Car Ramp STEM Activity for Kids

Build a car ramp – it’s so easy and there’s so much learning!!

What’s better than a cardboard box activity? These are my JAM lately because who doesn’t love a “free” supply (except for the part where I definitely ordered something online to get this box…). Anyways building a car ramp was exactly as awesome as I hoped.

RELATED: Looking for more easy activities to do with kids? Check out my favorite list!

Talk about a quick and easy activity! Way to go car ramp.

I had this activity in my head for weeks.

I just could see it. I knew what I wanted it to look like, I knew why I wanted to create it, but I just needed the right box to do it.

Then Amazon smiled on me and sent this gem of a box my way – a giant box that probably held three tooth brushes and a pair of pants.

ANYWAYS. I knew today was the day for this amazing cardboard activity.

I made my car ramp in about 5 minutes.

No joke.

This was so easy to do.

1. Flatten the box
2. Cut off the tabs / outer folds
3. Draw two roads down the middle
4. Tape a broom down the center

Hands down, step 4 is by far the oddest step in making a car ramp. But it’s arguably the most necessary.

I didn’t want any car collisions on my ramp…

To keep the cars from colliding with each other mid-track, I taped the handle to my outdoor broom on the box.

I detached it and taped it and made a “guard rail.”

It worked perfectly. Don’t skip this step!

In fact, later my husband (playing the role of Monday Morning Quarterback) wondered if I should have LEFT the tabs on the box and folded them UP to create outside edge guard rails.

Face palm.

I definitely should have done that. Next time.

Oh and I definitely made a finish line!

I couldn’t help myself – I had to make a finish line for this ramp.

It wasn’t anything special: cardboard, taped to two paint brushes, taped to two glasses.

But having that simple little finish line really turned this activity into something super official.

RELATED: Need more learning activities that teach through play? I’ve got you!

Why is this kind of activity amazing for kids?

Kids see the play. They see the road and the chance to drive cars and all the fun.

I see more than that.

I see kids experimenting with:

• Gravity
• Velocity
• Angles
• Wind resistance / aerodynamic
• Plus sportsmanship and cooperative play

This is play-based learning in action.

This kind of activity is giving my kids experience and exposure. So much of learning in early childhood comes back to the background knowledge we give kids…

Remember, we can’t teach them that F says /fff/ as in flower until they have held, cared for, investigated, and explored a flower. Experience and exposure.

Think of how much background knoweldge kids get through this activity that will carry them in their learning later…

RELATED: Curious how I helped my kids with their background knowledge? I used my homeschool preschool activities program!

Remember: good activities don’t need to be complicated ones…

Building this car ramp only took a few minutes but my kids played with it for a few hours.

Actually, more than a few – it’s still sitting against my couch and they have grand plans for tomorrow. I’ve heard rumblings of an elimination bracket to determine which car we own is fastest…

So. Much. Learning – just from a little bit of cardboard, some tape, and a broom handle.

Get building. Make your car ramp today.