Roll magazine or newspaper pages tightly into sturdy paper tubes, taping each one closed. Connect the tubes at their ends with tape to build a triangular or square frame, stacking frames to see how tall a paper-tube tower can go.
What you need
- old magazines or newspaper
- tape
How to do it
- 1Roll each page tightly on the diagonal into a firm tube, taping the end so it doesn't unroll.
- 2Make six to eight tubes before starting to build.
- 3Tape tube ends together to form a triangle or square base frame.
- 4Stack additional frames on top, tapering the shape inward as it gets taller for extra stability.
Variations
- If rolling tightly is tricky for smaller hands: roll around a pencil first to get a firmer, easier starting shape.
- How it ends: measuring the finished tower's height against a doorway or the child's own height gives a clear result.
💡 Parent tip
Make the tubes together across a rainy afternoon and save the actual building for the next day — it splits a long project into two manageable sessions.
What your child develops
- Engineering with real constraints — paper tubes bend under load in a very visible, teachable way
- Fine motor skill — tight, even rolling takes real practice to get consistent
- Persistence — a tower that collapses partway through invites troubleshooting rather than starting over from scratch
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