90+ Engaging STEM Activities for Kids
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Help build your child’s early problem-solving, reasoning, and observation skills with these engaging STEM activities.
STEM activities—focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math—provide young children with engaging, hands-on learning experiences that can help build critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills. By exploring real-world concepts through play and experimentation, children can develop a strong foundation in essential skills while having fun.
Whether they’re building shapes and structures, experimenting with water and magnets, or exploring the great outdoors, these STEM activities appeal to kids’ natural sense of curiosity and their love of play and discovery. Incorporating STEM into early education adds variety to the learning process and often comes with loads of fun and an increased interest in learning.
STEM Activities for Kids by Grade
Our STEM activities for kids are organized by grade to help you best select those in line with your child’s skills and learning level. However, every child learns at their own pace, and you may find your preschooler is ready to try a few STEM ideas designated for kindergarteners. Look through all of the STEM activities for kids and select those that feel suitable for your child and the time and materials you have.
Each article includes 30 or more hands-on activities for indoors and outside, simple ideas for busy days, and more complex ideas for deeper learning. Every idea also includes ways to expand on the learning that’s occurring, leaving it up to you and your child to decide if you want to dig deeper into the activity.
STEM Activities for Preschoolers
From experimenting with what can sink or float, creating a balloon rocket, or simply planting seeds, our STEM activities for preschoolers focus on helping children develop curiosity and foundational problem-solving skills through hands-on exploration.
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STEM Activities for Kindergarten
At the kindergarten level, STEM activities introduce basic concepts of cause and effect and simple engineering through play-based learning. Engaging in activities like building structures, experimenting with magnets, or exploring concepts like electricity can help children develop critical thinking skills while learning.
STEM Activities for First Grade
Our first grade STEM activities are slightly more structured and aim to help children apply logical reasoning and develop problem-solving strategies. Whether watching baking soda and vinegar inflate a balloon or practicing graphing skills with snacks, these STEM ideas for first graders are designed to enhance early math and science skills while fostering perseverance and a deeper understanding of the world around them.
Tips for Teaching STEM to Kids
1. Make it hands-on:
Utilize everyday materials like cups, containers, cardboard, tape, straws, and building blocks to create open-ended building challenges, design simple machines, or experiment with different textures and shapes.
2. Ask open-ended questions:
Encourage critical thinking by asking questions like “What do you think will happen if…” or “How can we make this stronger?”
3. Encourage trial and error:
Help children see that mistakes are a valuable part of learning. Encourage them to test ideas, adjust, and try again to build problem-solving and resilience
4. Focus on basic concepts:
Introduce simple science concepts like buoyancy, gravity, magnetism, and life cycles through activities like floating boats, observing plant growth, or playing with magnets.
5. Incorporate math into play:
Use counting, sorting, and patterning while playing with toys or during everyday activities like baking.
6. Read STEM-related books:
Choose picture books that introduce science and engineering concepts in a fun and accessible way. For example, read a book about bridges before building one or explore nature after reading about wildlife or forests.
7. Explore nature:
Go on nature walks to observe insects, plants, and weather patterns, discussing how they relate to science.
8. Encourage creativity and experimentation:
Let children explore different materials and approaches to solve problems, even if they don’t get it right the first time.
9. Mix STEM with art (STEAM):
Encourage creativity by integrating art into STEM activities, like designing structures, making patterns, or using colors to explore light and reflections.
10. Connect to the Real World
Show children how STEM is all around them. Talk about how things work—like why the sun makes shadows or how a simple machine like a lever helps us lift things.
More STEM Related Activities for Kids
The following activities provide more fun and creative ways to bring science and math into your home. ABCmouse also offers an extensive collection of free printable worksheets and online educational games for children.
Science Activities & Experiments for Preschoolers & Kindergarteners
While beginning scientific concepts surround preschoolers and kindergarteners, adding in meaningful science activities can help young children develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills and build a foundation for more advanced science concepts, such as cause-and-effect.
Engaging Math Activities for Kindergarteners
Kindergarten math introduces important foundational concepts, from counting and comparing to patterns and problem-solving. Here’s a list of fun and engaging activities designed specifically for kindergarteners. Each activity supports hands-on learning and can be adapted to fit your child’s skill level and pace.
Hands-On Math Activities for Preschoolers To Second Graders
By bringing hands-on activities into your home, you provide engaging and entertaining activities that use different parts of the brain. Using a variety of approaches helps children find different ways to connect with what they’re learning.
STEM Related Games on ABCmouse
ABCmouse features hundreds of online learning games in all core subjects, including science and math. Please note that some of these games may require an ABCmouse subscription to play.
⭐ ABCmouse Science Games
Build It Matching: Animals and Their Habitats is just one of the many science games included in an ABCmouse subscription. Check out more of the ABCmouse science games here.
⭐ ABCmouse Math Games
In Draco’s Number Dash, kids help Draco the dinosaur run and jump his way through numbers, landing on only those that are even. This interactive game is one of many math games included in an ABCmouse subscription. Check out more of the ABCmouse math games here.
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