Engaging STEM Activities For Kids
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) activities are designed to promote an important set of skills that our kids need to learn in this fast-paced world.
All these activities are fun and engaging. At the same time, these activities ignite interest and motivate kids to ask questions, try new things and solve problems.
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What Are STEM Activities ?
Science: Melt ice, Watch the life cycle of a butterfly. Make fertiliser using food scraps; watch how seeds turn into plants; Learning about chemical reactions in everyday life using baking soda, lemon, rising agents, etc, Build a model water mill.
Technology: demonstrating how to turn on, turn off and charge the electric equipment we use every day; coding games;
Engineering: building towers, bridges, building supports for climbing plants in the garden, and building a model wind mill
Mathematics: lemonade stand, snake and ladder, Measurement using spoons and cups, Using a scale to measure the weight of fruits and toys.
STEM Activities For Kids
plant development
Plant-growing is a great way to introduce science and herbal science to your child. Start with easy-to-grow plants such as beans or sunflower seeds.
Let your child sow seeds, water, and observe their growth over time.
This helps your child understand the life cycle of plants and the importance of care and perseverance.
How to support?
- Discuss how to prepare the soil.
- How to measure the same gap between two plants (using handspace or steps)
- How much water is needed for seedlings?
- Why is sunshine a must-have for most plants?
- Making a compost bin in the yard
- talking about how food scraps turn into fertiliser over time.
Baking Soda Volcano
It’s a great way to show how a chemical reaction works while simulating the effects of volcanic eruptions.
With just a few basic ingredients, kids can make their very own mini volcano using only a few simple household items. All they need is some baking soda, some vinegar, some dish soap and some food colouring, and they’re ready to go!
This hands-on experiment not only allows kids to witness a chemical reaction but also encourages their creativity and imagination.
Kids Online Activities
There are many educational apps designed for young children. These apps cover a wide range of topics, from early mathematics and science to early language skills.
Try these free activities with your child! Educational activities for kids
Basic Robotics Kits
There are robotics kits designed to help kids learn the fundamentals of mechanical technology hands-on.
They often go hand-in-hand with building blocks and simple programmable interactions. Kids can build robots and learn how to program them with coding.
By doing these activities, children develop computer-aided learning and critical thinking skills that will serve them well in the future.
Constructing Bridges
Using basic building supplies such as sticks, paper and tape, building a bridge can be challenging.
Children can experiment with different bridge shapes using sticks to see which one is simpler.
They will learn about balance and weight when designing.
Building Towers
Tall structures are a great way to challenge kids to think about stability and level. Constructed from wood, LEGO, or household materials.
This is an amazing way to show kids how to design and engineer.
Simple Machines
Switches, pulleys, slanted planes, and other simple machines are the foundation of more complex hardware.
Children can learn about these fundamental machines by making their small shapes with cardboard, string, or small objects.
This engaging activity illustrates how simple machines make simple tasks easier.
Board Games
Mathematics-based board games such as Snakes & Ladders and Checkers provide an exciting way for children to learn about numbers.
These games involve key thinking skills and can develop a child’s ability to calculate moves and predict outcomes.
Children can begin by learning to count, add and recognise numbers.
Puzzles
Jigsaw puzzles and number puzzles challenge children’s critical thinking and reasoning skills.
Puzzle solving is a great way to enhance number-related skills, as it involves design recognition and spatial awareness.
MATH ACTIVITIES
Use common situations to illustrate numerical concepts. When cooking together, allow your child to measure the ingredients and determine cooking times.
When shopping for groceries, incorporate them into planning and setting limits. Real number-related interactions make math relevant and practical.
Read more about math activities for kids
More examples:
- Read labels together. Let them compare prices and determine what’s cheaper and what’s more expensive.
- When baking, encourage them to measure the ingredients.
- Encourage them to do a lemonade stand and collect money for a charity.
- Give them coins and let them buy something without your help.
Benefits of STEM Activities for Kids
Promote problem solving
STEM activities for kids promote their ability to use their cognitive faculties, take decisions and solve problems that arise.
They improve their logical thinking and ability to assess a problem.
Inspire creativity
STEM activities like building and designing give a lot of opportunities for children to use their creativity.
Making a bridge, a construction site on sand, a mud castle or simple craft activities also inspire children’s creativity to express themselves.
Encourage curiosity and life-long learning
Simple science experiments, activities that portray cause and effect and other concepts we see in daily life are going to inspire a whole new level of curiosity to learn more.
Ex: melting ice, water evaporation, the life cycle of a butterfly, the growth of a plant, etc.
These activities may encourage children to explore more STEM activities that are intriguing and exciting.
Improve social skills
STEM activities often require more than one child. That means a lot of conversation, sharing, turn-taking, and more fun will be there.
Improves self-confidence
When they take decisions, plan, collaborate, design, build and be creative the final outcome makes the child confident and proud of themselves.
Tips For Supporting STEM Activities
Create a Safe and Child-Friendly Environment
STEM activities for kids should always be safe. Your child’s well-being should always be your top priority.
Ensure that the area is child-proof. This means removing potential hazards, ensuring that synthetic compounds or small parts are far away, and providing appropriate supervision.
Be Ready to Guide and Support
Make sure you are there for them. Your input and support can make a huge difference in how well your child connects with these activities.
Show your child that you are excited and ready to move up to the next level.
CELEBRATE!
Encourage your child’s efforts and successes, even if they’re small.
Embrace Errors
Encourage your child to see mistakes as opportunities for growth.
In STEM, mistakes are part of the natural cycle.
Know What They Prefer
Focus on your child’s strengths and interests.
Coordinate STEM activities to align with what motivates them most, whether that’s structure, testing or problem-solving.
Conclusion
STEM activities are essential in early childhood education to prepare children to face higher levels of thinking and creation.
There are so many exciting and fun activities to choose from and I am sure your little one will have a great time learning new concepts through play.
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