There are many different ways that you can have a car race at home. One of the most exciting ways is to build your own racetrack with blocks and found parts. Together you can experiment with different designs to see which car will make it to the bottom first in the fastest time. Sometimes if the car is travelling too fast it might crash and not finish the race.

Before creating a design for the track, talk with your child about the type of racetrack. Will it be a tall racetrack with a sharp angle for the slope, a gentle slope or a flat long track that has twists and turns? Once you are both happy with the design, go on a hunt around the house for different materials that can be used in the design. You might want to draw the racetrack before you start looking for the parts you need.

What cars can we use? If we use big cars will we need to change our racetrack design? Do all the cars look the same? How do you know which car is yours?

How will the race be run? Will several cars compete against each other at the same time on the track or will they race one at a time, recording the individual time for each car. If they are racing one at a time what will you use to time the speed of the car? You could use a stopwatch, an eggtimer or the timer on the oven or microwave.

Who will start the race so the cars know it is time to go? Will the race be started using words, counting backwards or by the fall of a flag?

Drivers, start your engines!