Are you stuck at home? There is no need to panic or turn on the TV. If you want your kids to keep doing educational activities at home, it’s the perfect time to try STEM activities at home!
We have tons of resources for STEM activities for kids, but these are our favorite at home STEM projects.
Keep reading to learn a little more about STEM, how to do STEM at home, and our favorite at home STEM activities!
What is STEM?
As a parent, you may not be as familiar with STEM as a professional educator. You’ve heard that STEM is important, and there are probably several STEM schools in your district, but what does that mean?
STEM is an acronym for four interdisciplinary topics: science, technology, engineering, and math (and at STEAMsational, we add an A for arts).
STEM projects are fun hands-on learning tools that use one or more of the STEM disciplines (often 3 or more). STEM activities are meant to be open-ended and allow children to explore science and come to their own conclusions.
Since STEM education is largely open-ended, that makes it wonderfully easy for parents to incorporate at home. You don’t have to be a scientist or a professional teacher to bring STEM to your home.
How to Do STEM at Home
If you want to start doing at home STEM activities, awesome!
We love STEM at home and we have tons of resources for at home STEM projects.
Before you get started with your STEM projects, it’s helpful to know a bit about STEM and how to do STEM at home.
We have a whole series on STEM at home. View the complete guide on teaching STEM at home here.
At Home STEM Supplies for Younger Kids
If you have a younger kiddo, these STEM supplies will be helpful in completing STEM activities at home.
The Mason Jar Scientist: 30 Jarring STEAM-Based Projects
Creative Kids Flakes – 600 Piece Interlocking Plastic Disc Set for Fun, Creative Building – Educational STEM Construction Toy for Boys & Girls – Non Toxic, Ages 3+Straw Constructor STEM Building Toys 300 pcs-Colorful Interlocking Plastic Enginnering Toys- Fun- Educational- Safe for Kids- Develops Motor Skills-Construction Blocks- Best Gift for Boys and Girls …CoolToys Monkey Balance Cool Math Game for Girls & Boys | Fun, Educational Children’s Gift & Kids Toy STEM Learning Ages 3+ (65-Piece Set)Learning Resources Code & Go Robot Mouse, Coding STEM Toy, 31 Piece Coding Set, Ages 4+DK Workbooks: Science, Kindergarten: Learn and ExploreTinkerActive Workbooks: Kindergarten ScienceScientific Explorer My First Mind Blowing Science Kids Science Experiment KitLearn & Climb Science Kit for Kids – 21 Experiments Science Set, Hours of Fun.UNGLINGA Kids Science Experiment Kit with Lab Coat Scientist Costume Dress Up and Role Play Toys Gift for Boys Girls Kids Age 5 – 11 Christmas Birthday PartyLearn & Climb Kids Science Kit – Over 60 Experiments, Fun with Science!4M 5557 Crystal Growing Science Experimental Kit – Easy DIY STEM Toys Lab Experiment Specimens, A Great Educational Gift for Kids & Teens, Boys & GirlsDiscovery Extreme Chemistry Stem Science Kit by Horizon Group Usa, 40 Fun Experiments, Make Your Own Crystals, DIY Glowing Slime, Fizzy Eruptions, Gooey Worms & MoreCrayola Color Chemistry Set For Kids, Gift for Age 7+
STEM Supplies for Older Kids
Older kids will love these STEM supplies to support their STEM activities at home.
