STEM Activity: Make Your Own Foosball Table
Are your kids bored? Would you prefer they NOT be on an electronic device? Challenge them to build their own toy!
Recently, I suggested to my son that he build a foosball table!
Sometimes Suggest Non-Electronic Device Activities
Initially I think I saw a homemade foosball table on Pinterest. I mentioned it to my son, but he wasn’t sure what it was, so I went to youtube and showed him an example.
Giving your child opportunities to build things or make things can be opportunities for them to solve problems. I know it can be so easy to give them an electronic device when they want something to do, but sometimes suggest to them instead unplugged activities where they can be creative.
My son Andre ended up using a video on youtube for guidance. The video is called 13 Crazy Smart and Easy Cardboard Boxes Ideas. The section he looked at starts at about 6:35.
It’s ok to give your child a video to guide them through major parts of a project. They can still learn something and may have to be creative if they don’t have all the materials in the video. For example, my son Andre didn’t have the balls like the ones used in the video on the ends of the wooden spools readily accesible, so he came up with something else to use.
Math Can be Incorporated in the Fun Projects
My husband helped Andre with the project. As they were working on it, I heard talk of fractions because the holes on the sides of the foosball table needed to be created. So out came the ruler! So even in a “fun” project, many times you can work some math into the project.
Find Projects that Incorporate Art
Making the foosball table, Andre was also able to do some art. He made the field for his table, and painted the players. A nice thing about this project is that most of the materials we already had at home. I ended up buying the wooden spools, but the box he used was an old Kiwi crate box. We already had the construction paper he used for the field, and we already had paints at home.
Find Projects that after Created can be Played with later
The nice thing about a project like this is that after the child has the “experience” of making it, he can then play with it!
A List of More STEM Activities
Want More STEM Activities You Can Do with Your Kids? Check out Get Your Kids Involved in STEM Activities.
Encourage Your Child to be a STEM Problem Solver with STEM books
Do you want to encourage your kids to be little inventors? Check out the first book in a kids’ fictional STEM series that I wrote called Anna, Kid Engineer. Encourage your child to be creative, inventive, and to not give up!
You can purchase the pdf ebook on my website, or you can purchase the physical book on Amazon.
Andre, Kid Aviator is the 2nd book in the STEM series for kids. In Andre, Kid Aviator, the STEM Club Andre is a part of is presented with a problem. Check out this book to see if the club is able to solve the problem. Encourage your kids to be problem solvers! You can purchase the ebook of Andre, Kid Aviator here.
The physical book of Andre, Kid Aviator is also available on Amazon.
