Easy STEM Projects for Kids: 12 Activities to Activate Elementary Students’ Curiosity

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In today’s world, science, technology, engineering, and math — collectively known as STEM — are important cornerstones of modern-day society and careers. This makes learning about these subjects from an early age more important than ever! Using STEM projects for kids as part of your lessons can be a fantastic way to build foundational STEM skills, encourage curiosity, build critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and align with NGSS. 

One of the best ways to learn about (and foster a love of) STEM is through hands-on learning that lets students experience the design and innovation processes for themselves. We’ve rounded up some activities that can help spark your students’ passion for STEM and inspire them to become scientists, engineers, and innovators!

1. Build and test small boats 

Boats come in all shapes and sizes, and students can build them with only a few supplies! Then, they can test their boats to see how long they’ll float. Water play is always a hit with younger kids, and you can use anything from a large tub or sink to a water table or small creek for boat-testing projects. 

STEM Building for Little Learners ~ Boats
By Cara’s Creative Playground
Grades: K-1st
Subjects: Engineering, Geometry

This STEM project idea is perfect for young learners who are either not familiar with or not ready for a traditional STEM project. Their challenge is to build a boat that floats for at least three seconds, using only three colors of blocks. The included printables turn into a STEM journal once completed. 

2. Design a roller coaster that works

Exploring the ups and downs of a STEM project helps students work through challenges. Depending on the materials you have available, students can create simple or complex working roller coasters by using all their knowledge of force and motion. 

Roller Coaster STEM Challenge (End of the Year STEM Activity) – Summer
By Brooke Brown – Teach Outside the Box
Grades: K-5th
Subjects: Engineering
Standards: NGSS K-2-ETS1-1, 1-2, 1-3

This low-prep STEM activity is perfect to engage your elementary engineers, particularly at the end of the school year! Using what they know about roller coaters, and what they’ve previously learned about force and motion, students are asked to design a new roller coaster for an amusement park that can successfully carry a marble from the top to the bottom without falling off.

3. Create a shelter against extreme weather conditions

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

Weather STEM Activity Severe Weather & Natural Disasters STEM Earth Science Fun 
By Kerry Tracy Feel-Good Teaching
Grades: 2nd-8th
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Engineering
Standards: NGSS K2-ETS1-2, 1-3; MS-ETS1-2

Students can work individually, with partners, or in small groups, using a list of criteria and constraints to create a shelter to defend against different types of weather. This resource includes teacher tools, editable student handouts, and extension activities. 

4. Devise a method to filter out water pollution

Budding environmentalists tap into their ingenuity with a water filtration STEM project. This STEM project for elementary students is best for older students who have a grasp on basic pollution and filtration concepts, but only simple materials are needed. This makes a great Earth Day activity for elementary students. 

Water Pollution Water Filter STEM
By Spivey Sparks
Grades: 3rd-5th
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Engineering
Standards: CCSS W.3.2, W.3.7, W.4.2

This environmental project challenges students to create a water filter to use with gray water to conserve water resources. Students observe and collect data to write a report on findings. Leveled texts and writing prompts round out this jammed packed set!

5. Discover the science behind fidget spinners

Fidget spinners may not be all the rage in classrooms anymore, but they can be useful in STEM projects! Challenge students to look at these simple machines to discover how they work. This easy STEM project idea is perfect for substitute teachers because it’s low-prep and doesn’t require advanced science knowledge. 

Fidget Spinner STEM Challenge Activities and Science Experiment
By Erintegration – Technology for Creative Teachers
Grades: 3rd-6th
Subjects: Graphing, Measurement, Physics
Standards: CCSS 3.MD.B.3, 4.MD.A.2, 5.MD.A.1

Unveil the science of fidget spinners with this engaging and low-prep STEM project, which gives students practice using the scientific method, collecting data, graphing, and more — all while having fun! This self-paced fidget spinner activity is print-and-go, and each activity sheet guides students through the project.