Learn & Climb Kids Science Kit – Over 60 Experiments, Fun with Science!Scientific Explorer Scientific Explorer Magic Science for Wizards Only Kids Science KitCIRO solar robot kit 12 in 1 educational STEM learning science building toys for kids age 8-12Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Electronics Exploration Kit, Kids Building Projects Kits, Stem Engineering Toys for Kids 8+Soap & Bath Bomb Making Kit for Kids – 3-in-1 Spa Science Kits For Kids : Complete Soap Making Kit & Make Your Own Bath Bombs, Soap & Bath Scrubs : Kids Science Kit For Kids – Gift for Girls and BoysScientific Explorer Disgusting Science KitLearn & Climb Erupting Volcano Science Kit for Kids- 15 Experiments!Klutz Lego Chain Reactions Science & Building Kit, Age 84M 4605 Water Rocket Kit – DIY Science Space Stem Toys Gift for Kids & Teens, Boys & GirlsGiggleway Electric Motor Robotic Science Kits, DIY STEM Toys for kids, Building Science Experiment Kits for Boys and Girls-Doodling, Balance Car, Reptile Robot (3 kits)2Pepers Electric Motor Robotic Science Kits for Kids (4-in-1), DIY STEM Toys Kids Science Experiment Kits, Building Educational Robotics Kit for Boys and Girls,Circuit Engineering Science Project KitsLearn & Climb Science Kit for Kids – Set Includes Over 65 Science Experiments + Scientist Name tag!Dino Soap Making Kit for Kids – Dinosaur Science Kit for Kids : Great Gift for Girls and BoysLight-up Crystal Growing Science Experiments Kit for Kids – Grow Your Own Crystals and Make Them Glow : Best Gifts for Kids, Boys & Girls – STEM Toys – Crystal Making Science Kits – (Red White Blue)Thames & Kosmos Simple Machines Science Experiment & Model Building Kit, Introduction to Mechanical Physics, Build 26 Models to Investigate The 6 Classic Simple MachinesThe Mason Jar Scientist: 30 Jarring STEAM-Based Projects
The Complete List of At Home STEM Challenges
Kids will have a blast with these STEM activities at home. The activities are divided by age, so you can find age-appropriate activities for your kids. But remember, even the “younger” activities are often fun for older kids!
STEM Activities for Toddlers at Home
Toddlers are so much fun. They are curious about the world and are just starting to make sense of things. STEM activities for toddlers involve a lot of sensory exploration as well as naming basic things, like “this is a cow!”
It doesn’t sound like that’s part of STEM education, but it is! Answering a toddlers questions and giving them sensory things to explore are all the STEM education they need to start exploring and having fun with science from a young age. Here are some toddler STEM activities to try at home.
Fizzing rainbow chemical reactions
If you need more ideas, check out our complete list of STEM activities for toddlers.
STEM Activities for Preschoolers at Home
Preschool STEM is a lot like toddler STEM, but now kids are a bit less likely to try to eat their science projects (and they can eat this bacteria!). Preschoolers will have a lot of fun exploring the world with these STEM activities:
If you need more ideas, check out our list of preschool STEM activities.
At Home STEM Activities for Kindergarten
I just love doing STEM activities with kindergarten kids. They love just about everything, and everything is so amazing to them. You’ll have a lot of fun doing STEM activities that have a big wow factor. Try these to get started:
Try these counting bear word math problems
If you want even more ideas, check out this list of over 20 kindergarten STEM activity ideas!
STEM Activities for 1st Graders at Home
In first grade, kids are starting to make connections beyond simple cause and effect. First graders love patterns and learning about cycles. Bring those instincts to life with these 1st grade STEM activities!
First graders will also like these fairy tale STEM activities!
STEM Projects for 2nd Graders at Home
In second grade, kids are starting to be able to complete STEM activities on their own. Your second graders will have a lot of fun with these STEM projects:
Make secret message coding bracelets
2nd graders love colorful science! Check out this list of science experiments with food coloring.
At Home STEM Challenges for 3rd Graders
If you have a third grader in the house, try these fun STEM challenges!
Do the hand washing experiment
3rd graders will love this list of easy elementary STEM activities.
STEM Projects for 4th Graders at Home
Make airplanes from craft sticks!
Test the strength of spaghetti
Build a unicorn drawing machine
4th graders will love these candy STEM activities.
STEM Experiments for 5th Graders at Home
Try Fortnite STEAM
Fifth graders have an almost insatiable appetite for the things they love. If STEM is what your fifth grader loves, then check out the full list of 5th grade STEM activities here.
At Home STEM Activities for Middle Schoolers
Middle schoolers still want to have fun with STEM, too! They will have a lot of fun doing these at home STEM activities.
If you need even more STEM ideas for middle school, look into these coding apps for kids.