STEM activities (Science Technology Engineering and Math) are all the buzz in education. Kids love finding out how things work through fun, hands-on projects and teachers love knowing that they’re preparing students for their techy future.
These 40 kid-approved STEM activities are the perfect complement to the 150+ print-and-play STEM centers that are all available a VIP Plato Pack member!
Science Projects
We love science so it’s hard to pick a favorite in this first category of STEM activities.
Make exploding pop rockets.
Pull together an easy water drop race. // What We Do All Day
Create fireworks in a jar. // I Can Teach My Child
Blow up a batch of magic balloons.
Create a water cycle in a bag.
Make ordinary flowers glow in the dark. // Fun at Home with Kids
Whip up some magic dancing raisins. // Coffee Cups and Crayons
And speaking of dancing, make gummy worms boogy.
Test out a simple recipe for Oobleck. // STEM Mom
Turn your name into crystals.
Pour a rainbow in a jar.
Whip up a batch of Magic Aqua Sand. // Paging Fun Mums
Make pipe cleaners mysteriously float.
Use just a couple common household ingredients to pour hot ice.
Build a giant sand volcano. // Growing a Jeweled Rose
Grow plants from seeds.
Make clouds in the kitchen. // Modern Parents Messy Kids
Create some magnetic slime. // Frugal Fun 4 Boys
Technology
Using STEM activities to prepare kids for the future requires that they experience technology too.
Teach kids about computer coding.
Study the stars with the Star Walk app.
Build globby structures in World of Goo.
Practice strategy by playing Blokus.
Explore pictures and data from NASA missions.
Design treehouses to ferris wheels with Simple Physics.
Practice math facts with Operation Math – a fast paced drill game.
Engineering
Engineering projects are also an important piece of STEM activities for kids!
Solve LEGO challenge cards. // The STEM Laboratory
Make junk boats.
Design straw bridges.
Race K’nex cars.
Create straw roller coasters. // Frugal Fun for Boys
Cut out this free balancing robot. // Buggy and Buddy
Build simple {and FAST!} spinning tops. // I Can Teach My Child
Print free activity cards and throw together a portable LEGO kit. // Fun at Home with Kids
Make a bottle water fountain. // Learn with Play at Home
Math
To help kids build a solid foundation of math skills, STEM activities also incorporate math.
Go on a shape hunt.
Play math fact dominoes.
Play a fun subtraction game. // Buggy and Buddy
Print and play Place Value Concentration.
Practice math facts with a flower game. // Nurturestore
Build shapes out of marshmallows and pretzels.
Play a fun round of Loose Tooth Subtraction. // Heidi Songs
Make a batch of Number Trail Mix.
Find different ways to make the numbers 3-10.
Teach kids doubles {3+3, 4+4, 5+5…} with a helpful flip chart. // Mrs. T’s First Grade Class
Cut apart some hundred chart puzzles.
Practice addition with some free write and wipe cards. // The STEM Laboratory
Play a round of Catapult Addition. // Relentlessly Fun Deceptively Educational
Grab a ball for Add It Up! // Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas
And finally, work on addition AND shapes at the same time with these playful roll and cover pattern block mats.Â
Endless STEM Challenges
Excited to get your hands on these 150+ print-and-play STEM centers!? Â Hop over to become a Plato Pack member and join THE most valuable membership for pre-K, kindergarten and first grade teachers!
I’ve been planning to use toothpicks and marshmallows to build SOMETHING- and now we have a book to use an amplifying activity…I am in LOVE with the bridge book and concept. We will be doing that activity in the future for sure….
I love building activities sparked by books. Building is my favorite kind of creativity, I think because it all goes back to my days of Lego building as a kid! The variation in this post is awesome!
What an amazing camp! I would have loved to have been in your class.
Thank you for linking to Read.Explore.Learn. I am pinning this post.
Thanks for pinning, JDaniel4’s Mom!!
I love all of these! So creative and so clever. How fun.
Thanks Jen!
Can I just say awesome?! You did most of the work for us. I love connecting books with projects. My son’s two favorite things. My son’s a little old for some of these things, but we can certainly work on them together or have friends over to create together. I would LOVE to see more of the same. Thanks!
Your note made my day, Karla! Thank you. 🙂
This is incredible! Am pinning and reposting now!
You’re the best! Thanks Boy Mama Teacher Mama.
Found you from “I Can Teach My Child”. I love these ideas and the creativity it sparked. I’m going to pin this to use next summer, when I try to do activities and fun stuff with my own children. Thanks so much!
Great ideas. I love when the children create their own challenges. We will have to try your bridge penny challenge.
Thank you, Margaret! Let me know if you give the bridge challenge a try. 🙂
I love everything about this post! We have some tin can robots just like that too – we used magnetic letters to give them names too!
These are amazing! How you need for each lesson? Do you think an hour is long enough for the read aloud and activity?
Thanks for your kind note, Jess! Yes, it took us about an hour to complete the read aloud and activity.