Popsicle Stick Bridge Engineering Activity

Recapture the magic of engineering with this super-fun popsicle stick bridge engineering challenge.

Engineering is an innate skill for most kids. Any block tower or stack of toys is engineering skills at work.

But when kids get older, they tend to let these basic building and engineering skills fall by the wayside. Get them back in the engineering action and fun! 

Be sure to check out our other fun family-friendly kid activities and crafts!

Lean about the 5 Ways to Get Kids Excited About STEM Based Learning!

This post contains affiliate links.

Bridge Engineering for Kids

Bridge engineering for kids introduces the basics of how bridges are designed and built, teaching concepts like force, balance, and materials.

Fun activities include building bridges with popsicle sticks, LEGO bricks or paper to explore different types like beam, arch and suspension bridges.

Awesome Science Experiments for Kids: 100+ Fun STEM / STEAM Projects and Why They WorkAwesome Kitchen Science Experiments for Kids: 50 STEAM Projects You Can Eat!Awesome Engineering Activities for Kids: 50+ Exciting STEAM Projects to Design and BuildAwesome Physics Experiments for Kids: 40 Fun Science Projects and Why They Work

 

These hands-on STEM Activities for Kids help kids understand structural stability and problem-solving in engineering.

Popsicle Stick Bridge Engineering Activity

The goal of this popsicle stick bridge activity is to construct a bridge sturdy enough for matchbox cars to drive on using just craft sticks and play dough.

It sounds easy, but it’s trickier than you think! It’s a lot of fun to watch kids creativity and ingenuity come out when completing a challenge like this.

No two bridges will be alike.

How to Set Up the Craft Stick Bridge Engineering Activity

Follow these steps to set up your own popsicle stick bridge engineering activity:

Materials you’ll need:

• Craft sticks (we used colored ones for more fun)
• Play dough
• Matchbox cars

Instruct the kids to make a bridge that is sturdy enough for a matchbox car to drive on using just the craft sticks and play dough.

Kids will have to arrange the sticks carefully so that they don’t fall apart when the car drives over the bridge.

Each kid will come up with their own design, but in general, the bridges will require a stable base and a top piece to keep the cars from falling off.

The play dough acts like glue to hold the craft sticks in place, but it isn’t as strong as glue.

Outdoor Science Lab for Kids: 52 Family-Friendly Experiments for the Yard, Garden, Playground, and ParkSTEAM Play & Learn: 20 fun step-by-step preschool projects about science, technology, engineering, art, and math!STEAM Kids: 50+ Science / Technology / Engineering / Art / Math Hands-On Projects for KidsTinkerlab: A Hands-On Guide for Little Inventors

 

Kids will have to be careful in how they put the bridge together or it will all come tumbling down.

After constructing the bridge, let kids test their designs by driving a matchbox car over the bridge.

Was their bridge tall enough? Stable enough? Big enough?

How could they improve the design for next time?

What changes would make the bridge even better?

Learn More About STEM for Kids

• Simple STEM Activities to Do at Home
• What is STEM activities for Kids
• Easy STEM Learning During Play Time
• How to Teach a STEM Lesson at Home
• Introductory Computer Coding Books for Kids
• What is STEAM
• Importance of STEM Education
• 10 STEM Books for Teaching Kids