DIY Ball Run
On one of the days when my kids were home from school last week, we made this super simple DIY ball run out of masking tape and cardboard tubes. They loved it!
We ran cotton balls, bouncy balls, and marbles through this thing.
The kids' favourite part is that it is super simple for them to create, change, and experiment with.
How to Make a DIY Ball Run
This ball run was super simple to make. My kids are 6 years old, and they made, changed, and experimented with one all on their own.
With preschoolers and other smaller kids, you can easily set this up for them and have them experiment rolling different objects through it: pom poms, bouncy balls....
Materials
- cardboard tubes: toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, wrapping paper tubes, or anything else that's a cardboard tube
- wall safe tape: painters tape or masking tape work great
- optional: a clean and empty applesauce container (or other plastic container) to catch your balls at the end of your run
How to Make Your Ball Run
- Grab a bunch of tubes, all of the same circumference (wrapping paper tubes are smaller around than toilet paper rolls, for example, and mixing circumferences will make it harder to get the ball through).
- Use some tape and tape the tubes to the wall.
- Experiment with lengths and angles. Make two or more different runs and race your balls. Experiment with balls. We used pom poms, bouncy balls, and marbles. The kids quickly figured out which balls go faster, which go farther, and which ones fly or fall out of the gaps between tubes.
This quickly becomes a STEM activity as the kids experiment with angles, spacing, and materials.
Ask them to figure out which type of balls travel the fastest, and which type can jump between gaps if the cardboard tubes are right next to each other.
Give them some extra tape and other pieces of cardboard to experiment making other pieces and obstacles for their ball run.
Materials to Experiment with
- pom poms
- cotton balls
- bouncy balls
- marbles
- ping pong balls
- extra card stock or cardboard
- plastic containers (to catch the ball at the end)
Rebecca is a chaplain at a girls’ school, a mom to boys, and a crafter of all things. She crochets in every free moment she has, and she spends much of her time gluing cotton balls to toilet paper rolls and mopping up glitter.
