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Activity

Paper Bridge Challenge

Using only paper and tape, build a bridge that spans a gap and holds as much weight as possible.

Ages
8–12
Duration
45 minutes

What kids build

A folded-paper bridge that held a measurable number of washers before giving out.

Materials we bring

How we run it

  1. 01 Set up tables with materials for each team.
  2. 02 Use two stacks of books or wooden blocks about 20 to 30 cm apart to create the gap the bridge must span.
  3. 03 Tell kids they are civil engineers today and their mission is to build a paper bridge that holds as much weight as possible between the two supports.
  4. 04 Give teams 5 minutes to sketch their bridge design on scrap paper. Think about shape. Flat, folded, arch, rolled tube. Which shapes are strongest?
  5. 05 Using only paper and tape, construct your bridge between the two supports.
  6. 06 Add your team name, colors, or structural details to show the bridge type. This step is optional.
  7. 07 Place weights one at a time on the center of the bridge until it collapses or bends to touch the table.
  8. 08 Note the maximum weight held in coins or grams.
  9. 09 Look at where the bridge failed. The center? Near the supports? That tells you where the forces were strongest.
  10. 10 Let teams redesign and rebuild based on what they learned. Change one thing. Add folds, roll paper into tubes, or reinforce the center.
  11. 11 Run a final weigh-off and see which team's bridge holds the most weight.

Kids learn that paper is much stronger than it looks when you fold it right. Groups compete to hold the most washers. The winner gets bragging rights and a photo of the pile that broke it.

Real-world connection

The strongest shapes in engineering

Roman aqueducts used arches to span valleys two thousand years ago. The Golden Gate Bridge uses suspension cables. Truss bridges use triangles because triangles do not flex. Rolling paper into a tube makes it ten times stronger than a flat sheet because a circular cross-section distributes force equally.

Go deeper

Extension ideas

Span challenge

Widen the gap between supports. How far can kids span before the bridge fails? The Sydney Harbour Bridge spans 503 meters. That is a lot of steel truss.

Load by type

Instead of washers, try a line of matchbox cars. How does a moving load stress the bridge differently than a still load?

When we have run this

Scheduled and past visits

Past

  • MAR 5 2026

    Thursday, March 5

    Completed

    Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center

    Kids engineered the strongest paper bridges they could using only paper and tape, then tested them with weights to see whose held the most. They learned about compression, tension, load distribution, and structural design through iterative building and testing.

Bring this to your space

Want the Paper Bridge Challenge at your library or school?

Tell us your space, your age range, and rough timing. We will come to you. Materials are on us.

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