Recycle toilet paper tubes and paper towel tubes to make a fun DIY Marble run with the kids. Make a fun day of playing with the marble run you have made out of regular household items.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. See my disclosure policy to read more. Adult supervision is required for each step of activities, recipes, crafts, and games with children. Small parts are a choking hazard. Sharp objects can cause injury.
How to Build a Marble Run out of Cardboard Tubes
Crafts like this marble run that become activities are some of the best ways to make memories with kids, like this paper helicopter spinner, making a fishing game to play, or how to tie-dye flowers. This marble run activity is also a great lesson in science and engineering. Get the kid’s creative juices flowing in how to make a design the marble will successfully run down and have fun creating more and more possibilities.
With a family of 6, we go through a lot of toilet paper and paper towels. So, when I see an idea for using cardboard tubes, I’m all over it.
This fun homemade marble run has to be one of the biggest hits with the kids. It’s so simple to make. After they had their fun with it I left a little basket in the kitchen filled with marbles, along with their magnetic paper towel, and toilet paper tubes. They started a new design each morning to drop the marble into.
Supplies You’ll Need
- Magnetic Tape and/or Magnetic Discs – You’ll need strong magnets to withstand pressure from a falling marble. Getting the magnetic tape and strong discs is a good idea. I had to add two magnetic discs to the back of each styrofoam cup
- Cardboard Tubes – from toilet paper and paper towel
- Marbles – You can usually find these at most big department stores and even at The Dollar Tree
- Styrofoam or plastic cups – These make a fun funnel shape to add to the marble run
- Bucket or tall plastic container (like an old pretzel rod container) – This is set on the floor and can be used to catch the marbles.
- Glue – I used a low-temperature glue gun to glue the magnets onto the tubes and cups. I wanted to make sure the glue had a secure hold that could withstand the pressure from a falling marble
Suggestions for decorating your tubes:
Fun decorative paper
Stickers
Crayons or paint
Here’s what we did to make our magnetic marble run:
Decorate paper tubes
Cut a large hole into the bottom of the cups
Add magnetic strips or discs onto the back of the cups and tubes.
Decorate you marble run with fun stickers, or by drawing designs on them
Place tubes and cups in fun designs so they are vertical and diagonal on the refrigerator
Place your bucket or plastic container under your tubes – We found a large pretzel container to catch the marbles – the kids thought of using a plastic cup with a magnetic clip to catch the marbles. They both work great.
Then, let the kids add marbles to the top tube and watch it shoot through their maze.
Experiment with placing objects at different angles and distances to see how many ways you can get a successful marble run.
Expert Tips
I found that the magnetic strips I had were not strong enough for the cups to hold. I replaced them with stronger magnetic discs and glued two to each cup to get the right amount of magnetic power we needed
If your magnets are not strong enough, you can try taping the items to your fridge. Make sure the tape will not damage your refrigerator.
Instead of a refrigerator, use a large dry-erase board that is magnetized
Variations
Cut holes in paper tubes and turn them sideways as another way of shuttling the marble down the run
Instead of cutting out the entire bottom of cups, you can cut marble-sized holes into your cups and use them as a type of funnel to drop the marble into
More fun Activities You’ll Enjoy
Let’s Hang Out
Printable Instructions
How to Make a DIY Marble Run
Materials
- Magnetic Tape or Magnetic discs You'll need strong magnets that can withstand pressure from a falling marble
- Cardboard Tubes from toilet paper and paper towels
- Marbles
- Styrofoam or plastic cups
- Bucket or tall plastic container like an old pretzel rod container for catching the marbles
- Glue I used a low temperature glue gun and sticks
Decorative Items
- Fun decorative paper
- Stickers
- Crayons or paint
Instructions
- Cut a large hole into the bottom of the cups
- Decorate paper tubes
- Use strong glue or tape magnetic strips or discs on the back of the cups and tubes. (I had to glue two magnetic discs per cup)
- Place tubes and cups in fun designs so they are vertical and diagonal
- Place your bucket or plastic container under your tubes. Alternatively, you can place a cup that has a strong magnet on the back face up onto the refrigerator at the bottom of hte run to catch the marble.
- Then, let the kids add marbles to the top tube and watch it shoot through their maze
Notes
Always supervise children with any craft, especially when working with glue and sharp objects.Â
~Melissa – KidFriendlyThingsToDo.Com
