DIY Marble Maze: A Box of Learning and Fun
In this age of video games and apps, there are certain old games that are still very engaging, relaxing, and bring a smile to people of all age groups. While these are super fun to play, they also help in developing cognitive skills and critical-thinking abilities, as well as improving memory retention.
One such game is the Marble Maze Box! There’s something immensely satisfying and relaxing about manoeuvring a ball successfully through a challenging maze; hence, this game has managed to find a permanent spot in almost every party.
What maze games are all about?
“It is a confusing path, hard to follow without a thread, but, provided [you are] not devoured at the midpoint, it leads surely, despite twists and turns, back to the beginning.” — Plato
To put it in simple words, maze games are like treasure hunts. You need to solve some puzzles, put your math skills into practice, have a strong hand-and-eye coordination and solve the maze to win the trophy.
People often confuse maze with labyrinths. While both these terms are often used in place of one another, they are definitely NOT the same!
How to make a Marble Maze Box
Now, let’s learn how to make a Marble Maze Box at home
Materials needed:
- Cardboard boxes
- A pair of scissors
- A paper cutter
- Glue
- A pencil
- A one rupee coin
- 2-3 marbles
- Crayons or paints of your choice
Method:
Take a cardboard box of 30cm X30cm
Work your way into creating a maze pattern
Take a coin. Place it in one corner and mark its outer circumference with a pencil. Take a paper cutter and neatly cut it out along the marked outline. Make sure at this stage you take help from an adult. Cut out around 4 to 5 holes on random areas on your maze board.
Place 2 cm wide cardboard pieces on the border so that the marble doesn’t slip out of your maze box. With some glue, stick them together.
Glue similar types of 2 cm wide cardboard pieces on the maze lines as well.
Now it’s time to decorate your board. Bring out your creative juices and decorate your board with colours and crafts (totally optional).
Now add a ‘start’ and a ‘finish’ point on your maze box.
Your maze is ready! Keep it aside.
Now you need to make a base box to balance the maze board.
Take another cardboard box which is 30.2 cm X 30.2 cm. Add border strips of 5 cm wide on all four corners.
Cut out a small 2 cm on one of the border strips.
Take a glue and stick all the four borders together onto the cardboard box.
Take two small strips of 2 cm each. Glue these two sticks parallel on the inner side of the 5 cm strips. (Refer to the below image to understand better)
Your base box is now ready!
Place the decorated maze board on top of this base box so that it sits comfortably on top of the two 2 cm cardboard strips.
It’s time to play! Get your friends along as you compete in this friendly marble maze game.
How to play?
- The idea is to balance your marble from the ‘start’ point to the ‘finish’ point by carefully avoiding the potholes.
- Each time a player accidentally drops their marble into one of the holes, he/she loses a point.
- The fastest player to finish the game without dropping the marble is the winner.
Enjoy playing!
Did you enjoy this DIY activity? How did you decorate your board? Do tell us in the comments below.
Explore other creative DIY activities on The Learning Tree Blog.