Jingle Bell Run: Boredom Buster

Building marble and ball runs are a great boredom-busting activity for kids. They're also a great way to reuse those cardboard tubes in your recycling bin. And since it's Christmastime, I bet you're building a stockpile with all those rolls of wrapping paper. So here's a fun Christmas twist on the DIY marble run that makes use of those empty wrapping paper cardboard tubes. It's certainly an easy boredom buster to put together for kids of all ages.

Here's what you need to make a DIY jingle bell run:

• jingle bells
• cardboard tubes (toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, or wrapping paper tubes)
• tape
• scissors to cut the cardboard tubes

Cut the cardboard tubes in half lengthwise to create the track for the jingle bells. I left some smaller tubes uncut, as you will see below. Then tape the tubes to a blank wall. I highly suggest running a jingle bell down the tracks as you build to make sure that the tubes are well spaced. Older children may enjoy building their own track and working those fine motor skills by cutting the cardboard tubes themselves. Building the track is a great hands on way to explore some science.

Then let the jingle bells roll! I love the auditory component to this DIY marble run. Jingle, jingle, jingle!

My boys also liked to dump the entire container of jingle bells down the track, which got a little chaotic and a bit noisy at times. But their squeals of delight and laughter often overpowered the noise of thirty-some jingle bells. And really, that's the best sound, isn't it?