A 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.

Try the activity See the printable card

Looking for this activity in the project library? Open Cardboard Carnival there.

Children and a teacher painting a large cardboard creation — Build with ordinary materials. Test with real players.

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.

Children cutting and arranging colorful craft materials — Plan, build, and document what changes.

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

Free activity

Run Cardboard Carnival this week. The Quick Start is free: build one game, test it, and change it.

Try the free activity

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.

See the expanded project Ask Jason a question

Tell Jason your grade band and group size when you write. He can help you find a format that fits.

Children playing inside an imaginative cardboard house — Ordinary cardboard can become an entire world.