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BUILD A MAGNETIC CARDBOARD CAR RACETRACK


My little boy loves to zoom his cars everywhere so I wanted to build him his own track with a twist. Here’s an easy project you can make for any little racer that teaches them magnetic force and encourages their love of racing!

Magnetic Cardboard Car Racetrack – Materials:

– Flat piece of cardboard and two cardboard strips

– Black paint

– White chalk or white crayon

– Hot glue

6″ dowel sticks

– Strong magnets (like these)

– Toy cars

Instructions:

Step 1. Put your racetrack together. Paint one large piece of flat cardboard in black. Cut two strips of cardboard for “ramps” and made slits to hot glue them down so they stayed put. After your paint dries, you can draw your road on with a white crayon or chalk. You can make this as small or large as whatever piece of cardboard you have lying around. A great way to recycle.

Step 2. Glue a magnet underneath each car and on to a dowel stick.

Now you can play along by moving the dowel stick with the magnet to race the cars around!

This was super fun for the kids to “race” each other and a fun way for them to understand magnetic forces and how they work. The cardboard race track can also be used as an everyday racetrack, even without the use of magnets.

What are some of your favorite ways to play with cars?

A note of caution about magnets: magnets can be dangerous around children if accidentally ingested. Although these are glued down, I do take the cars and dowel sticks away when not in use just to make sure and supervise play when in use.

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Agnes Hsu is a mom of three and has been inspiring parents and kids to get creative with easy activities and family friendly recipes for over 10 years. She shares her love for creative play and kids food to her 2MM+ followers online. Agnes' commitment to playful learning and kindness has not only raised funds for charity but also earned features in prestigious nationwide publications.