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.
Endless STEM Challenges
Make measurement and weight concepts exciting with these STEM Challenge Cards! They’re an easy, interactive way to get students thinking critically about balance, mass, and estimation.
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.
I love the tips, that’s so helpful for me in my daily life
What a wonderful list! So glad you shared. Thanks for promoting STEM to kids! 🙂
I am new to homeschooling and the STEM activities you shared will be great to use with my girls! Thank you for sharing.
This is great stuff…I live in the UAE and was exploring for new ideas…thanks for sharing!
If you are interested in topic: earn online by clicking flooring – you should read about Bucksflooder first
Thanks
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help me I don’t know haw to do it so help
this is not 40 in all of the categories just sayin
You have wonderful ideas here that can keep children of all ages busy for hours. The pictures are vibrant.
Suggestion: As a teacher, it is really difficult to read your site. Pale blue on white really strains the eyes.
I am very much interested in implementing STEM studies into my home school. Grade k – 8th . Please help me understand what is the best way to start with your products. Thank You
Awesome & brilliant idea it`s very helfful of child education.
“Create straw roller coasters. // Frugal Fun for Boys”
First thing I want to say is that I love the fact that websites like this exist but…
I’m a civil engineer. I design the structural systems for buildings and bridges. I was looking for a project to do at a transportation summer camp when I came across this project. I am ultimately disappointed in you because you target roller coasters for boys. Really? Please correct as it is hard enough as a girl to be told that you can’t play with Erector sets or Legos because they are for boys as well…
Thanks
Hi Kelsey,
Thanks for reaching out. We couldn’t agree more that Erector sets and LEGOS are just as much for girls as they are for boys. The site that published the article is run by a mom of four boys (and one baby girl). When she started her blog “Frugal Fun for Boys” many years ago, she intended to share all of the cool, low cost projects her four boys designed together. The blog title has nothing to do with “boy only activities” and everything to do with the gender of her kids. In fact, since welcoming her daughter, she updated her blog logo to say “Frugal Fun for Boys AND Girls”. Hope that helps clarify!
Warmly,
Kimberleigh
It would be nice to have a PDF of all of these activities so that we’re not searching the website, and we can just print it out.
Hi Laura,
Thanks for reaching out. While I understand that a PDF would be convenient, this list is a collection of STEM activities from a variety of authors, so we can’t create a PDF.
If you’re looking for a PDF style version of STEM activities, you might be interested in our ENDLESS STEM Challenge Bundle.
Let me know if I can be of any further help.
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador
Hi Malia,
I recently purchased your endless STEM bundle and was wondering if there is a comprehensive materials list or some sort of materials list for each activity. Or do I need to download each file to see what I need to purchase?
Thanks so much for sharing your amazing activities!
Beth
Hi Beth,
I just emailed you ?
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador
These looks like so much fun! Thanks
You are very welcome! Hope your students enjoy!
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador
These all activities are good for a child mental development. Thanks for sharing.
You are very welcome!
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador
I want to see a boat.
Hi Jessica,
You can check out a fun STEM activity featuring boats HERE.
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador
Good post. Blogs like this will be useful for parents to know about different STEM activities for kids. If you are looking for a coding platform to teach kids coding, then codinforkid.com will be the best choice.
I was looking for some good blogs hopefully your article will help to solve my problems in this subject.Thanks for sharing.
Hooray! We are *thrilled* you found us! Let me know if I can help you find any other activities!
Kaylee // Playdough to Plato Team
These are some really great STEM activities for kids and would help them to develop life essential skills as they grow up. Thanks for sharing and explaining it so well. It’s very helpful!
YAY! We are so happy that they are helpful for you! Fingers crossed your students love them as much as we do!
Kaylee // Playdough to Plato Team
These are great STEM activities! Learning through such activities build on the curiosity of the kids and adds a whole new dimension to learning. Kids enjoy such hands-on methods where they can related their learning with real world applications.
YES!! We 100% agree, Kidpillar!
The article you have shared here very good. This is really interesting information for me. Thanks for sharing!
I am glad that I saw this post. It is informative blog for us and we need this type of blog thanks for share this blog.
This blog is self explanatory.
Thank You.
very good activity spectaculat
I’m thrilled you liked these STEM activities!
Cheering you on,
Alex