One STEM challenge, different ages: a paper bridge plan for OSHC

One child is still working out how to fold the paper. Another has made a bridge and wants to know what comes next. A third wants to build alone.

If you are planning STEM for a mixed-age OSHC group, you can prepare for all three without setting up three separate activities. Start with one shared problem, then offer different ways into it.

Here is a paper bridge challenge to try. The suggested timings are a guide; adjust the pace, materials and support to the children in front of you.

Set up one clear problem

The question is simple: Can you make a paper bridge that holds a block without being held up by your hands?

For each work area, gather:

• Two low, stable supports of the same height, such as two similar books.

• A few sheets of A4 scrap paper of the same thickness.

• Masking tape, with short pieces prepared if needed.

• One large, lightweight building block suitable for your group.

• A ruler, or a paper strip marked with the gap width.

Place the supports about 10 centimetres apart on a steady surface. Keep everything low, check the block and supports are suitable for the children using them, and supervise the testing. The bridge is for the block, never for standing on.

Demonstrate only the test: place the block gently in the middle, take your hands away and see whether it stays there while you count to ten. Leave the bridge design open.

Offer two starting points

Put these options on the table without labelling them by age.

Start here: Use up to two sheets and some tape to make a bridge across the gap. Folding, rolling and layering are all worth trying. An adult can help hold an edge or start a fold while the child decides what to do next.

Try next: Make a bridge across the same gap that holds the same block, using just one sheet and no tape. You can fold the paper, but you cannot add another support underneath.

Children can move between the options. Someone may want the simpler brief while learning how the materials behave; someone else may be ready for the extra constraint straight away.

If the first attempt feels impossible, shorten the gap or use a lighter block. Keep the task manageable enough for another attempt to feel worthwhile.

Give help without taking over the design

A few useful prompts are:

• “Which part is bending first?”

• “Would you like me to hold this while you fold it?”

• “What could you change before we test again?”

Be specific about the help you offer. There is a difference between making a fold accessible and deciding every fold for a child.

For pairs, suggest taking turns to choose a change and place the test block. Avoid automatically making the older child the builder or the younger child the helper. Working alone can be an option too, if your space and supervision allow it.

Have an answer ready for “I'm finished”

Try this extension: Can you make a second design that works with the same materials?

Ask the child to sketch the first bridge before changing it. Keep the gap, block and test position the same, then compare the designs. Which was easier to build? Where did each begin to bend? Would either be easier for someone else to copy?

This gives early finishers another problem to think about without simply asking them to make something bigger or sending them around to fix everyone else's work.

Finish with a useful comparison

For a short session, allow roughly five minutes to introduce the problem, ten to build, five to adjust and five to share. You can stop earlier or continue another day.

Ask each child or pair to show one change they made. A bridge that still bends can contribute something useful: “We tried this fold, and this is where it gave way.” Children can explain by pointing, demonstrating or speaking; a written worksheet is optional.

Our earlier article on play-based STEM learning explores giving children room to try. This setup puts that idea into a manageable afternoon activity.

Planning a workshop for a mixed-age group? Send Beyond the Beanstalk an enquiry with your age range, group size and any access needs, so you can discuss what might suit your service.