Back to activities

Indoor activity

Indoor Cardboard Mini-Golf

Transform your living room into a wacky mini-golf course using cardboard boxes, tubes, and marbles! Perfect for rainy days and active play.

Ages 5-8 1-2 hours Education 7/10

Materials

  • Cardboard Boxes
  • Cardboard Tubes
  • Marbles
  • Scissors
  • Tape

Illustrated Steps

1

Design the Holes

⚠️ **Adult Helper Needed** — An adult should cut the cardboard boxes to create archways for the marbles to roll through.

2

Build the Obstacles

Tape cardboard ramps and zig-zag walls in front of your holes to make the course tricky.

3

Craft the Clubs

Tape a small piece of cardboard to the end of a long tube to make the putting head of your golf club.

4

Play the Course

Use your new club to tap the marble towards the hole. Count your strokes and have fun!

What You’ll Create

You and your child will become master course designers, transforming your living room floor into an epic, 4-hole mini-golf tournament! You will craft cardboard tunnels, ramps, and trick-shots, using a cardboard tube as your putter and marbles as your golf balls.

How to Set It Up

Step 1: Design the Holes

Gather your cardboard boxes. Cut them in half or take the flaps off so they sit flat on the floor. Draw a circle for the ‘hole’ or cut an archway for the marble to roll through.

Step 2: Build the Obstacles

Use extra cardboard and tape to build ramps, zig-zag bumpers, or bridges in front of your archways. The harder it is to reach the hole, the better!

Step 3: Craft the Clubs

Take a long cardboard tube (like from wrapping paper) and tape a smaller piece of cardboard to the bottom to create the flat head of your golf club. Make one for each player.

Step 4: Play the Course

Set your marbles at the starting line of hole 1. Take turns gently tapping the marble with your club, counting how many strokes it takes to get it through the archway!

Have fun!

  • 🏆 Keep a scorecard and crown the Mini-Golf Champion of the house!
  • 🎨 Decorate each hole with a different theme using markers or paint.
  • 🔄 Rearrange the obstacles to make a brand-new course tomorrow.
  • 🎶 Play some upbeat stadium music in the background.

Why It’s Amazing

  • Gross Motor Skills: Swinging the club with just the right amount of force teaches coordination. 🏌️
  • Engineering Thinking: Designing the course requires spatial awareness and testing. 🏗️
  • Math Skills: Keeping score is a fun, sneaky way to practice addition! ➕
  • Family Bonding: A little friendly competition is great for everyone. ❤️

Pro Tips

For ages 3-5: Skip the club and let them roll the marble with their hands! Make the archways very wide.

For ages 5-8: Let them design the course. Challenge them to include at least one ramp or bridge.

For ages 8-12: Add ‘par’ scores to each hole. Introduce trick shots, like bouncing off a wall to make it in.