STEM for kids is super fun! STEM is an acronym, standing for “science, technology, engineering, and math,” and it is used to describe the education and careers in those fields. The acronym originated from the National Science Foundation in 2001 to help stress the importance of improving education in these fields.
The four fields are often referred to as a single unit because they have so many overlapping parts: a lab scientist might be a chemist who uses calculus and algebra in conjunction with high-tech machines to conduct experiments, while an engineer designing a bridge needs to conduct complex mathematical calculations and scientifically designed tests to make sure the structure will be safe long into the future. Even artists, writers, musicians, and chefs rely heavily on the concepts and technologies of STEM.
For these reasons, it’s never too early for kids to begin a comprehensive STEM education. So today, discover some cool STEM activities, free live online classes, and other resources to help jumpstart your kids’ exploration of STEM.
Empower your child to develop a passion for STEM by enrolling them in an online NASA STEM Class, designed by experts from Google and MIT. And free coding classes. They can even earn a certificate!
What Is STEM For Kids?
STEM means an educational program that incorporates all four disciplines (and often others, such as art) into a comprehensive curriculum. This educational model incorporates hands-on activities, reflective writing and speaking exercises, sharing one’s results, and testing those results against the work of others. It encourages students to question the world around them, to practice intellectual humility by recognizing when something is wrong, but to never stop learning and to never stop asking, “Why?"
Why Is STEM Beneficial For Kids?
STEM isn’t just chemistry experiments and complex math, but includes many activities that reinforce critical thinking, problem solving, communication skills, and collaboration. Studies have shown that STEM careers generally lead to higher lifetime earnings than non-STEM peers. On top of that, students who succeed in STEM have greater academic achievement, advanced degrees, and a mindset of lifelong learning.
Beyond that, STEM’s emphasis on experimentation and experiential learning can reinforce creativity in painting, drawing, and music, all of which benefit from greater skills of observation and writing. Some of the pioneers of science learning include famous artists who made scientific discoveries while searching for philosophical questions, new colors of paint, or better ways of designing a building, such as Aristotle, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Jan Van Eyck.
What Is An Example Of A STEM Activity For Kids?
For parents and teachers looking for ideas to get their students engaged in STEM, the possibilities are endless. One example could be using a daily observation journal to track the weather, and then comparing those results with a news weather station over the past two weeks to see if the TV weather channel was accurate, or tracking one’s data against previous years by using websites such as Time and Date to see changes in the climate over the years.
Explore Fun Free STEM Activities For Kids
Of course, there are plenty of fantastic and free STEM activities that could be perfect for curious kids and home-schooled students. Explore some easy STEM activities for kids. Most of these will only require either a computer or some basic household materials to put together.
1. Make a Rube Goldberg machine
Rube Goldberg was a cartoonist in the 20th century who became famous from drawing cartoons depicting complex machines built for simple tasks. Decades later, these machines, while very inefficient by design, are wonderful tools to teach students about causality, complex systems, and machinery. You can certainly find packs of tools online for creating your own machine, but you can also just use objects around your house. There are also so many great examples of Rube Goldberg machines, such as this one or this great music video from OK Go!
2. Beginner coding classes with Scratch
Given that we interact with computers and code nearly every single day (if not more), learning about how we interact with these amazing machines can be incredibly rewarding! Scratch is a coding language built for students of all ages, and it is great for students wanting to make their own animations, and games. Once they have a grasp on this coding language, it acts as a great way to transition to text-based coding languages, such as Python and Javascript!
3. DIY Solar Oven
Solar energy is all around us, so we might as well harness it to make some s’mores! By using some basic household items, you can make your own solar oven to make a bunch of snacks, like s’mores and nachos.
4. Learn about coding in Roblox Studio
Roblox is a popular app where you can play games (around 40 million of them!) made by other users. Join a free live online Roblox coding class to start building coding skills and bringing all sorts of ideas to life in the game you love. An expert instructor will guide your student through installing and activating Roblox Studio, and go through a step-by-step tutorial to build an interactive Obby game with different shapes, colors, and materials.
5. Conduct an Egg Drop experiment
Science can sometimes be a little messy! With no more than a few eggs and a few household items, try to craft a barrier for an egg such that when you toss it from a high place, it won’t crack à la Humpty Dumpty. This is a great way for students to learn about trial-and-error, as well as gravity and the scientific method.
6. Cleaning Coins Experiment
If you find shiny coins to be satisfying, then this is perfect for you! In this experiment, you will submerge some pennies in a variety of liquids to see which ones the copper will react to and which ones it doesn’t. This is a great way for students to learn about the scientific method and test their own hypotheses!
7. Learn to code with Python
Python is one of the most popular coding languages in the world, with software developers using it to build such apps as Uber, Instagram, and Spotify! Enroll your child in an introductory Python class, to learn about what Python is, what we can use to run Python programs, and how we can use it to make a bunch of fun animations.
