Today we’re building a book bridge. Kids of all ages will love this fun STEM activity. All you need is an assortment of books and some chairs. A book bridge is a great way for kids to have fun in an educational way. Building a book bridge is fun for older kids and younger kids alike. You can build a book bridge at home or in the classroom.
Book Bridge
Gather your books, because today we are building a book bridge. Building a book bridge will allow your child to explore STEM skills like: physics, engineering principles, and even problem-solving.
That isn’t all though, it teaches other things like:
- Kinesthetic engagement
- Teamwork
- Perseverance
- Design Thinking
- Creative integration
- Respect for materials
- Visual-spatial awareness
This book bridge activity is great for younger kids and older kids and will allow kids to also practice fine motor skills and hand eye coordination.
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Related: Check out this building with straws- A STEM activity.
Supplies Needed To Build A Bridge
How To Do This Bridge Building Stem Activity
Step 1
Start with sturdy books at the bottom and set them on the chair. You want them lined up with the edge of the chair.
Step 2
Now add another book, but have it over hang the first book by a little bit.
Step 3
Repeat this until your books start getting close to the middle opening.
Step 4
Add a book to close the gap, thus completing the bridge!
Discussing How To Build Your Bridge
The way described above is just the way we built our bridge. You can build yours any way you want to. This would be a fun time to sit down and discuss with your child how they want to build the bridge or what they want the bridge to look like. You could even have them draw out a schematic for their bridge!
Modify This Book Bridge Activity For Older Kids
While this STEM activity is fairly straight forward for little kids, bigger kids may find it too easy. You can change things up and make it more challenging if need be. You could do things like:
- Add different sized books
- Use chairs of different sizes
- Make a bigger gap
As you add more challenges you’ll be able to watch your child problem-solve and adapt to bring their bridge together.
You could even test the strength of your bridge by adding extra books to the top or different toys to see how much it can withstand. This would also be a cool science experiment for at home or for a science fair.
Our Experience With This STEM Bridge Activity
We had so much fun building a book bridge. We used big books and we did try with other books as well. My kids loved building their own structures.
They also crawled under them once they knew it was sturdy and had lots of giggles seeing how long it took for the bridge to fall down when they added things. “London Bridge is Falling Down” was sang a lot that day.
I hope your kids and your family has as much fun as mine did with this super fun STEM activity.
Materials
- A variety of sturdy hard cover books
- Two chairs or stools
Instructions
- Start with sturdy books at the bottom and set them on the chair. You want them lined up with the edge of the chair.
- Now add another book, but have it over hang the first book by a little bit.
- Repeat this until your books start getting close to the middle opening.
- Add a book to close the gap, thus completing the bridge!
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How did your book bridge turn out?