It’s December, which means holidays, candy, Christmas music, and Christmas STEM challenge ideas!
I really love doing science experiments in December, because we have a long holiday break with the kids and it’s a super fun time to do festive STEM activities with them.
These STEM activities for December fit the bill perfectly!
If you need to cut back on the stress of the season, try these NGSS-aligned hands-on winter STEM activities for kids with your classroom or kiddos at home this year!
These experiments have themes including candy canes, slime, Santa, elves, and more!
STEM Activities for December that Will Make Science Class Festive
Even though these are mostly aimed at an elementary age group (1st through fifth grade), my middle schooler (8th grade!) still loves doing these STEAM activities.
So if you teach middle school, don’t be afraid to try these with your class, just adapting the science to be a bit more in depth!
Get the December STEAM Challenge Cards!
If you need help getting started with STEM at home, make sure you download our guide to teach STEM at home.
These free STEAM challenges have fun December themes that elementary kids will love using to harness STEM thinking skills while having fun with holiday themes like candy, tinsel, and Santa! That’s why we love these STEM activities for kids so much!
And best of all, most of these December STEM projects have a NGSS alignment, which means you can use them in the classroom!
You can also use these cards at home for homeschooling or just to give your kids some extra science fun when school is out or on the weekends!
December STEM Activities that Kids Will Love!
This collection of December STEAM activities are some of our favorites!
Some projects are easy to set up, most have an NGSS alignment, which teachers love, and the hands-on concepts are super fun for kids!
There’s a link to the instructions for some of these activities below, and you can download the December STEM challenges prompt cards, or the full challenge set which comes with printable instructions!
Low-Prep STEM Activities for December
Now let’s get into the December STEM activities! Find full instructions and worksheets for each of these STEM activities in the December STEM pack!
Make a Christmas Lava Lamp
Nothing says Christmas like a lava lamp!
We’ve made a bubbling Christmas light version before, but you can make a lava lamp in almost any container.
Make Your Own Snow Globe
Making snow globes are tons of fun and make a fun festive engineering activity.
Check out our Christmas snow globe, Pokemon snowglobe, and Fortnite snowglobe for inspiration.
Dissolve Candy Canes in Water
Dissolving candy canes in water is a classic Christmas science experiment that never gets old.
You can even dissolve candy canes in a mason jar!
Make a Christmas Density Jar
You can use Christmas and holiday themes to make a festive density jar.
Include several liquids with varying densities, like extracts, holiday drinks, and anything else you can think of to make it even more festive!
Create a Holiday Discovery Jar
You can put everything in your holiday discovery jar that reminds the kids of the holiday season.
Or, you can pick a science theme as the discovery jar base. It’s up to your imagination!
Complete a Color-by-Math Christmas Tree
I like color-by-math activities for older kids because it gives them inspriation to complete math while having fun with art, which is how I liked to do things as a kid.
If you are teaching younger kids, you can stick to the color by number Christmas tree version.
Build an Elf Zip Line
Engineering is a lot of fun when you make an elf zip line. You can keep it simple by using craft supplies, or make it more complicated with pulleys!
Design Your Own Wrapping Paper
Design is a big part of STEM projects, particualrly when they are meant to be used by everyday consumers.
Test your design skills with a wrapping paper design challenge!
More December Activity Ideas for Kids
10 Ridiculously Fun and Unbelievably Awesome STEM Gifts for Kids
100+ Low-Prep and Festive Christmas STEM Activities