Why do children seem to like the box more than the toy that came in it?

Question

You pay $50 on a toy and they would rather play with the box

Answer 1

Just tonight, I had to give my daughter, who is 15 months old, some medicine and she had the best time putting the bottle in the box and taking it out again.
In general the boxes are very colorful. And like others have said, a big box can be anything. I do remember that when my bother and I were kids, we had the best time with a water heater box. It was everythign from a rocket ship, to a car, to an elevator, a house and on and on. We had that box for a long time - probably close to a month before our mother told us we had to get rid of it and she put it on the curb. We went and got it and hid it behind the garage. We couldn't get rid of it. It was the best toy we had.

Answer 2

Don't really understand this either - I just know kids always enjoy playing with a box more than the toy; it's been like this for a long time and will probably continue.
Next time, just buy an empty box and save the money for something else.

Answer 3

Because children have much better imaginations and are stimulated to use them by just the box. A cardboard box is an adventure in the making...better than some damn boring toy that limits the imagination to only what it can do.

Answer 4

This goes on the same principal that when you take your very ill child to the doctor, as soon as you walk into the exam room, the child is magically better...and you are left explaining syptoms to the doctor because all of a sudden your child is exhibiting NONE of the syptoms you took him or her to the doctor for.
Children revel in making their parents wonder...I think the reason why they like to play with the box more than the toy is just so that you feel silly for buying such an expensive toy....even when the toy was just five or ten dollars. Babies prefer to play with real car-keys than the play ones, too.
I bought my first brand-new car when my oldest daughter was five years old. The third day I had it my daughter, who had never in her life experienced car-sickness prior to that, managed to throw up all over the back seat, all over the back of my driver's seat, and all down in the crevasse between the back of the seat and the part you sit on back there. She wasn't ill, it was just the parenting gods playing an evil joke on me, I guess.
Kids keep us on our toes, give us lots to think about, talk about, wonder about, and cry about...lol. It's the meaning of life!

Answer 5

Children are imaginative. A good imagination is a sign of intelligence. Boxes to kids represent cars, houses, tractors, tents, etc. Your child should have times when he or she will want to play pretend with the box, and times when he or she will want to concentrate on the toy. Encourage both!

Answer 6

Speaking about little kids toys- the adults are drawn to buy a nice toy for their child however kids are very simplistic, thus the box itself is an amazing toy! This goes double if the box is big enough for one or two kids to climb in!

Answer 7

Especially a fifty dollar toy is likely to be very limited in what it can be used for. Boxes can be used for so much and are amenable to the child's imagination.

In addition to boxes, blocks and little figures, are just absolutely the best toys.

Answer 8

EASY..JUST BRING THEM HOME A BIG BOX AND SAVE YOUR MONEY HEHE.. its the simple things in life children enjoy and a box can be soo many things (house, drum, car, etc)..its way more creative anyways thean some battery powered gadget!

Answer 9

That's one of the great mysteries of mankind,my grandkids had a great time for days playing with a big tv box.I've never seen them do that with their toys.

Answer 10

Children are fascinated with simple things.