Got something to say? Spell it out with these clever letters you make yourself out of empty boxes. The box does most of the work! All you’ll need is scissors, optional craft knife, and regular tape. Cutting guides for A-Z and 1-9 are provided.

Do your kids love to decorate things? Then make your letters plain-side-out, and let them go to town with markers. Or leave them plain for a minimal look. Or (my favorite) let the original printing show on the outside. Different sizes and different styles look great together too. All three versions are given in the directions.

These sturdy 3-D letters stand up on their own, or hang on a wall with just a pushpin. Make the letters of your child’s name and let them decorate. Or just a first initial to hang over their bed. These letters spell fun no matter what.

• Made with empty boxes

• Sturdy 3-D letters stand on their own

• Can be decorated!

• Great for letter-learning

Steps At a Glance:

Ready? Here’s how:

1

You’ll need:

• an empty cracker, cereal, or similar box.

• regular tape

• scissors

• a craft knife (for some letters)

• a pencil or Sharpie

• a ruler (handy, optional)

• a device to view the cutting guides on, set up near your work space

2

Open the bottom flaps and the side seam by gently separating them. You need all the flaps. It’s OK if the box peels a bit. If the glue is stubborn try starting from the other end.

Set your box so its panels are going narrow-wide-narrow-wide from left to right.

3

Pick a letter to make, and find it in the cutting guide. Easy letters for your first try are E, H, I, and L.

Draw your letter onto the box like in the cutting guide. The letter should touch the box edges solidly. Wherever it touches the top or bottom of the box, extend a tab as in the photo. Your two letters don’t have to be perfectly identical, so don’t worry. Use a ruler to draw lines only if it is easier for you.

I’m making an A.

4

Cut the letter out with scissors.

To cut out openings, make a hole with a pushpin and gently wiggle a sharp scissor point in until you can cut. Tiny snips work best at first. Or use a craft knife.

Your box might seem like a wet noodle at this point, but that’s OK! It’s going to come together in the next step.

5

Every letter will be a little different, but basically you are putting the box back together just like it was before. I usually tape the top flaps closed, then the sides, then the bottom.

Look for factory-made tabs, slots, and folds when assembling your letter. They’re the most reliable places to match edges up. Your cut edges probably won’t match up perfectly, which is totally fine. You can leave them, or trim them.

Special step for V, Y, and 7: The two extra pieces in the cutting guide are side braces to strengthen the “stem”. Attach one brace to each side with tape.

That’s it! So easy, and just look at your cool new letter.

I love seeing how the printing on the box gets transformed at the end, like the cereal explosion coming out of nowhere on this letter.

And don’t forget, some letters look the same flipped front to back, or even top to bottom. See which way you like best.

I hope you have lots of fun with your Big Box Letters!

Note: It won’t matter for symmetrical letters like my A here, but for other letters you’ll want to draw the shapes on whichever side of the box, printed or plain, that you want showing on the finished letter. Sharpie shows up well for drawing on the printed side!

Questions

How do I copy the letters from the guide onto my box?

Use the green lines to help you; they mark the middle of the box. And really, as long as you draw all the parts your letter will come out. Probably even if you don’t draw all the parts.

Can I use boxes that are wider than they are tall? Or square boxes?

Yes! Just adapt the cutting guide to your box. Experiment and you will probably end up with a neat looking letter.

Why won’t my letter stand up?

Tippy letters usually just need flatter bottoms. Pinch the bottom folds to make them sharp, and push the bottom in slightly.

If the problem is a foot that’s too small to support the letter (like on a J or V), tape on a piece of scrap box to make a more stable foot. Next time just make the foot a little wider.

And if your letter still won’t stand up for some reason, it can lean or hang on the wall and still look beautiful!

Can I make up my own letters?

Totally. You might try making lower-case letters, or fancy letters. One designing trick I used is to make the letter touch the box in as many places as it can. Steal other ideas from this set of letters to help you!

and try this:

Plain or Decorated Letters

Make plain letters exactly like regular Big Box Letters, only you put them together inside out. The plain brown insides of the box end up on the outside. Easy!

For a decorated letter, decorate that plain side with markers before you put it together. Even a simple outline adds a lot!

Thank you for reading! If you have questions, please drop me a line.