Get ready to design, construct and create just like real engineers! These colourful building challenges turn everyday materials into mini marvels of science and design. Construction play introduces budding architects and builders to the world of STEM, as they explore how different shapes and materials come together to make structures that are strong and balanced.

Whether you’re crafting a geometric rainbow bridge from wooden craft sticks, stacking cardboard towers to test balance, connecting matchsticks to investigate structural forms or turning old boxes into colourful building blocks, each construction play activity helps you explore how shapes, structure and stability work in the real world.

With a little imagination (and a splash of colour!) you’ll learn the basics of engineering, physics and design thinking, one fun building project at a time.

Two children playing on a bridge made from colourful craft sticks at a table, racing small toy cars up the ramps in a cosy living room setting.

Craft Stick Bridge

Suitable for Ages 4+

From the iconic Golden Gate Bridge to our very own Sydney Harbour Bridge, all over the world these structures are true marvels of engineering. Bridges stretch across rivers, link cities and carry thousands of people every day to and from work and school. And by using only wooden craft sticks and a glue gun, you can build your very own. Learn how shape and balance make structures strong in this hands-on STEM project that mixes creativity and construction.

A series of images demonstrating Step 1 of making a popsicle stick bridge, showing eight sticks being glued together with two sticks across the top and bottom. Then repeated twice to create three panels.

Step 1: Line up eight popsicle sticks side by side. Grab another two sticks and use a glue gun to glue them lengthways across the top and bottom edges of the lined-up sticks. Repeat this step twice so that you have three separate panels. 

Hot Tip: You may want to trim the overhang of the two joining sticks with a pair of scissors so that the side edges are flat for when you glue your bridge together.

A series of images demonstrating Step 2 of making a craft stick bridge, showing the construction of the U-shaped support piece with an added horizontal stick for height.

Step 2: Make a U-shape with three sticks, then glue another horizontal stick about two-thirds of the way from the bottom of the U (this will be the height of your bridge). Trim the top of the upright sticks with scissors. Glue a stick sloping down from the top of each side, ensuring that the bottom tip of each side is level with the bottom of the U and so that your bridge will sit flatly on any surface. Repeat this step to make another support piece. 

A series of images demonstrating Step 3 of making a craft stick bridge, showing the support pieces being glued to the underside of one of the flat deck panels.

Step 3: Glue the top edges of the support pieces to the underside of one of the flat panels, aligning the support pieces on either side of the panel, on the outside of each of the joining sticks.

A series of images demonstrating Step 4 of making a craft stick bridge, showing the final two flat sections being glued into place as the ramps.

Step 4: Finally, glue into place the other two flat sections to create the ramps either side of your structure.

What You’ll Need

A child carefully stacking green, blue, yellow, orange and red slotted cardboard rolls to create a tower on a wooden table in a living room setting.

Cardboard Roll Stackers

Suitable for Ages 3+

Turn cardboard tubes into colourful building blocks and learn the basics of engineering while you play. Can you build a castle? Or the tallest tower? What happens when you change the angles or mix different lengths? Explore problem-solving, balance and basic physics, while the bright colours make every structure into a work of art. Design, test and rebuild, just like real architects and engineers.

A series of images demonstrating Steps 1 to 3 of making cardboard roll stackers, showing a hand cutting small vertical slits into the ends of a cardboard tube with scissors.

Step 1: Take each cardboard roll and make a cut at the top with scissors, approximately 3mm wide and around 12mm deep. Then make an identical cut on the opposite side of the circle. Now add another two cuts between them, so that you have four cuts 90 degrees apart from each other.

Hot Tip: It doesn’t really matter how long the cuts are, as long as they are all the same. 

Step 2: Turn the cardboard tube around and make the same cuts on the other end. 

Step 3: Create as many stackers as you think will complete your structure, or until you run out of tubes! 

Hot Tip: Try cutting a few of the rolls in half, so you have some half-size stackers.

A series of images demonstrating Step 4 of making cardboard roll stackers, showing a hand painting the cut cardboard tubes with bright blue, red, green, orange and yellow paint.

Step 4: Now it’s time to paint your stackers. Use as many different colours as you like to create a rainbow of stackers. 

A series of images demonstrating Step 5 of making cardboard roll stackers, showing the finished, colourful cardboard rolls being stacked on top of each other to create a structure.

Step 5: Once the paint is dry, get stacking!  

What You’ll Need

SEE ALSO: How to Create Tape Art With Kids

Two children building with playdough and craft matchsticks at a table, rolling balls and connecting them into shapes beside a pile of sticks in a bright living room setting.

Matchstick Structures

Suitable for Ages 4+

Build amazing 3D shapes using playdough and matchsticks, from cubes and pyramids to towers of every shape! Learn about stability, balance and structure by testing which designs stand firm and which ones wobble. With colourful dough and endless possibilities, this hands-on activity is the perfect mix of art, engineering and imagination for curious young builders and future inventors.

A series of images demonstrating Step 1 of making matchstick structures, showing hands rolling pieces of yellow playdough into small balls.

Step 1: Roll the playdough into small balls with your hands. 

A series of images demonstrating Step 2 of making matchstick structures, showing hands pushing wooden matchsticks into balls of yellow playdough, connecting them together to create a 3D square structure.

Step 2: Construct a shape by pushing the ends of matchsticks into the playdough.

A series of images showing three spinning geometric structures made from matchsticks and balls of blue, red and yellow playdough.

Step 3: Move on to your next colour!

Hot Tip: If you need a few ideas, download our matchstick structures guide.

What You’ll Need

SEE ALSO: STEM Activities for Preschoolers that Teach Problem Solving

Two children building with coloured square boxes covered in stickers and washi tape in a bright living room setting.

Recycled Box Builders

Suitable for Ages 3+

Forget fancy building blocks; you’ve got everything you need right at home. Old toy boxes, small cereal packets and kitchen packaging can all become amazing construction materials. Decorate them with coloured paper, washi tape and stickers and stack them high. Proof that the best building projects start with a little imagination (and a few recycled boxes!).

Step 1: Collect as many boxes as you can find (just make sure they aren’t needed anymore). To make sure your blocks are sturdy, add some extra tape to the ends of the box before you start wrapping. 

A series of images demonstrating Step 2 of making recycled box builders, showing hands wrapping a small box tightly with light blue paper.‍

Step 2: Wrap each box tightly in coloured paper, creasing firmly along every edge and folding the corners square so the edges are crisp and smooth to ensure stable stacking.

A series of images demonstrating Step 3 of making recycled box builders, showing hands decorating paper-wrapped boxes with colourful washi tape and stickers.

Step 3: Then comes the fun bit! Add some pizzazz to your blocks with washi tape and colourful stickers. 

A series of images showing the completed recycled box builders being stacked on top of each other. 

Step 4: Get building!

What You’ll Need

SEE ALSO: 3 Ancient Egypt Crafts for Kids

This article was originally published in September 2020 and has been updated.