Build you Own: Awesome Jumping LEGO Car Ramp

Make Your Own: Cars Parking Lot Spelling Game

Using LEGO Juniors cars, this activity, inspired by Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls, turns spelling into a fun parking lot game for children. For younger children, it can be a simple way to help them learn to recognize their own name. And for older children, you can make it more difficult by adding more difficult words, or getting rid of the letters on the parking lot and turning it into a fun spelling challenge.

What you need:

  • Cardboard
  • Two long pieces of thin card
  • Scissors
  • Tape or child safe glue
  • White tape or paint for decoration
  • LEGO Juniors cars (this range is especially easy to build, for 4-7 year olds)
  • A chair

1. Fold the cardboard into two triangular prism shapes

Stick each one together securely using the tape or glue.

2. Let your child decorate the ramp

They could draw a checkerboard on a piece of white paper, add a start line – really make it look like a real speedway. We used white tape to look like painted road lines.

3. Tape the thin cardboard “road” to the edge of the chair, and tape the other end to one of the triangles

This creates the first part of the ramp. Tape the second piece of card to the other cardboard triangle to create the landing place.

4. Ready, set, RACE!

Make it a contest and see who can get their car the furthest- why not get a tape measure and explore how far the cars jump? Encourage your child to experiment with distance and speed by moving the base of the car ramp around – this is a great opportunity to learn about gravity while they’re having fun.

Scissors can be dangerous for small children, so please make sure you supervise them closely during use.