STEM Activities for Elementary School Students
Here are a few STEM activities geared toward students in grades K-5.
8. Toy Take Apart
Most kids have a growing pile of toys from yesteryear collecting dust somewhere. Instead of donating or disposing of these toys, and thus adding to the plastic pollution in the world, why not reuse them by taking them apart and seeing what makes them work? Electronic toys have circuit boards and wires, while toys that move might have gears and other moving parts that can help get kids interested in engineering.
9. Build A Worm Farm
Kids and adults can learn a lot from growing a garden. Learning about sunlight, photosynthesis, water, and soil nutrition are more fun when you get to eat the results of your work! Aside from helping build nutrition awareness, students can learn to build a worm farm to help dispose of food waste and household garbage while creating worm castings that plants just love. On top of keeping garbage out of polluting landfills, this could be combined with building a compost bit, compost roller, or a simple pile nearby the garden to show how decomposition works and how nitrogen and carbon feed the plants that feed us.
10. Make a homemade lava lamp
This activity is perfect for grade schoolers! All you need are a few materials you can find in your house to make this cool concoction, and, while it may seem simple, it has some important scientific principles on full display, such as density and polarity.
11. Make a Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscopes are great ways to show how light can reflect off of surfaces with some fun visuals to boot. This project will introduce your child to basic concepts of light reflection and symmetry in a hands-on way. It encourages exploration of optics and geometry, as kids observe how mirrors and angles create complex patterns.
12. Learn about space in a NASA STEM Club
In this fun NASA class, your child can learn all about the science of space. They'll discover what gravity is and how it affects us, and how telescopes help us chart the stars and see brand new images. And even how we can explore different planets by using complex robots!
13. Make ice cream in a bag
It’s never too cold for ice cream! In this activity, you can learn about how materials can shift between different states of matter by witnessing your ice cream mixture go from a liquid to a solid by freezing it. By the end, you’ll have learned something, and you’ll have a tasty treat to prove it!
STEM Activities for Tweens: Middle School Students
These projects are perfect for students in grades 5-9!
14. Toothpick Bridge
Toothpick bridges are a great introduction to civil engineering! Plan out what you want your bridge to look like, build it, and try to make sure that it is able to not only stay upright by itself, but also support additional weight. Try testing out how much it can lift by itself!
15. Learning to mod in Minecraft
Enjoy a fun introduction to the platform for coding on Minecraft in this live online free class. Students will start building their very first mod (modification to the game)! And will complete two fun challenges in this class. In this free intro class, tweens will not code on Minecraft itself but will use an emulator instead, because it takes a lot of time to enable coding for Minecraft.
16. Fire Snake
This activity shows how fun chemistry can be! With a handful of ingredients and adult supervision, you can cause a chemical reaction between sugar, baking soda, and fire to create an end product of CO₂ and water in the form of a fiery snake.
17. Trail Planning
Use a topographical map to plot a course through the wilderness! Try to find an efficient path that follows a certain number of criteria, such as including a picnic spot, being accessible to parking, and including multiple different habitats for variety.
18. Air Particulates
As mammals, we need the oxygen in the air to survive, but there are a lot of other things we breathe in as well, such as pollen, dust, and even air pollutants. Learn about all the particulates we breathe without even knowing it with this fun activity.
STEM Activities for Teens: High School Students
These fun STEM projects are for older students in grades 9-12.
19. Make your own website using Javascript
Most of us interact with the internet in some way, shape, or form every single day! Learn how you can make your own mark on it by making your very own website. In this class, you’ll learn about how HTML and CSS are used to affect how a website looks. Eventually, you will move to Javascript, adding dynamic content to your website.
20. Extract DNA from a strawberry
In this activity, you’ll extract genetic material from strawberries through the use of dish detergent, salt, and water. It is a great way to supplement learning about genetics by actively interacting with the common thread between all known organic matter: DNA!
21. Create a school garden
Cultivate a green thumb through the cultivation of greenery! While this activity is certainly a little more hands-on, it’s a great school-wide project that teaches students about the science of how plants grow, what is needed to take care of different plants, and, in some cases, how agriculture is maintained to produce consumable goods, like fruits and vegetables.
22. Rainbow Fire
Have you ever wondered why different fireworks produce different colors? Then this might be just up your alley! In this activity, you’ll learn how different elements can give off different colors of light by flame testing different materials. Important note: you will definitely need adult supervision for this one!
23. Make video games using the Unity engine
Unity is a video game engine that is used to make some of the most popular games around, including Among Us, Fall Guys, and Beat Saber! In this class, you’ll learn how to make your own games from scratch, with additional features such as inventory, object scripting, and implementing a smooth user interface.
STEM Holiday Activities For Kids And Teens
If there’s a holiday coming up, here are a few great ideas for incorporating STEM activities into your festive festivities.