6. Find a way to safely drop an egg

Egg-drop challenges are a classic elementary STEM project because they’re easy to implement and the anticipation is exciting! Students can work independently or in pairs to create the most successful egg drop container. You can even give out extra awards for things like “most creative” or “smallest solution.” 

Egg Drop STEM Activity – End of Year STEM Challenge Force and Motion 
By Meredith Anderson – Momgineer STEM Activities
Grades: 3rd-8th
Subjects: Engineering
Standards: NGSS 3-5-ETS1-1, 1-3

This classic STEM challenge is an excellent way to explore force and motion, drag, and iterative design and testing. The resource includes teacher notes, posters, graphic organizers, and engineering reports to keep everything organized.

7. Learn to cook with solar energy

Life skills meet STEM skills when you assign a project that uses alternative cooking methods. And any project that ends with a sweet snack will always be a hit! 

Build a Solar Oven | STEM & Science | Forms of Energy Project Thermal Light
By the Science Penguin
Grades: 4th-6th
Subjects: Physical Science

Students will use their knowledge of thermal conductors and insulators to construct a solar oven to cook s’mores. This exploration is a wonderful addition to your thermal energy unit.

8. Plan an original city

Many online games that kids love involve role playing and creating virtual worlds. Tap into that kind of creativity by letting students plan their own cities. This type of activity works well for substitutes or as a morning work activity because it’s largely self-directed. 

Build a City Number Recognition Math Center 
By A Special Place
Grades: K-2nd
Subjects: Basic Operations, Math, Numbers
Standards: CCSS K.CC.B.4

This low-prep center is easy to build with the included 30 different city pages. There are dice cities, number cities, addition cities, tally cities, and hand-set cities for subitizing to help students recognize different sets of numbers and count with ease. 

9. Land a space rover on the moon

While you can’t take your class to the moon (yet!), you can unlock their imaginations to get close. Designing something that simulates what it’s like in outer space can bring astronomy lessons closer to home. 

STEM Space Moon Crater Design Challenge (Engineering Design Process) 
By Vivify STEM
Grades: 4th-9th
Subjects: Astronomy, Engineering, Science
Standards: CCSS 6.G.A.1, A.2, A.3

Can your team of astronauts work together to land a rover in the center of a crater on the moon? Students use the engineering design process and explore the forces of motion to place a ball in a cup at the center of a 6-foot-diameter circle without entering the circle. It’s a great project for your space exploration unit or for learning about the moon.

10. Introduce STEM with small challenges

If multi-step projects aren’t in the plans yet, start with small STEM challenges to help build students’ confidence in these concepts. You can set out challenges as centers or complete them as a class. 

What is STEM? (An Introduction to STEM) 
By Happy Days in First Grade
Grades: PreK-2nd
Subjects: Engineering, Math, Science

Just starting out with STEM? This is the perfect resource to help you introduce your young learners to the concept and its importance. In addition to engaging informational signs for whole-group instruction, it also comes with a student booklet that can be reprinted and used throughout the year, and three nursery rhyme-themed design challenges.

11. Tie engineering challenges into reading comprehension

Cross-curricular projects help students see how different topics and skills relate to each other in real life. Look for ways to team up with other teachers to combine reading and engineering, or math and art, for example. 

Reading Passages and STEM Challenges 
By Read Like a Rockstar
Grades: 1st-2nd
Subjects: Engineering, 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 a problem that a character faced in the story.

12. Encourage students to solve real-world problems

Any time you can help students see the relevance of what they’re learning, you’re winning! Problem-solving is an important life skill that can be honed through STEM projects easily. 

STEM and Social Change Project Template 
By The Woke STEM Teacher
Grades: Any
Subjects: Math, Science

How can we ensure that our students are STEM experts who are creating ways to change the world around them? This document is a six-step process for revamping the scientific process and enabling students to be more creative in their thought processes.

Ignite ingenuity with STEM projects for kids from TPT

You don’t have to wait for National STEM day to incorporate these fun projects! STEM projects give students the chance to experience concepts through hands-on learning, and you can include them in any class — not just science, tech, and math. Check out more elementary STEM activities on TPT to see how STEM can fit into your lesson plans.