Children’s Simple STEM Project: 12 Activities to activate primary school students’ curiosity

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In today’s world, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (collectively referred to as STEM) are important cornerstones of modern society and profession. This makes it more important than ever to understand these topics from a very young age! Using children’s STEM programs as part of the course can be a great way to build basic STEM skills, encourage curiosity, build critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and be aligned with NGSS.

One of the best ways to learn (and develop a love for STEM) is through hands-on learning, allowing students to experience the design and innovation process on their own. We have completed a number of activities that can help you inspire your students’ enthusiasm for STEM and inspire them to become scientists, engineers and innovators!

1. Build and test boats

The boats come in all shapes and sizes, and students can only build them with a few supplies! They can then test their boats and see how long they will float. Water play is always popular with young kids and you can use anything from a large bathtub or sink to a water table or a creek for boat testing projects.

Small learners’ stem building ~ Boat
Kara’s Creative Playground
Level: K-1
Topic: Engineering, Geometry

The idea for this STEM project is perfect for young learners who are not familiar with traditional STEM projects or are not prepared. Their challenge was to build a ship that used only three color blocks for at least three seconds. The included prints become STEM diary once completed.

2. Design effective roller coaster

Exploring the ups and downs of STEM programs helps students to meet challenges. Depending on the materials available to you, students can use all the strength and motion knowledge to create simple or complex work rollers.

Roller Coaster Stem Challenge (end of STEM Event) – Summer
Brooke Brown – Box Outside Teaching
Level: K-5
Topic: Engineering
Standard: NGSS K-2-ETS1-1, 1-2, 1-3

This low PREP STEM activity is perfect for attracting your foundation engineers, especially at the end of the school year! Using their knowledge of skaters, and their previous knowledge of force and sports, students were asked to design a new roller coaster for the amusement park that could successfully extend marble from the top to the bottom without falling.

3. Create shelter in extreme weather conditions

Weather and climate are the core NGSS themes covered by K-5 grades. Make these topics relevant to real life by asking students to solve weather-related problems people face under extreme climates.

Weather stem activity severe weather and natural disaster stem science entertainment
Kerry Tracy teaches well
Results: Second to 8 years
Topic: Earth Science, Engineering
Standard: NGSS K2-ETS1-2, 1-3; MS-ETS1-2

Students can use the standards and constraint lists to work alone with partners or groups to create shelters to prevent different types of weather. This resource includes instructor tools, editable student handouts, and extended activities.

4. Design a method to filter water pollution

The budding environmentalists harness their creativity through the water filter stem project. This STEM program for elementary school students is best for older students who master basic pollution and filtration concepts but only require simple materials. This provides a great Earth Day event for elementary school students.

Water pollution water filter stem
By Spivey Sparks
Results: Third place
Topic: Earth Science, Engineering
Standard: CCSS W.3.2, W.3.7, W.4.2

This environmental program challenges students to create a water filter that uses grey water to save water resources. Students observe and collect data to write reports on findings. Level of text and writing tips can solve this jam-in packing set!

5. The Science Behind Discovery of the Freckled Spinner

Furious spinners may no longer be the rage in the classroom, but they may be useful in STEM projects! Challenge students to see these simple machines to discover how they work. This simple STEM project idea is perfect for alternative teachers as it is low prep and does not require advanced scientific knowledge.

Fidget Spinner STEM Challenge Activities and Science Experiments
By ERNOTEMETTION – Creative Teachers’ Technology
Results: Third place
Topics: Graphics, Measurements, Physics
Standard: CCSS 3.MD.B.3, 4.MD.A.2, 5.MD.A.1

Revealing the science of irritable spinners with this fascinating and low prep STEM project, the program allows students to practice using scientific methods, collect data, graphics, and more while having fun! This self-progressive irritating spinner activity is printed and performed, and each activity sheet guides students through the project.

6. Find a way to put down your eggs safely

The Egg Titration Challenge is a classic basic STEM project as they are easy to achieve and are exciting to look forward to! Students can work independently or in pairs to create the most successful egg drop containers. You can even give additional awards for something like “Most Creativity” or “Minimal Solution”.

