My boys recently got some hex bugs, and they are so much fun! Aidan had one when he was younger, but somehow the other boys missed out on having one. Jonathan asked for one for his 6th birthday, and declared the $6 hex bug to be his favorite present, above a $40 LEGO set! (Hmm…)

Creating a maze for a hex bug is such a fun STEM challenge for kids. There are some engineering considerations – what pathway design will keep the hex bug from getting stuck? Can we create a maze with more than one possible path? Will the hex bug always go the same way, or will he go multiple different ways?

So much fun! We all loved this activity.

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Here’s what you need for this hex bug STEM challenge:

First, make sure that the bottom of your box is flat, or the hex bug will get stuck on the flaps. I cut a piece of cardboard from the box lid to fit in that space. Then I taped it down with clear mailing tape.

Then start building your maze! Hot glue will hold the craft sticks quite securely.

Here’s our completed maze in action! We all had so much fun watching the hex bugs “explore” their new maze!


The tunnels were especially fun. Our hex bugs did choose all different routes through the maze!

And when we’re done with this toy, we can stick it in the recycling bin rather than having another plastic toy to have to store. That’s always a win!

More Building/Tinkering STEM Projects:

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