Design a Marble Maze

Your child builds a maze or run for a marble or small ball out of household parts on a tray or the floor, then tests it and adjusts the walls until the ball travels the way they want.

How to do it

1. Gather parts that can make walls and paths, such as cardboard strips, blocks, tubes, or straws, and pick a marble or small ball.
2. Let your child lay out a starting path and a goal for the ball to reach.
3. Have them roll the ball to test the run and watch where it gets stuck or falls off.
4. Ask what they want to change, then let them move walls or add a ramp to fix the trouble spot.
5. Keep testing and adjusting until the ball makes it through, then let them make it trickier if they like.

What you need

• Marble
• Cardboard parts
• Tray
• Tape

Make it yours

Younger, 5-6 years: Make a simple straight or gently curved path with big gaps to aim for. Older, 8-10 years: Add branches, a jump, or time how fast the ball completes the run and try to beat it. Siblings: Each child builds one section and they join the sections into one long run.