STEAM Activities for Kindergarten
One of my students’ absolute favorite things is working on STEAM challenges, and guess what? They’re becoming one of my favorite teaching tools, too! Could it be? A learning setup that I LOVE just as much as they do?!
Adding STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) activities to your kindergarten lesson plans is the perfect way to bring creativity and meaningful learning into your classroom.
This year, I wanted to take things up a notch and inspire my students to truly embrace the idea of being “makers.” To kick things off, I introduced the concept with the picture book Be a Maker by Katey Howes. It’s such a beautifully written and illustrated story that sparks the question: “What will you make today?” After reading it, we had a great discussion about what it means to be a maker. Together, we brainstormed words like thinker, builder, problem-solver, fixer, and creator.
Throughout the year, we’ve also explored STEAM through other stories—both traditional and modern—giving us opportunities to discuss characters, their challenges, and how we could solve similar problems through hands-on projects.
If you’re thinking about bringing more STEAM into your classroom, here are some of the projects my students and I have loved so far...
Project #1: Build a Bridge
This fall, we visited a farm, and my students made an immediate connection between the wooden bridge at the farm and The Three Billy Goats Gruff. I used that excitement to launch our first engineering project: designing and building bridges.
The Story: The Three Billy Goats Gruff
The Problem: How can the goats cross the river safely?
The Challenge: Build a bridge strong enough to hold a toy goat.
Materials: Recycled cardboard, paper cups, popsicle sticks, rulers, pipe cleaners, and tape.
Project #2: Build a House
The Story: The Three Little Pigs
The Problem: What materials should the pigs use for sturdy houses?
The Challenge: Build a house strong enough to withstand the wolf’s huffing and puffing (a.k.a. a hairdryer test!).
Materials: Cardboard, paper cups, popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, straws, tape, clay, and Legos.
This challenge brought big laughs and big learning for sure. My students kept saying "let's make our houses wolf-proof!"
Project #3: Build a Boat
The story: The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza.
The Problem: How can the hen deliver her pizza across a pond safely?
The challenge: Build a boat that floats and can carry small toy animals.
Materials: Aluminum foil, plastic lids, corks, popsicle sticks, rubber bands, tape, and yarn.
My students loved testing their boats to see which design floated best! Also, reading and comparing two versions of The Little Red Hen added another layer of interest to this project.
Project #4: Build a Tree
The story: This project was inspired by Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, which is one of my students' favorite stories.
The Problem: What's the most letters that your tree would hold?
The challenge: Create a tree that holds as many letters as possible before toppling over.
Materials: Construction paper, pipe cleaners, modeling clay, popsicle sticks, tape, and letter beads.
This challenge had my students cheering for each other's trees as they loaded them up with letters!
Project #5: Build a Car
The story: For this project, we read some fiction and non-fiction stories about cars. We also talked about self-driving cars!
The Problem: How far can your car travel?
The challenge: Create a car that can move as far as possible.
Materials: Cardboard pieces, straws, rubber bands, bottle caps, tape, and construction paper.
Students loved sketching their designs and experimenting with how to make their cars move the furthest. We tested the distance in the hallway!
These projects have been a huge hit in my classroom. They provide incredible opportunities for students to think creatively, communicate their ideas, and to collaborate with one another. I hope you give them a try. I’m sure your students will love them just as much as mine do!
Happy teaching!
TP
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