New Year's Eve Ball Drop: Lego Style
Build a Lego New Year's Eve ball drop tower with a simple release mechanism, test rolling balls, and learn basic engineering and timing.
Step-by-step guide to build a Lego New Year's Eve ball drop tower
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Step 1
Clear a flat work surface so you have lots of room to build.
Step 2
Place the LEGO baseplate in the middle of your cleared work surface.
Step 3
Sort LEGO bricks into a pile for building the tower and a pile of flat plates for making a ramp.
Step 4
Stack bricks to build a hollow square tower about 10 bricks tall with an open vertical channel in the center.
Step 5
Add a sloped ramp inside the channel by stacking flat plates or angled bricks so a ball can roll down.
Step 6
Create an exit opening at the bottom front of the tower by removing two or three bricks so the ball can roll out.
Step 7
Put a single removable brick across the channel near the top to act as a stopper.
Step 8
Place one small round ball on top of the channel behind the stopper.
Step 9
Pull the removable stopper to release the ball and watch it drop down the channel and out the opening.
Step 10
If the ball jams change the ramp angle until the ball rolls smoothly every time.
Step 11
Do three timed drops by counting seconds out loud as the ball falls.
Step 12
Write the three times on your paper with the pencil so you can compare them.
Step 13
Decorate the tower with extra fun bricks to look like a New Year’s Eve countdown tower.
Step 14
Add a paper countdown sign to the tower so it feels like a real ball drop.
Step 15
Share your finished Lego New Year’s Eve ball drop on DIY.org
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use instead of a LEGO baseplate or the small round ball if we don't have them?
Use a sturdy piece of cardboard or a baking sheet instead of the LEGO baseplate and substitute a marble, ping-pong ball, or tightly crumpled aluminum foil for the small round ball on top of the channel.
The ball keeps jamming—what should we check and fix?
If the ball jams, change the ramp angle by adding or removing flat plates or angled bricks, widen the hollow square channel, and make sure the exit opening at the bottom front is clear so the ball can roll out smoothly.
How can I adapt the activity for younger or older children?
For younger kids use larger Duplo bricks, a bigger ball, and do supervised single drops, while older kids can build taller towers (more than 10 bricks), create adjustable ramps, and perform three timed drops recording the times on paper with a pencil.
How can we enhance or personalize the Lego New Year's Eve ball drop?
Decorate the tower with extra fun bricks, add the paper countdown sign or small LED lights to the baseplate, and turn the three timed drops into a challenge to beat before sharing the finished project on DIY.org.
Watch videos on how to build a Lego New Year's Eve ball drop tower
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Facts about basic engineering and Lego building
🧱 Two standard 2x4 LEGO bricks can be combined in 24 ways — and six of them can be arranged into 915,103,765 different combinations!
🎉 The first Times Square New Year's Eve ball drop happened in 1907 and started the modern ball-drop tradition.
⚙️ Simple machines like levers, ramps, and catches are powerful tools for controlling motion and timing in release mechanisms.
🧪 The basic LEGO brick design introduced in 1958 is still compatible with bricks made today.
🎯 Small changes to ball size, weight, or ramp angle can dramatically change rolling speed and timing — perfect for engineering tests.
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