Building a house out of cards engages and challenges children to try different techniques as they create and become the king or queen of their own castle! All you need is a flat surface on which to build, plus a deck of cards (slightly older, well-worn decks work great because the cards are less slippery).

Process:

• Building a strong foundation is key to building a solid card house.
• To create your foundation, first, hold two cards, one in each hand, so that the long edges are parallel to the table. Lean them against each other to form an “L”. Continue to gently add two more cards to create the box for the foundation.

• Next add the roof. Hold a card between two fingers (not too high above your card house walls) and lightly drop the card so that it gently falls into place on top of the walls of your foundation.

• If you’d like to attempt a taller house, carefully try to build another box on top of your house’s roof and repeat the above steps.

Tip: Your card house will likely experience one (or more) earthquakes as you go. Try not to get too discouraged! The building process is part of the challenge and the fun!