Marble Runs and Other Activities with Marbles for Kids

I read that April 7 is National Marble Day, but of course any day is a good day to play with marbles. Making marble runs is a great STEM activity, and you can even pull in some art activities by painting with marbles and using them in other ways, too. Check out these fun marble run ideas and other activities to do with marbles.

You can make a marble run with a cereal box (Made by Joel), or a box and craft sticks (Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls), a paper plate (Kids Activities Blog) or several (Frugal Fun again), cardboard tubes (Powerful Mothering), a geo board (love this one from The Creative Homemaker) Legos (Mama Papa Bubba), an old CD case (Bloesem) foam pipe insulation (Buggy and Buddy) or pool noodles (Little Bins for Little Hands) just to name a few. Give your kiddos a bunch of supplies and see what they come up with!

Use an inclined plane to build your marble run and it becomes a science lesson, too. Check out this one from Preschool Toolkit.

How about some art projects? This marble sun catcher from Kids Activities Blog is so pretty I want to make one myself. Mable painting is also fun for adults as well as kids, and you can learn how to do it from the Artful Parent.

Did you know you can use marbles in tie dyeing? It’s a simple technique that gives fun results. Check out the instructions on FaveCrafts. They used socks but you could of course do this with a shirt, bandana or anything else you want to dye.

If you have marbles and plastic cups you can make this super simple marble game from All for the Boys. So easy and kids can play it over and over (use a cardboard box if you don’t have cups handy).

Explaining Dia de Los Muertos to kids can be difficult because most of us don’t generally talk about death or what happens when we die a lot with our kids. But Dia de los Muertos is actually a happy, not scary occasion that allows us to remember loved ones, share stories and come together as a community.

While it is mostly celebrated by people of Mexican heritage, the day has become more well known thanks to movies and other media representations. And there are some great children’s books to help explain and allow you to celebrate the holiday if you want.

Dia de Muertos by Jaque Jours, illustrated by Alejandra Ruiz (48 pages, hardcover, published 2025 by words & pictures, suggested retail price $14.99) tells the story of a family getting their ofrenda (altar for the dead) ready and how they remember people who have died through decorations, food and sharing stories.

It covers the classic decorations and rituals of Dia de los Muertos including using cempasúchil (in English we call them marigolds) and papel picado (cut paper banners), pan de muerto and la catrina, the elaborately dressed, skull faced women that are a common site at Dia de los Muertos gatherings.

The back of the book explores how the day is celebrated throughout Mexico as well as the meanings of different symbols. There’s a recipe for pan de muerto, a tutorial for making papel picado and tips for doing makeup to look like like la catrina/el catrin.

Want to try more traditional foods? The Dia de Los Muertos Cookbook is a companion to The Dia de Los Muertos Story, both of which are by Andrea Jáuregui de la Torre and illustrated by Laura González (52 pages, hardcover paper over boards, published 2026 by becker & meyer kids!, suggested retail price $19.99).

The book opens with some discussion of the meaning of Dia de los Muertos and why food is an important part of the day. The recipes included are easy enough for kids to make with minimal help, and all based on food memories from her childhood.

There are recipes for hibiscus iced tea, Mexican corn and salsa, tortillas, molletes (open faced sandwiches with beans and cheese), jicama fries and sugar skulls to name a few.

Other activities in the book include papel picado, coffee filter marigolds, making your own playlist and making an ofrenda.

Together these books give young readers insight into this holiday that might be new or confusing to them, while also giving you a chance to get in the kitchen together and make your own Dia de los Muertos memories.

Have you read?

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