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If you haven’t pulled out the toothpicks for any reason yet, now’s the time! These building challenges are the perfect way to spend an indoor day. The best building activities do not need fancy or expensive supplies. You can easily do these activities at home, and they are fun and challenging which makes building structures an awesome STEM activity for kids of all ages.
toothpicks with food/candy
toothpicks with food/candy
Common snack foods such as apples, and cheese, and candies such as marshmallows, gumdrops, and other gummy candies are good for building with. They can be used as connector pieces between the toothpicks.
You can create your own structures using your imagination, you can create a challenge or task, or you can use the following Structure Building Cards to see if you can make all the different shapes:
toothpicks with other materials
toothpicks with other materials
You can also use other materials to connect your toothpicks. Some commonly-found materials we suggest include:
sponges
styrofoam
pool noodles
Just make sure whatever material you use can be safely cut into pieces and can easily be pierced by the toothpicks.
Toothpicks with glue
Toothpicks with glue
If you're looking for an extra challenge, gluing your toothpicks to create beams, walls, and other structural supports may be the way to go! Using just a little elmer's glue, and a lot of patience while you wait for your pieces to dry, you can cement your toothpicks together to create elaborate, sturdy structures! (You could also use a hot glue gun instead if your family has one, just make sure it is always used with adult supervision!)
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