Free activity
Run Cardboard Carnival this week. The Quick Start is free: build one game, test it, and change it.
Try the free activityA free Creative Dad Projects activity · Grades K–2
Welcome to the Cardboard Carnival
Can your crew build a carnival game that is fun to play and fair to win? Build one, invite a few players, and use what happens to make the game better.
Looking for this activity in the project library? Open Cardboard Carnival there.
35 minutesActivity time
About 11 minutesPreparation
K–2Grade band
STEAMEngineering · math · art
The Quick Start
Cardboard Carnival · Free K–2 Activity
One game. One test. One change.
Gather cardboard, paper cups, rings or soft balls, tape, paper, and markers. Clear a table or a small section of floor. Check that the materials and play area are safe for your group.
- Predict. Ask: What would make a game fun while still giving players a fair chance to win? Have children draw or tell you their idea.
- Build. Create one simple game, such as a ring toss or ball drop, using cardboard and cups. Make a sign so a new player knows what to do.
- Test. Invite a few players. Keep track of tries and successes. Is it too easy, too hard, or hard to understand?
- Change and retest. Move the throwing line or change the target size. Try the game again and compare what happened.
- Open the carnival. Let players try the revised game. Children can keep score and tell visitors what they changed.
Where the A goes: The children design the game, its sign, and the way visitors experience it. Ask how those creative choices help someone play.
Ask during the activity
Questions that keep it moving
- How will a new visitor know the rules?
- What did your first players do that surprised you?
- Which one thing could you change to make it fairer?
- How will you show that the second version improved?
Print and use
Our game test card
Game name:
We think players will:
First test — tries / wins:
We changed:
Second test — tries / wins:
Next time we would:
Young learners can draw or dictate their answers.
Free Fall STEM kit · Grades 3–5
Mystery Sound & Light Shop
Build a little shop of sound and light for classrooms, homeschool days, and afterschool programs.
Start with the free activity
Try it this week
Ready for more?
Make it a full carnival experience.
Creative Dad Projects has three levels for this activity. The Quick Start above is free. The Full Experience adds a planning, construction, and testing area with recording cards. Total Transformation turns the room into a cardboard midway with student roles, station signs, and a visitor showcase.
Tell Jason your grade band and group size when you write. He can help you find a format that fits.
