Looking for a quick, low-prep way to spark creative thinking, teamwork, and a little friendly competition? Try our Card Tower STEAM Challenge! Using just a single deck of cards and a ticking clock, kids must design and build the tallest freestanding structure they can—no tape, glue, or supports allowed.
What starts as simple stacking quickly becomes a lesson in engineering, creativity, resilience, and collaboration. Kids will experiment, adjust their strategy, negotiate ideas, experience a few dramatic collapses, and persevere until their tower stands tall (even if just for a minute!).
Once the challenge is complete, guide them through a reflection using the questions below to help them think more deeply about their process, teamwork, and creative problem-solving.
Challenge: Build the tallest freestanding structure possible using only one deck of cards. No other materials (glue, tape, etc.) may be used to build your structure.
Materials: 1 deck of cards, 1 pair of scissors
The scissors may not be damaged and may not be used as part of the solution.
Time: 10 minutes
Scoring:
A. 10 points if the height of your structure measures between 4-9 inches
B. 15 points if the height of your structure measures between 10-15 inches
C. 20 points if the height of your structure measures 16 or more inches
D. Up to 20 points for the creativity of your structure
E. Up to 20 points for how well your group worked together
Reflection Questions:
- What was the hardest part of the challenge?
- If you could try the challenge again, what would you do differently?
- How did your group work well together?
STEAM activities not only teach children basic STEM principles, but help them to learn how to think creatively and critically, problem-solve, and work better with others.
For more STEAM activities like this, download our Creative Process Guide for Parents, which includes 10 free activities!
