Creating Classroom Fun: Grade 4 Toy & Game Unit in STEAM

As part of the STEAM curriculum at Bloomfield Hills Schools, grade 4 students create their own unique board game or toy, using a standard engineering design process to plan their idea. This hands-on project is not only fun and interactive, but also an intentional segue into higher-level invention projects they can expect in grade 5 as well as in the design & technology class in middle school.

At Lone Pine Elementary, grade 4 students in Abigail Gordon’s STEAM class began the project by organizing their ideas in a STEAM Engineering Log Book. Working in groups of two or three, they considered what makes a toy or game valuable, then brainstormed three possible ideas for their own creation. They even researched whether similar games already exist in stores, to confirm that the idea they selected was unique. Students then built a prototype of their game or toy idea, using materials such as cardboard, felt, clay, wood, pipe cleaners, velcro, and more. They could also use any tools available in the STEAM room: cardboard cutters, hot glue tools, paint, and more.

Since many designs were three-dimensional, Gordon included a lesson on the various ways that cardboard and paper can be attached together to create shapes, platforms, and layers. Dylan Banks, Anvee Shahuraj Mane, and Naomi Bolaños Portela (all grade 4) used the “flange” method in their prototype, splaying the bottom of a paper towel tube to attach it to a cardboard base. Oliver Berk, Logan Elsberg, and Archer Ming (all grade 4) used the “L-brace” method to hold up a mini basketball hoop in their sports-themed game. Throughout the project, a bulletin board in Gordon’s STEAM lab displayed several attachment method examples, which students could reference as needed for ideas.

From sports games to balancing acts to games that challenge players to a “dare,” the design possibilities were endless. Lucia Lopez, Angela Ng, and Benjamin Turbovsky (all grade 4) created a game called “Bear vs. Bee,” in which a bear hides behind bushes to try to get to honey in a beehive. “The objective of the bear is to get to the honey, and the objective of the bee is to find the bear,” shared Turbovsky. Ultimately, each group will share their games with the class and spend time enjoying the creations together.  

Well done, designers! We hope this project inspires students to explore more creative pursuits, both inside and outside of school.