself the faux IKEA wagon at home and have your own color accent to the wagon’s wheel and pulling rope and cheer up your kids! It’s easy and cheap upcycling project anyway, you just need cardboard boxes as the main material.

See you with more upcycling project!

Make creativity!

Mel

 

 I entered my kids wagon from upcycling cardboard boxes to challenges :

1. The Male Room – Anything goes
2. A Bit More Time To Craft – Anything goes