Halloween STEM activities: Why didn't the skeleton do the scary STEM project? He didn't have the guts! But you do! Check out some of the spookiest fun October projects, computer science challenges, and puzzles.
Thanksgiving STEM activities: From creating a pumpkin launcher to writing secret messages with cranberries, explore fun fall activities.
Valentine's Day STEM activities: From elementary to middle school and high school activities, check out fun ways to enjoy the Valentine's Day holiday this year. Discover the science behind chocolate, create digital cards, and find sweet treasures before it's too late!
Winter STEM activities: Choose from tons of fun activities: Where's Santa now?; Dig into a white Christmas; and learn more about green Christmas trees.
National STEM Day activities: From visiting the zoo to flying a plane, find all sorts of cool ways to explore STEM. For example, did you know you can visit the largest cave in the world and even hear the river running as you tour it? It's true!
Discover STEM Toys For Kids
Children learn through play. Far from stuffy classrooms and endless school days, much learning happens when children are simply interacting with nature and becoming interested in random questions that might not occur to the adults around them: Why is the sky blue? What happens when I push this button? Where does the Sun go at night? These are actually profound questions that require complex answers. Of course, we remember best, not when we are told by a book, but when we practice and experience things for ourselves. STEM toys can help children develop the curiosity and capabilities to succeed in later high school and university courses.
While LEGO, K’nex, rock tumblers, and science kits have been part of STEM education and play for generations now, there has never been a better time to help your students and children learn through playing with STEM toys. Make sure you choose something that is age appropriate, and ideally something your child is curious about or interested in. Remember though that kids often need to be shown things to become interested in them, since they might not know anything about the opportunities available to them. Here are just a few toys praised by educators and parents alike for their ability to make learning fun and accessible across different age ranges.
1. Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100
This toy is a fantastic introduction to electronics for younger kids. It allows them to create over 100 different projects by snapping together various electronic components, making it both educational and highly engaging. It's particularly popular in K-6 classrooms and is praised for being accessible to younger students while still offering complexity for older kids.
You can even enroll your child in a Fun with Snap Circuits live online event, so they can enjoy guidance from an expert instructor learning all about circuits.
2. ThinkFun Gravity Maze Marble Run
This is an excellent choice for elementary to middle school students who enjoy puzzles and logic games. It combines a marble run with a logic puzzle, requiring kids to use problem-solving skills to navigate through various challenges. With 60 challenges to test your skills, this fun maze game is definitely a marble run for brainiacs!
3. National Geographic Dual LED Microscope
Perfect for middle and high school students, this microscope provides multiple magnification levels and comes with a variety of tools, including prepared slides and a petri dish. It's ideal for kids interested in biology and offers a more advanced yet user-friendly introduction to microscopy and scientific exploration.
If you need even more ideas, check out our STEM gift guide for kids of all ages.
Join STEM Classes For Kids
Compared to global statistics, American kids have been falling behind the global averages in STEM education for quite some time. This is why it’s imperative that parents and educators get their kids thinking about STEM in fun ways as early as possible. For this reason, the above toys and clubs are best done in conjunction with online classes and tutoring opportunities. STEM industries are growing fast, with healthcare, technology, and biological sciences being the fastest growing areas for employment and higher earnings.
Create & Learn offers some of the best online STEM classes and camps designed by Google and Stanford experts for children in grades K-12 worldwide. Students learn using the same apps that the pros use every day. These expert-led classes are held in small groups of 5 students maximum, and your child can even earn a certificate. You're sure to find something they're passionate about with 45+ subjects available, including beginner-friendly Scratch coding (the most popular for students just getting started), Minecraft coding, and more complex Python coding, as well as Roblox coding. Find the perfect learning opportunity for your student!
Helpful STEM Resources For Parents And Teachers
There are so many resources online that it can often be hard to find good material, and it can be hard to choose something. Finding out what interests you or your kids is half the battle. We have made the rest simple with this great list of free at-home STEM learning resources and activities for you to do with them. For example, check out fun with magnets, a cool online data superpower event, or make a terrarium.
Enjoy STEM For Kids
We hope you have enjoyed reading about STEM for kids and that you can use this to make an informed decision for your child. Remember to follow their interests while encouraging them to have a growth mindset. The smartest kids need more to challenge their sense of curiosity and wonder, and these activities, clubs, and resources can help ensure a steady growth in STEM skills, whether your young child is struggling in science class or your teenager wants to develop skills to improve their chances of success in university. Most of all, we hope you remember that STEM can be fun! Up next, get started with a fun free coding classes for kids.
Written by Bryan Gordon, a Create & Learn instructor. After ten years of working as an English teacher, Bryan began studying Math and Computer Science over the past few years. Aside from writing and teaching, he likes cooking, gardening, playing guitar, and hanging out with his cats, Baguette and Wally.
