Ramp Roll Race
What you need
- two sides cut from a cardboard box, or two trays, as ramps
- three cushions to prop them on
- a few things to test: a ball, a toy car, a cardboard tube, a block
- a row of shoes to measure with
How to do it
- Make two ramps side by side: one propped on a single cushion and one on two, so one is steep and one is gentle.
- Ask your child which ramp will send the toy car further, then let two cars go at once, one from the top of each.
- Lay shoes heel to toe from the bottom of each ramp to where its car stopped, and count the shoes to see which went further.
- Test the ball, the tube and the block the same way, guessing before each one, and line them up by how many shoes they travelled.
Why it matters
Two ramps side by side make it a fair race, and counting shoes turns further into a number they can check against their guess.
What they're learning
- A fair test
- Same car, two slopes, let go together.
- Measuring in shoes
- Heel to toe, then count.
- Guess and check
- Saying what will happen, then seeing.
What to look for
Notice them changing their guess for the next thing after watching the last one.
A tip
A hallway with the doors shut works well indoors, so nothing rolls under the sofa.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: use one ramp and mark where each thing stops with a shoe
Harder: add a third ramp, steeper still, and guess the finishing order before you test
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Gross motor activities · Toddler activities with a tray · Toddler activities with a cardboard box · Toddler activities with a ball