11 STEM activities for kids

Something magical happens when you take something routine and look at it in a new way.

For instance: toothpicks.

You can see them merely as tools to get popcorn kernels and steak out of your chompers, or, you can view them as building blocks for a house. Or as the pieces of a math equation (you can use toothpicks to write out I + II = III).

Here’s why this matters:

Four of the most important subjects children need to learn in their youth are science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). We’re not saying they need to decide by age 12 if they’re going to become a mechanical engineer or mathematician…

What we are saying is that a basic understanding of the STEM subjects will give children confidence to engage with the world and solve interesting problems.

That said, how exactly do you teach your little ones topics that even the average adult struggles with?

Here are 11 activities you can share with your children at each stage of childhood to help them learn science, technology, engineering and math:

(NOTE: Sawyer offers several online STEM classes for your children, too. Browse them here. You can also check out our list of online coding classes for kids here).

STEM activities for 0-3 year olds

1. Match colors

Go to your local dollar store (these stores are a great resource for STEM activity items) to pick up cups and small toys that match the primary colors (red, yellow, blue). It’s best if the toys are all the same — small dinosaurs, miniature bears, little toy soldiers.

Also pick up a small white foam dice and color the sides of it to match the primary colors.

With your child, roll the dice. Whatever color it lands on, put a toy of that color into the matching cup to teach them matching.

2. Dancing

Luckily, 0-3 year olds haven’t contracted wallflower syndrome yet, so getting them to dance should be much easier than it is with teenagers.

Planning dancing time into your child’s day helps them feel outgoing and learn to count the beats to a song.

STEM activities for 4-7 year olds

3. Go shape hunting

Especially during warmer months, grab some pales and go hunting for fun shapes in the neighborhood. Rocks, seashells, wood, large structures, buildings, mountains and more make for great scavenger hunts. Challenge them to find as many objects that resemble a certain shape as possible.

4. Water beads

Pick up some water beads and a funnel from your local dollar store and mesmerize your children for hours. When the water beads grow to size, your children will learn to funnel large amounts of water beads into small openings.

5. Mix paint colors

Science! What happens when blue and red mix? Or red and yellow? Explore the transformation of colors with your little ones.

STEM activities for 8-11 year olds

6. Make a volcano!

All you need is a paper mache, clay or dirt volcano (outside or indoors with an easy clean setup). Drop in two spoonfuls of baking soda, a spoonful of dish soap, and a couple drops of food coloring. Finally, brace yourself, add an ounce of vinegar. Ta-da! A flowing (and safe) volcano.

7. Build Legos without instructions

Challenge your children to create the best invention they can think of without instructions. Whether a bridge or a building or a discombobulator version 3.0 (we’re using our imaginations here, remember). Don’t forget to check out all of the benefits of legos!

8. Mix cornstarch and water

This one is almost magical for adults, too. When you rub together a small bit of cornstarch and water in your hand the consistency changes to feel like putty. But as soon as you stop rubbing, it goes back to a more liquid state.

STEM activities for 11+ year olds

9. Follow Jack Sparrow

In 2006, a 6th grader in Utah did a science fair project seeking to understand how Captain Jack Sparrow was able to breath under a boat underwater in Pirates of the Caribbean:

Keep in mind: this child did not copy what Sparrow does. He merely put a cup upside down into water to show that the air goes down into the water with the cup. Give it a try with your children.

10. The egg drop

Provide your children with popsicle sticks, paper, tape, glue, rubber bands, cardboard, straws and an egg. Challenge them to shield their egg so that it won’t break when dropped off a tall ladder. They will love this activity (but beware of cracked eggs…).

11. Money math

Now’s a good time to start learning to count finances! You can pick up plenty of fake money from the ol’ dollar store and create a “budget.” Help them visualize what they want in their future and see what it actually takes to get there.