# Building and Engineering Activities for Kids > A roundup of simple "invitation to build" ideas that go beyond blocks, sorted by the main material: Styrofoam, cardboard, paper, food and loose parts. Each idea is credited to the blog that shared it. - URL: https://www.funlittles.com/building-engineering-activities-kids/ - Ages: 3–8 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: medium - Time: prep none, activity varies - Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class - Skills: engineering, fine-motor, creativity, problem-solving - Cautions: wheat-gluten, citrus, ingestion-risk ## Safety - Several ideas use small loose parts such as bottle caps, buttons and corks. These are a choking hazard, so supervise closely with kids who still mouth things. - The food-building ideas (sugar cubes, spaghetti and gumdrops, apples, watermelon, orange peels) are building materials, not snacks. Watch for food allergies: spaghetti contains wheat and orange peels are citrus. - The meat tray idea is a glue gun project. An adult handles the hot glue gun or supervises it closely. - Toothpicks used for building with produce have sharp points. Supervise their use. - Wash recycled meat trays and other containers thoroughly before kids build with them. ## Ideas - **Building with Pipe Cleaners**: A building activity using pipe cleaners. Listed in the Styrofoam section. - **Invitation to Build with Styrofoam**: A Styrofoam building station for making structures. - **Geoboard Building Activity**: Make your own geoboard for kids to build on. - **Styrofoam Structures**: Build structures with Styrofoam packing peanuts. - **Build with Meat Trays**: A glue gun project that turns foam meat trays into mosaic structures. - **Invitation to Build with Cardboard**: A homemade cardboard construction set. - **Paper Rolls and Straws**: A building activity with paper towel rolls and straws. - **Build a Cardboard Castle**: Build a castle from cardboard. This one is more involved and great for school-age kids. - **Index Cards and Straws**: Build with index cards and straws. Scroll down on the original page to find the idea. - **Paper Building Blocks**: Science and engineering with building blocks made from paper. - **Build with Newspaper**: Build with newspaper. The author called it an AMAZING idea! - **Sugar Cube Structures**: Build structures out of sugar cubes. - **Build with Watermelon**: Use watermelon as a building material. - **Orange Peels and Toothpicks**: Build with orange peels and toothpicks. - **Spaghetti and Gumdrop Towers**: Build towers from spaghetti and gumdrops as a group challenge. - **Build with Apples**: Use apples as a building material. - **Magnetic Building Blocks**: An invitation to build with a DIY magnetic building set. - **Build with Bottle Caps**: Build and play with bottle caps. - **Tabletop Loose Parts**: An open-ended tabletop building activity with loose parts. - **Pool Noodles and Pipe Cleaners**: Build with pool noodle pieces and pipe cleaners. - **Button and Cork Builders**: A building activity with buttons and corks. - **Build with Cups**: Explore and build with colorful cups. - **Build with Ice**: Build with colored ice blocks. - **Sticky Craft Sticks**: Build with sticky craft sticks. - **Blocks and Shaving Cream**: Stick blocks together with shaving cream. - **Straws and Spools**: Build houses with straws and spools, Three Little Pigs style. ## Tips - My kids have always loved building activities, any kind of building! As long as it means putting together something, they are game. - The ideas are grouped by the major material needed, so you can pick one based on what you already have on hand. - Build with random objects. It's the most versatile, open-ended building activity for kids. - The cardboard castle is more involved and great for school-age kids. ## The original post by TurkeyMom (2014) All kids are creative and love to play! Am I right? It's just the matter to exposing them to the right kind of stimulation that gets their creative juices flowing. For some this stimulant is art and art activities, for some, it could be setting up sensory activities, for some it could be simple tinkering games and for my kids it has always been building activities - any kind of building! As long as it means putting together something, then they are game. Here is a super fun round up with tons of ideas for creating simple "invitation to build". There are 25 ideas. C'mon, let's build and build with something other than BLOCKS! I have categorized the ideas according to the major material needed. All the images will take you to the original blog. ### ### **STYROFOAM** [**Building activity with pipe cleaners**](https://www.funlittles.com/building-activities-for-kids-pipecleaners/) from Blog Me Mom **[Invitation to build with Styrofoam](http://mamapapabubba.com/2012/11/22/styrofoam-structures-a-building-station/)** from Mama.Papa.Bubba.Blog **Geoboard Building Activity** from Meri Cherry Blog [**Styrofoam Structures**](http://www.housingaforest.com/packing-peanut-play/) from Housing A Forest [**Build with meat tray**](http://happyhooligans.ca/glue-gun-project-for-kids/)s from Happy Hooligans ### **CARDBOARD** [**Invitation to build with cardboard**](http://happyhooligans.ca/homemade-cardboard-construction-set/) from Happy Hooligans **Building activity with paper rolls and straws** from Frugal Fun for Boys **Build a castle with cardboard** from Acorn Pies ( more involved- great for school age kids) ### **PAPER** Build with [**index cards and straws**](http://artchoo.com/14000-blank-index-card-projects/) from Artchoo! (scroll down for the idea) [**Build with paper blocks**](http://babbledabbledo.com/science-for-kids-paper-building-blocks/) from Babble Dabble Doo **Build with newspaper!!! f**rom Modern Parents Messy Kids (AMAZING IDEA!) ### **FOOD** [**Build with sugar cubes**](http://mamapapabubba.com/2013/07/14/building-sugar-cube-structures/) from Mama.Papa.Bubba.Blog [**Build with watermelon**](http://www.fantasticfunandlearning.com/watermelon-activities.html) from Fantastic Fun and Learning [**Build with orange peels**](http://buggyandbuddy.com/easy-crafts-kids-building-toothpicks-orange-peels/) from Buggy and Buddy [**Building activity with spaghetti and gumdrops**](http://compositionclassroom.blogspot.com/2013/09/spaghetti-tower-group-dynamic-exercise.html) from Composition Classroom [**Build with apples**](http://www.funathomewithkids.com/2013/09/building-with-apples.html) from Fun at Home with Kids Saving the most versatile for the last - build with random objects. The most open ended building activity for kids. ### **LOOSE PARTS** Invitation to build with [**magnetic building blocks**](https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/magnetic-building-blocks/) from Whatdowedoallday [**Build with bottle caps**](http://www.mamapeapod.com/2012/04/playing-with-bottle-caps.html) from Mama Peapod [**Building activity with loose parts**](http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2012/04/tabletop-loose-parts-creative-activity-for-kids.html) from No Times for Flash Cards [**Building with pool noodles**](http://www.andnextcomesl.com/2013/10/building-with-pool-noodles-and-pipe.html?m=1) from And Next Comes L [**Button and Cork Builders**](http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2012/11/stay-put-button-cork-builders.html) from No Time for Flash Cards [**Build with cups**](http://www.teachpreschool.org/2011/09/exploring-colorful-cups-in-preschool/) from Teach Preschool [**Build with ice**](https://www.funlittles.com/ice-activities-colored-ice-blocks/) from Blog Me Mom **Build with sticky crafts sticks** from Hands on: As we grow **Blocks and shaving cream** from Fit Kids Clubhouse **Build with straws and spools** from Make Do and Friend Thanks for reading!