Paper Tower STEM Engineering Challenge

Complete 60-minute Year 7 STEM engineering challenge with PowerPoint and pupil booklet.

A ready-to-teach Paper Tower STEM Challenge, ideal for Year 6 transition, Year 7 summer school, induction days, STEM clubs or enrichment activities. Pupils work in teams to design, build, test and improve the tallest free-standing tower they can using only 10 sheets of A4 paper and 50 cm of Sellotape.

The activity introduces pupils to the engineering design cycle through a fun, competitive and accessible practical challenge. Pupils explore how folding, rolling, triangles, a wide base and good balance can strengthen structures before applying these ideas to their own designs.

Includes:

• Complete 14-slide PowerPoint for a 60-minute session
• TVLA-branded pupil STEM challenge booklet
• 5-minute initial design and sketch stage
• Build 1 – 12-minute construction challenge
• Fair testing and measurement
• Structured evaluation of the first design
• Engineering Design Cycle
• 3-minute redesign and improvement stage
• Build 2 – 10-minute improved construction
• Final testing and comparison
• Pupil reflection
• Tallest Tower, Best Engineering and Best Teamwork awards

The accompanying booklet keeps writing manageable while providing space for pupils to sketch and label designs, record results, evaluate what worked, identify improvements and compare Build 1 with Build 2.

A low-prep, low-cost STEM activity requiring no specialist science equipment and designed to develop teamwork, creativity, problem-solving, communication and engineering thinking.