If you have a kindergartener or a preschooler, they could ask you daily questions. Preschoolers tend to have a lot of curiosity about the world; thus, sometimes, you might wish to understand the bridge of engineering or the science of clouds to explain things. Even though children tend to have ravening interests in STEM topics, this enthusiasm might fade as they grow. And since STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) make a significant portion of today’s economy and technology, keeping the fire burning is a great idea. You need to introduce STEM activities to preschoolers as the ability to innovate and be technologically fluent is crucial in today’s age.
However, the main challenge comes in finding STEM-related projects that the average teacher or parent can facilitate. Fortunately, we have these simple STEM project ideas that can help reinforce crucial skills.
1- Cloud in a Jar
States of matter, water cycles, and condensation get detailed attention when you introduce this activity to preschoolers. In this activity, you will use several household ingredients like hairspray and water to showcase the formation of a cloud. Equip a jar with warm water, swirl the water around to warm the jar’s side, and place a lid with ice cubes on top. Leave the jar and the water for several minutes, and take away the lid. Spray the jar with hairspray and cover the jar, and observe the formation of clouds.
2- Build Structures
Constructing various structures using household items can help expand your child’s design skills and engineering. Challenge your preschoolers to construct a perfect fort using cushions, blankets, and pillows. You can also ask them to build a hand crank winch, as it is an ideal way of building an early sense of how engineers make awesome things using simple tools like pulleys.
3- Use 3D Glasses
Before a kindergartner can read, they learn by what they do or see. 3D glasses serve as educational tools that support student-centered learning and interaction. This allows kids to change digital designs into learning projects, developing their STEM skills. Since most realm like motion graphics, architectural design, and 3D printing uses 3D technology, you can use 3D glasses to prepare kids to be designers, engineers, and architects.
4- Build Houses and Structures with Jellybeans or Marshmallows
Use toothpicks, large marshmallows, or jellybeans to create structures. By connecting the jellybeans or marshmallows with toothpicks, challenge your child to find which shapes are interesting to look at and which shapes stack together properly. This will help them understand the technology, design, and thought behind structural engineering.
5- Construct a Balance Scale
This STEM activity entails using some cups, a string, and a plastic hanger. If you have an old child, encourage them to help their siblings create a hanging balance using these tools. After they finish constructing the balance, challenge them to determine the weight of various objects.
6- Magnetic Slime
Slime activities are ideal for educators and parents searching for a fun tactile activity. With this project, you will add a science splash with magnets and iron oxide powder. However, you might encounter challenges finding the right slime consistency, but you can resolve the problem by adding more liquid starch or glue. When the starch is ready, use a strong magnet to manipulate the slime. This is an ideal STEM activity as kids will have more questions about how the magnet works.
