(Last Updated on July 18, 2024)
(There may be affiliate links in this post – click here to learn more. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Kids are natural-born inventors.
I’ve seen children invent games together using only their vivid imaginations.
I’ve seen them occupy themselves for hours with a pile of rocks or a piece of ribbon.
As parents and caregivers, we can encourage our kids’ innate creativity even more by providing them the time and materials to pursue their many ideas.
Homeschooling has made it possible for my family to provide our kids more free time for inventing (more about that in this post). And one way we’ve kept them fully-stocked with maker materials is by giving them their very own DIY Invention Kits.
Having unique materials at their disposal has given my kids an outlet for their creative concepts. Their Invention Kits have helped them brainstorm and expand their ideas even further.
There’s no one right way to make an Invention Kit for your kids. But I wanted to share how we’ve done it since it’s been such a success over the years!
There are three main categories of supplies we’ve kept on hand for our kids’ inventions: Recyclables, Construction/Contraption Supplies, and Electronics.
(Note: There’s often a lot of overlap between “inventions” and “art/craft projects”. This post will focus on the “invention” type projects, but check out A Tour of Our Homeschool Art Closet to get more ideas.)
DIY Invention Kit Components
Recyclables
- Cardboard – toilet paper tubes, paper towel rolls, wrapping paper tubes, cardboard boxes of all sizes, and plain sheets of cardboard and cardstock
- Foam – Foam blocks from product packaging, washed and dried foam trays, certain kinds of packing peanuts (but NOT styrofoam unless you enjoy picking up tiny, clingy bits all over your home… ask me how I know this…)
- Scrap Wood – old shims, scraps from other projects, and extra paint mixing sticks
- Plastic Containers – washed and dried food containers like fruit cups, yogurt containers, plastic milk gallon caps, and pint-sized berry baskets
- Other Unique Recycled Things – cylindrical oatmeal containers, cleaned used shoelaces, scratched CD’s, clean straws… the sky’s the limit!
Construction/Contraption Supplies
- Wooden Sticks & Pieces – wooden skewers (for older kids), short and long dowels, wheels, and knobs of various diameters (the picture below shows my oldest son years ago making a wooden city out of random wooden pieces)
- Metal Pieces – hooks, wire coat hangers, pipe cleaners
- Simple Machines – pulleys, wedges, small wheels or cylinders with sticks to use as axles, gears
- Rope – String, twine, yarn, ribbon, and woven rope
- Fasteners – velcro, tape of all kinds (Washi, masking, Scotch, duct, electrical, packing), latches, twist ties, zip ties, paperclips, binder clips, rubber bands
- Connector Toy Products – store-bought connectors (these by Makedo are our favorites)
- Large Flat Surfaces – hard board, peg board, and other large portable surfaces (read more about how we use pegboard and hardboard in our homeschool in this post)
As our kids have gotten older and more responsible, we’ve also given them access to various tools and hardware:
- Small Hardware – screws, nuts, bolts, washers, brackets, and nails
- Tools – scissors, hammers, sand paper, box cutters and/or Exacto knives, hand-crank and powered drills, pliers, wrenches, wire cutters, and screwdrivers
Even younger kids can use small hammers to tap nails into sturdy foam like my oldest boys did in the picture below.
Electronics
- LED Lights – we spent a few dollars on a 100 piece pack like this one and it’s lasted for years
- Battery Holders and Batteries – these inexpensive battery holders are perfect for kids’ projects
- Small Motors – look for small hobby motors like these, or get an all-in-one kit
- Alligator Clips – the kinds with wires already attached (like these) have been easiest for my kids to use
- Extra Wires – scraps of insulated wire from other projects or a small spool of their own to use
Remember… this is just the tip of the iceberg! Take advantage of whatever unique supplies you might have access to. Definitely don’t feel overwhelmed or limited by this list. Truly almost anything can inspire your kids’ creativity!
And, as much as we’ve enjoyed the items we’ve purchased, free recyclables are often the most inspirational. I think my kids’ favorite finds ever were the 10’ long, 5” diameter, heavy duty cardboard tubes from a projector screen – those giant tubes were the source of epic basement marble runs for months!
Our own Invention Kits are ever-changing, but the picture below shows a snap-shot of what’s currently in one of ours:
And here’s our youngest maker’s latest Invention Kit build – a castle… complete with a feline-friendly drawbridge.
DIY Invention Kit Bonus Tips
We’ve had a lot of success with these Invention Kits over the years – my kids have gone back to them again and again from preschool through high school. Creating just never gets old!
Based on our experience of what works and doesn’t work, here are some lessons learned to help your DIY Invention Kit experience go smoothly:
- Provide supervision and age-appropriate items. As they get older, make sure to train them in the proper use of any new, more advanced tools or items (i.e. don’t hand a preschooler an Exacto knife)! Especially with the electronic items, make sure your kids understand things like short circuits and safety rules before introducing those into your kit!
- Add new items from time to time. This will help keep the stash of items interesting and will inspire new bursts of creativity.
- Invent with your kids sometimes. Spend some quality time working with them on their inventions and let them see you creating and playing, too!
- Be available to help and encourage. If they need help with the hot glue gun or can’t twist the pipe cleaner tight enough, try and say “yes” as much as possible to their requests for help. I found it helpful to have them “try it one more time, and then call me if you’re still stuck.” Often the encouragement to try again was all they really needed.
- Don’t give too much direction. Give suggestions and help as needed, but don’t fall into the trap of taking over the project for them. The more ownership they take of the project, the more effective it will be as a learning experience.
- Use these suggestions in combination with strewing. I wrote all about strewing in this post. Having an invention kit plus some intentionally strewn books or objects can take all this creating and inventing to the next level!
Happy Inventing!
Subscribe today to receive new posts via email!