Egg Drip Dry Activities – Year-end Stem Challenge Force and Sports
Meredith Anderson – Momgineer STEM Events
Results: No. 3 to No. 8
Topic: Engineering
Standard: NGSS 3-5-ETS1-1, 1-3

This classic STEM challenge is an excellent way to explore strength and motion, resistance and iterative design and testing. Resources include teacher notes, posters, graphic organizers and engineering reports to keep everything organized.

7. Learn to cook with solar energy

Life skills are STEM skills when you assign projects that use alternative cooking methods. Any project that ends with a sweet tooth will always be popular!

Build a sun oven | Stem & Science | Energy project hot lamp form
By Science Penguin
Results: 4-6 years old
Topic: Physics Science

Students will use their knowledge of thermal conductors and insulators to build solar ovens to cook S’mores. This exploration is a wonderful addition to your thermal unit.

8. Plan the original city

Many online games that children like involve role-playing and creating virtual worlds. Take advantage of this creativity by having students plan their own city. This type of activity is suitable for alternatives or morning work activities as it is largely self-guided.

Establish a mathematical center for city number identification
In a special place
Results: K-2nd
Topic: Basic Operations, Mathematics, Numbers
Standard: CCSS K.CC.B.4

This low prep center is easy to build and includes 30 different city pages. There are dice cities, digital cities, add cities, statistics cities and handheld cities to help students identify different numbers and count easily.

9. Climb the space rover to the moon

While you can’t bring classes in class to the moon, you can unlock their imagination to get close. Designing something that simulates the state of outer space can bring astronomy classes closer to home.

STEM Space Moon Crater Design Challenge (Engineering Design Process)
By vivid stems
Results: 4th to 9th
Topics: Astronomy, Engineering, Science
Standard: CCSS 6.GA1, A.2, A.3

Can your team of astronauts work together to land rovers in the middle of a crater on the moon? Students use the engineering process and explore the power of movement, placing the ball in a cup in the center of a 6-foot-diameter circle without entering the circle. This is a great project for your space exploration unit or to learn about the moon.

10. Introducing STEM with small challenges

If you have not planned a multi-step project, start with a small STEM challenge to help students with confidence in these concepts. You can challenge as a center or complete as a course.

What is a stem? (Steins introduction)
Happy days to first grade
Level: Prek-2nd
Topics: Engineering, Mathematics, Science

Just start with the stem? This is an ideal resource to help you introduce the concept and its importance to young learners. In addition to the information logo that attracts full group teaching, it comes with a student manual that can be reprinted and used throughout the year, as well as three design challenges with rhyme-themed design.

11. Tie Engineering Challenges in Reading Comprehension

Cross-curricular programs help students understand how different topics and skills relate to each other in real life. For example, find ways to work with other teachers to combine reading and engineering, or mathematics and art.

Read paragraphs and STEM challenges
By reading like a rock star
Results: 1st-2nd
Topic: Project, Reading

Reading comprehension and STEM challenges are combined in this fun and engaging resource. Students will read a short story and answer two comprehension questions about the text. After that, they will complete a mini STEM project related to the problems faced by the characters in the story.

12. Encourage students to solve real-world problems

As long as you can help students see the relevance of what they are learning, you will win! Problem solving is an important life skill that can be easily honed through STEM projects.

STEM and Social Change Project Template
By awakened teacher
Results: Any
Topic: Mathematics, Science

How do we make sure our students are the stem experts who are creating ways to change the world around us? This document is a six-step process that modifies the scientific process and makes students more creative in their thinking process.

Ignite creativity Children’s STEM program From TPT

You don’t have to wait for National STEM Day to merge these fun projects! The STEM program gives students the opportunity to experience concepts through hands-on learning, which you can include in any class, not just science, technology, and mathematics. Check out more basic STEM activities on TPT to see how STEM fits into your lesson plan.