3D Printing Projects and Ideas for Kids: 15 Easy Ones + STEM

You have a 3D printer, or you can use one at school or the library. Now what should you make? Here are 15 projects that kids can design themselves. Each one is small, useful or fun, and each one teaches a new trick.

Many of them are ready-made examples on the Kids 3D Lab start page. Open one, take it apart, and then make your own version!

Before you start

Three rules make almost every print work:

1. Flat bottom. Your model needs a flat side that sits on the plate.
2. Everything touches. No part can float in the air. The printer can't print on nothing!
3. Not too thin. Make walls and parts at least 2 mm thick.

When you click Export, Kids 3D Lab checks these things for you.

All 15 ideas at a glance

Times are rough: a small size and a normal printer. Make it smaller and it prints faster.

Super easy (your first prints)

1. A name tag

A flat box with your name on top. It is the best first project because it prints fast and you learn text. Add a hole and it becomes a keychain. See Make a Name Keychain.

2. A coaster

A thin cylinder with a star pressed into the top. The star is a hole that only goes 1 mm into the cylinder. Open the Coaster example to see how.

3. A bookmark

A long, thin strip with a heart on the end. Turn your name sideways and put it along the strip. Open the Bookmark example.

4. A dice

A 20 mm cube with little ball holes for the dots. Remember: opposite sides always add up to 7! Open the Dice example and count the holes.

5. A door hanger

A flat sign with a round hole at the top, so it can hang on a door handle. Write "KEEP OUT" or "WELCOME" on it.

Easy (a few more shapes)

6. A medal

A gold disc with a star on it and a loop at the top for a ribbon. Give it to someone who did something great!

7. A pen pot

A tall box with a hole inside it makes a pot for your pencils. Put your name on the front. See Make a Pencil Holder for Your Desk.

8. A cookie cutter

A heart with a slightly smaller heart taken out of it. A grown-up can help you use it with real dough. See Make Your Own Cookie Cutter.

9. A snowman

Three balls, a carrot nose and a hat. It's a great way to learn stacking. See Build a Snowman by Stacking Shapes.

10. Stacking rings

Five rings, each smaller than the last, on a pole. A little brother or sister will love it. Open the Stacking rings example.

A bit tricky (for when you're ready)

11. A toy car

A body, a roof, windows and four wheels. You'll learn to turn cylinders on their side and copy shapes. See Design Your Own Toy Car.

12. A phone stand

A ramp leans your phone back, and a little lip at the front stops it sliding off. Measure your phone first, so it fits!

13. A rocket

A cylinder body, a cone nose and three fins turned around the body. Each fin is turned 120 degrees from the last.

14. A robot

Boxes for the body, head, arms and legs, with round eyes and an antenna with a ball on top. Give your robot a name tag on its chest!

15. A spinning top

A cone, a disc and a handle. Try making the disc wider or thinner, and see which one spins longest.

3D printing projects for students and STEM

Teachers love 3D printing projects because one small print can teach a lot: measuring, shapes, planning and fixing mistakes. Here are some 3D printing STEM projects that fit school lessons:

• A set of 3D shapes: print a cube, a cone, a pyramid and a cylinder, then count their faces, edges and corners.
• A ruler or a measuring tool: design one with marks every 10 mm, and check it against a real ruler.
• A bridge: build one from simple shapes, and test how many coins it can hold.
• Gears that turn: print two gears and fit them on pegs, to see how one turns the other.
• A sundial: design one, print it, and use it to tell the time outside.
• A model of something from science: a cell, a planet with rings, or an animal.

More 3D printing ideas for kids, if you've done all 15:

• A keychain of your pet's name, or your first letter in a fun font.
• A cable holder that clips to the edge of a desk.
• A puzzle: a square cut into four pieces that fit back together.
• A fridge magnet frame (glue a small magnet on the back).
• A tiny house for a toy, with a door and windows as holes.
• A plant tag for the garden, with the plant's name on it.
• A board-game piece for each person in your family.
• A trophy for a family game night.

