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Build a Paper Bridge

Can one sheet of paper carry a little toy across a gap?

Ages 4–8 · 15–20 min · With a grown-up

You’ll need
Paper · two books · a small toy

Let’s build
Accordion-folded paper spans two books, with a small wooden block resting in the middle. The folds run from book to book.

Your mission

  1. Make a crossing

    A child watches a flat paper bridge sag beneath a wooden block between two books.

    Place two books a hand-width apart on a table. Lay a sheet of paper across the gap. Gently put a small toy in the middle.

    Does the paper dip? Watch what happens.

  2. Try another shape

    A child and grown-up fold a sheet of paper back and forth into an accordion.

    Take the toy off. Fold the paper back and forth like a fan. Set it across the same gap, with the folded ridges running from book to book.

    Same paper. A whole new shape.

  3. Test your bridge

    The folded paper bridge supports the wooden block across the gap between two books.

    Put the same toy in the middle again. Compare it with your flat bridge. Then try a different fold.

    Which shape bends less? What could you change next?

One question to wonder about

When something doesn’t work, what is another way we could try?

A little tip for grown-ups

Let your child predict what will happen before each test. Ask “What changed?” rather than supplying the answer. Keep the gap and toy the same to compare the shapes fairly.

Build on a low, steady table with a grown-up. Use a lightweight toy appropriate for your child, not coins or tiny parts. This bridge is for toys, never people.

Cover of Toto in Lisbon: Think Outside the Water

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Inspired by Toto in Lisbon: Think Outside the Water.

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