These awesome building activities do not need fancy equipment or expensive supplies. You can easily do them at home or school, and they are fun and challenging. This makes building structures an awesome STEM activity for kids of all ages. Plus, these ideas are great for team-building activities, too!
What is a structure?
A structure is something constructed or arranged in a definite pattern of organization. The act of building is called construction.
For STEM projects, we often refer to structure-building activities that use a soft material, such as a marshmallow, to connect a stabilizing material, such as a toothpick.
Other structures can include tower challenges, building landmarks, architecture ideas, marble runs, and what ever else you can think of…
List of Materials For Building Structures
We’ve put together a fantastic resource covering all the MUST HAVE STEM supplies you need to get started and how to source them for cheap! Plus, you’ll find a free printable STEM pack with a Build a Tower Challenge!
Classroom Building Activities
Below you will find a list of materials and links to specific building instructions. Click on the links to learn more about each building activity.
These projects can be used in a classroom or at home. You can put together boxes or kits with the specific materials that be stored easily as well.
1. Toothpicks and Food
Common snack foods such as apples, cheese, and marshmallows (for fun) are good for building with. We added some crackers to use as bases or platforms. Although this is what we used, the possibilities are endless!
- Build with cranberries (look for a themed printable)
- Marshmallow Tower Challenge
- Edible Structures
Grab this FREE 2D and 3D Shape Cards Printable to pair with marshmallows and toothpicks!
2. Toothpicks and Candy
You can use any gummy sort of candy, such as gum drops, for building elaborate structures, including bridges. Tasty too!
- Gum Drops Bridge Building Challenge
- Gum Drop Structures
- Jelly Bean Challenge
- Valentine’s Day Candy Buildings (look for a themed printable)
- Build Candy DNA
3. Toothpicks and Pool Noodles
If you want to use toothpicks and something other than candy or food items, try chunky pool noodles or other styrofoam. We sliced up a pool noodles to make our pool noodle structures.
4. Shaving Cream and Pool Noodles
Yes, we did try this! We took our pool noodle chunks from above and added a different kind of building challenge: shaving cream! It’s fun and messy, but it cleans up quickly, too! Our structures were a little different, but we still tested out quite a few skills.
Building with shaving cream and pool noodles
5. Pool Noodle Marble Run
Can you make a marble run from pool noodles and tape? Try out this fun building challenge on a blank wall.
6. Playdough and Skewers
You can put playdough and skewers together for a fun building activity. Skewers are like really long toothpicks and are a challenge all in themselves! You probably already have the two things you need to get started.
For younger kids check out our list of the best building toys for toddlers to preschoolers.
7. Playdough and Straws
Straws and play dough go together like marshmallows and toothpicks! You need a slightly different building technique since you have to mold the play dough, but the building challenge is similar.
8. Popsicle Sticks
Who knew STEM building activities could be so much fun? We did! Want to learn how to make a catapult with Popsicle sticks? Take the challenge! Break out the craft sticks and rubber bands.
UPPER ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE SCHOOL: Older kids can take this catapult challenge further and set up an obstacle such as a wall of a specific height that the object must clear. Additionally you can add in a distance element and place the wall so many inches or feet away from the catapult.
9. PVC Pipe
PVC pipes are awesome for STEM projects! Plus, our new PVC Pipe Kit is an easy, frugal alternative to the pricey toy alternatives. My son loves using “real” household items for play rather than toys.
10. Paper Cups
Paper cups are a valuable and cheap resource to have on hand! Have you ever built a 100-cup tower? It makes for a great afternoon preschool-building project.
More fun things you can build with paper cups…
11. Recycled Cardboard
Grab a bunch of cardboard and cut out some simple shapes as we have for our cardboard building activities. We always keep a bunch of recyclable materials on hand for structure building activities!
12. Newspaper Structures
Build the Eiffel Tower out of newspaper or whichever landmark or structure that interests you!
13. 3 Little Pigs Architectural Challenge
Each of the pigs built a different structure to escape the wolf? This classic fairytale is a fun lesson in STEM and building structures. Challenge your kiddos to build their own structures to escape the wolf and turn on a box fan to test their strength!
14. LEGO
Can you build a LEGO tower as tall as you are? We are trying to do this over the weekend. We have tons of LEGO, so we can pull it off. Can your kiddos build a tower as tall as themselves? That is a fantastic challenge to try right away.
Some of our favorite LEGO building ideas…
More Fun Ways To Explore STEM
- Quick STEM Challenges
- STEM Activities with Paper
- Pencil STEM Projects
- Cardboard STEM Activities
- Free STEM Worksheets
- Paper Plate STEM Activities
Helpful STEM Resources
Here are a few resources to help introduce STEM more effectively to your kids or students. You’ll find helpful free printables throughout.
- Engineering Design Process Explained
- What Is An Engineer?
- Engineering Words
- Real World STEM
- Build A Growth Mindset With STEM
- Questions for Reflection (get them talking about it!)
- BEST STEM Books for Kids
- 14 Engineering Books for Kids
- Jr. Engineer Challenge Calendar (Free)
- Must Have STEM Supplies List
- Join us in the Club
Printable STEM Pack for Kids
80+ Doable Engineering Projects in one convenient pack!
- Full instructions with sample images
- Activity-specific instruction sheets
- Data Collection Sheets
- Questions for Reflection
- Architecture Building Cards: Try the tallest tower challenge
- Bridge Building Cards: Explore different types of bridges to build your own.
- Paper Chain STEM Challenge: Who can make the longest chain? Great icebreaker or quick challenge!
- 3 Little Pigs Architectural Pack: Design a house that won’t blow away!
- Great marshmallow challenge: A classic challenge kids love!
- Real-world STEM challenge lesson but don’t know where to start? Our easy-to-follow template shows the steps!
- What’s the difference between a scientist and an engineer?
- Crossword and word search with engineering vocabulary.
- Engineering vocabulary cards
- Design a one-of-a-kind invention and write about it with this 5-page activity!
I clicked on the 2D/3D Structure Building cards TWICE and filled out the forms TWICE and I still haven’t received the free cards. You said it would take 14 minutes? I’ve been waiting for 2 hours!
I can get those for you! I will email you in just a bit.
I have tried filling out the form for multiple of the free worksheets and none of them are going to my email. I’ve waited several hours! One was the 2D 3D shape building with the marshmallows and toothpicks, I also wanted the Stem Winter Challenge cards and then LEGO challenge and templates. please help 🙁
Hi Natalie, I see three were sent yesterday to you at 6:39pm EST. Please check around and email me sarah@littlebinsforlittlehands.com for further assistance! I also see back in October, on the 24th, a couple were sent and never opened.