Each one can be designed in a single lesson. Students can write down their measurements and what they would change next time, just like real engineers.

How big should a project be?

Small prints are quicker and use less plastic. A name tag might take less than half an hour. A tall pen pot can take a few hours. When you click Export, the Ready to print? box tells you about how many grams of plastic your model needs. Fewer grams usually means a faster print.

Common mistakes

• Parts floating in the air. Click Drop to plate (the arrow-down button at the top of the panel), or move the part down until it touches.
• Text too thin. Letters thinner than about 1 mm can break. Make the text Thickness at least 1.5.
• Holes that cut nothing. A hole must go into a solid shape. Kids 3D Lab shows a warning if it doesn't.
• Too big for the printer. Pick your printer in Ready to print? and it tells you if your model fits.

Questions kids ask

Which project should I make first?

A name tag. It's quick to design, quick to print, and you'll use it every day.

Can I print in more than one colour?

If your printer can use many colours, click Download 3MF. It keeps your colours. On a one-colour printer, a grown-up can often change the plastic halfway through the print, so the top comes out a different colour.

What if my print breaks?

Make the thin parts thicker, and check that every part touches another part. Then try again. Every maker has broken prints. That's how we learn!

Can I change the examples?

Yes! Open any example, click a shape, and change its size, colour or place. Then save it as your own build.

What can you make with a 3D printer?

Almost anything small and solid! Kids make name tags, keychains, toys, cookie cutters, pen pots, phone stands, medals, dice, games and gifts. Grown-ups print spare parts, tools and models. If you can design it, a 3D printer can usually make it.

What are some easy 3D printing ideas for kids?

Name tags, bookmarks, dice, coasters, medals and keychains are the easiest. They are small and flat, so they print quickly and almost never fail. Start with one of those, then try a pen pot or a cookie cutter.

What are good 3D printing STEM projects for kids?

Projects where you measure, test and improve: a ruler with 10 mm marks, a bridge that holds coins, two gears that turn each other, a sundial, or a set of 3D shapes to count faces and edges. See the list for students above.

How long does a 3D print take?

A small, flat print like a name tag takes about 20 to 30 minutes. A pen pot or a toy car can take one to three hours. The Ready to print? box tells you how much plastic you'll use, and less plastic usually means a quicker print.

What can a 5 year old 3D print?

Five-year-olds do best with flat, simple things they can make in a few minutes: a name tag with their name in big letters, a star or heart coaster, a medal, or a bookmark. A grown-up helps with the printer, and the child picks the shapes and colours. Our first 3D model lesson is a good start.

What are good 3D print ideas for 8 or 9 year olds?

By 8 or 9, kids can try projects with a few more parts and real sizes: a pen pot that fits their pens, a cookie cutter, a phone stand, a toy car with wheels, or a keychain with a hole for the ring. They can measure things with a ruler first, then use the same millimetres in the app.

What can kids 3D print to sell at school?

For a school fair, pick things that are small, quick and useful: name keychains, bookmarks, fridge magnets, plant pot labels or tiny dice. They print fast, so you can make many, and people like things with their own name on. Make one test print first and check it's strong before you make ten.

What can kids 3D print to keep things tidy?

Pen pots, a desk tray for rubber bands and clips, a hook for a bag, a cable holder, or a box with a lid for small toys. Measure the thing it needs to hold first, then add a few millimetres so it fits. Our back-to-school desk post has more ideas.

For grown-ups

Projects work best when they solve a real problem or make a real gift. Ask your child who the object is for, and what it needs to do. A pen pot has to fit real pens. A medal needs a hole big enough for a ribbon. These questions turn a fun activity into real design thinking: measuring, testing and improving. Keep the first prints small so a failure costs minutes, not hours. For printing tips, read Getting Your Model Ready to Print.

Start a project →