How a Marble Maze Teaches Children Basic Physics

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Budding engineers and scientists ages 5 and up can learn a lot about physics using a marble maze or marble run set. Marble maze sets come with lots of colorful pieces and assorted marbles to build a variety of mazes which include tunnels, ladders and bridges. There are unlimited possibilities in marble maze designs encouraging your child’s creativity, imagination and thinking skills.

Roller coasters are a great way for children to learn about basics physics such as speed, slope, friction and distance. Quercetti, a toy company in Italy, makes two different Skyrail Rollercoaster Marble Run sets with a choice of 150 or 200 pieces for unlimited design possibilities. This is a great toy for teamwork whether at home or in the classroom. There are no instructions with this toy; just your imagination. The thin plastic pieces are durable and strong, and the marbles speed through the tunnels and curves for lots of fun.

Another excellent marble maze set to consider is the Original Classic Marble Run Set by Marble Run. This set comes with 12 marbles and 68 brightly colored plastic pieces which include flippers, tunnels and ramps that any child age 5 and up can build a different marble run each time. A marble maze or run builds hand-eye coordination and encourages creativity and imagination. Parents and teachers can set up basic physic questions to encourage children to think about how things work.

For those who remember the “good ‘ole days” playing with glass marbles and wooden toys, you will love the Tedco Wooden Blocks and Marbles Maze Master Set. This set comes with 80 blocks, 20 marbles, playboard and a canvas bag to carry or store the set in. This beautiful set was designed in 1984 by Mark E. Launer, an architectural artist, allowing children and their parents to design and create hundreds of different maze patterns for hours of fun play.

There are many types of marble maze and run sets to choose from; however, whichever one you choose for your child they will have the basic pieces to start thinking about engineering in how the build their maze or run. Once their maze is built, basic physic principles are introduced when the child starts dropping their marbles down the ramp and watches how it takes the turns speeding up and slowing down. Since children learn through play; just let them build, play and learn.

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