13 Ways to Explore Ramps and Inclined Planes

Ramps are a fantastic science exploration for kids of all ages. A ramp, or inclined plane, is a type of simple machine. While exploring ramps, learn about gravity, friction, forces, motion, and other physics concepts. Use them to create science experiments, STEM challenges, or open-ended science investigations. Check out this collection of ways to explore ramps and inclined planes.

Ways to Explore Ramps and Inclined Planes

A ramp is an example of an inclined plane. An inclined plane is simply a tilted surface. We can use an inclined plane to do work (move an object up the inclined plane). It requires less force to move the object up the inclined plane than the weight of the object. (It’s easier to use ramp than to lift the object up.) You can also use ramps and inclined planes to lower objects.

How to Make a Ramp (or Inclined Plane)

Since a ramp is just a tilted surface, all you need is a flat surface and a way to raise one side of the surface.

Use a piece of cardboard, a wooden board, a tray, a metal pan, a book, or a plastic lid or the entire bin (like we did for an egg rolling baby game). Prop one side of the flat surface up using boxes, bins, containers, books, buckets, etc. Or lean the flat surface up against a chair or couch. Use tape to secure when needed.

Toddler Approved shows several of these ramp types in action in their Car Ramp Science post.

A slide, a wedge shaped block, a train track ramp, or even hot wheels tracks are other options for ramps.

What Can You Learn from Exploring Ramps?

My post, What Can You Learn from a Cardboard Tube?, provides one answer. We placed a giant cardboard tube against a step ladder. My toddler selected items from around the house to place down the tube. It was a great opportunity to learn about friction and to make predictions about what objects would slide down the tube.

Ramps provide an easy way to learn about kinetic energy. Set up an experiment to explore kinetic energy using ramps. This post has several suggestions for things to change in the experiment.

Looking for a Christmas or winter themed example? Try our sleigh races ramp investigation.

Start Simple

Start with a ramp and a ball (or in our case an egg). Even babies can explore ramps with our egg rolling baby game. You just need a stable, short ramp that’s strong enough for baby to push up on.

Or use a variety of objects and start with an invitation to explore ramps. (Invitations to explore are one of my favorite things to present. Did you know I share an invitation to explore in every newsletter. Learn more and subscribe to the newsletter here.)

Place a few objects at the top of a slide (or other ramp) and invite your child to explore. Will all of the objects go down the ramp? Read more about the ramp exploration here.

Have a train track? You can use a train track ramp to explore cause and effect with trains.

Use Hot Wheels Tracks and Send Vehicles Flying

Try our Things That Go Experiment to race different things that go – buses, trains, cars, planes, etc. Which vehicle type is the fastest?

Or try our Car Races Science Investigation and use just cars for the tests.

Investigate with cars and ramps in the snow. Experiment with a Hot Wheels ramp and launcher to see how far a car will travel in a bin of snow. You could modify this to use different landing materials.

Change It Up

In our Farm Animal Races with Little Blue Truck, we tested how fast different groups of animals traveled down the ramp in a little blue truck.

Learn colors with ramps and car rainbows. Use your child’s love of ramps to practice colors and sorting skills.

Explore kinetic energy with a refrigerator marble run. Rearrange the ramps on the refrigerator to change the path and speed of the marbles.

Combine simple machines to create something new. Check out how Aiden (then 4) invented a bouncy ball machine by combining a lever with a ramp.

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