My child builds with paper

[SuperFishy]

Our 8 year old has always enjoyed playing with paper, not just drawing, which she loves, but building houses, making boxes, bags, laptops, and whatever else her imagination tells her. Is this unusual?

No it's great! She's very imaginative and creative.

No, not unless she's doing it to an extent that it isn't healthy.

It's totally normal, my 9 yo dd does this too (has done for years) She makes paper mobile phones, tiny books, paper packets of crisps, paper i.d. cards with barcodes, paper laptops, paper squishies, paper fingernails, paper shoes etc etc.

Not unusual for a creative child. Mine did this too and went on to design buildings.

No don’t worry, it’s really normal.

I really need to ask... why did you think this was unusual? What did you think this was an indicator of? Because I genuinely don't get it.

My child did this too, some very detailed and some very large ones. DC also wrote fiction books with animated cartoons.

Sadly as DC grew older, gaming took over.

I miss those days.

Yes! All of this!!

I didn't think it was a worry or anything, I've just never encountered a child that uses paper in so many different ways.I think it's awesome!

Fantastic activity!
I used to design and make paper/card furniture.
I also made those paper dolls where you have make the different outfits with little tabs to dress her in.
Me and friend went through a phase about that age of designing towns - plotting the roads and drawing all the buildings. Like Google Earth - but back in the 80s with paper and felt tips 😂
(that friend actually grew up and worked as a town planner for a while).
My daughter went through a phase of making laptops - a piece of card folded in half and then drawing the keyboard and all that on it.

That's great!

As long as she is recycling paper and not wasting it this sounds brilliant and creative.

@SuperFishy

It's fab. You should get her into Origami. Watch a documentary called Between the Folds. It's absolutely gobsmacking- she'll love it!

Oh I've just remembered making little pretend cereal boxes ! Carefully copying the Kelloggs "K".
I loved making a good box - all the tabs to be glued into place 😂

I love when she creates outfits for her dolls, they have actual clothes but she makes swimsuits shoes etc

Not paper here but junk modelling - making things out of cardboard, plastic bottles, any recycling bin contents … we have a whole drawer dedicated to “material” and half completed projects

My DC used make slings for their broken arms and boots for their broken legs. 🤣

Oddly DC never really built Lego other than following the instructions.

I knew one child who made a miniture doll’s house and knitted little characters. She made furniture, drew patterned wallpaper and rugs, made a fridge, oven, microwave, pots and pans. A wardrobe with hanging clothes, bookshelves with books for the characters to read . All tiny and very detailed. It was amazing and quite something to see.

My 6 year old has started doing this. I’ve been so impressed by his creativity as I don’t think I ever did anything similar as a child. He’s made various intricate kite type designs by folding paper into rectangles and gluing them down, and lots of little boxes and post boxes. Most recent was a ballot box in honour of the election with individual voting cards.