15 Fun STEM Activities Your Young Scientist Will Love

Our kids went to a STEM-certified public elementary school. We didn’t plan on it, but that’s just how the zoning went. And in those early years, not only did I learn that STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. but I also discovered about 3,879 other ways to use pool noodles besides in the pool. (See #13 for just one of them!)

Young kids retain knowledge better with hands-on activities that encourage them to think critically and solve problems. It’s just a small peek at why all kids—not just those who gravitate toward science—enjoy STEM. But all that learning isn’t limited to school hours! Your whole family will love doing these. So, pick one of these 15 fun STEM activities for kids to turn your home into a learning lab. (No special degree or gear required!) 

Kitchen Science: STEM Activities for Kids Using Kitchen Items

1. Seed You Later – Some STEM activities for kids take place over time. This is one of those! Plant a seed from your family’s favorite fruit or use whatever dried beans you keep in your pantry. Lima and pinto beans work great! Let your child clean the seed, plant it in the soil, and place it in a sunny spot with regular watering. As the seed grows, your child will learn about plant life cycles, germination, and growth requirements.

2. Raisin the Bar on Dancing – Pour carbonated water into a clear glass and add a few raisins. When the raisins start jiggling around, your child will see firsthand how gases affect object movement. 

3. Celery-brate Science (Food Dye Capillary Action) – Place celery stalks in glasses of differently colored water and observe over 24 hours. Your child will see how plants transport water and nutrients. You can also do this with white carnations! 

4. Shake Up Your Ice Cream Game – Turn cream into delicious ice cream using two ziplock bags and your kid’s muscle power. Fill a small ziplock bag with 1/2 cup cream, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, then seal tightly. Place the small bag inside a larger bag filled with ice and 1/2 cup salt, then shake for about five minutes until the mixture firms up. Be sure to let your kid know that the salt lowers the freezing point of ice, which causes the cream to freeze faster.

5. Crystal Clear Fun – Create sparkling geometric crystals by suspending pipe cleaners in salt solution. Mix 1 cup salt with 3 cups hot water, stir until dissolved, then hang a shaped pipe cleaner from a pencil into the liquid. Over several days, watch as crystals grow and transform the simple pipe cleaner into a glittering creation. Your child will love checking the daily progress and learning about supersaturated solutions and crystal formation.

6. Rainbow Milk Art – Transform a plate of milk into a swirling rainbow using 1/2 cup whole milk, four different food coloring drops, dish soap, and a cotton swab. Pour the milk into a shallow plate and add single drops of each color near the center. Dip the cotton swab in dish soap and gently touch it to the colors. Your child will be fascinated by the instant reaction, even if he doesn’t realize he’s watching science in action with molecules and surface tension at play. 

Building Science: Engineering Challenges

7. Marshmallow Engineering – Create a sturdy bridge using 30 toothpicks and 20 mini marshmallows as building materials. Connect the marshmallows using toothpicks to form triangles. (They’re the strongest shape!) Then, test your bridge’s strength by adding pennies one at a time to a paper cup in the middle. Your young engineer will be learning how shapes and structures distribute weight.

8. Create a Catapult – Build a mini launching machine with seven popsicle sticks, three rubber bands, and a plastic spoon. Stack five sticks together and bind them with rubber bands at each end, then attach two more sticks to create a launching arm. Use the spoon as your launcher and test different objects like mini marshmallows or pompoms. When he flings items around the room, your kid will experience how stored energy converts to motion. You can also try this version with a step-by-step video.

9. Marble Madness Roller Coaster – Invite your child to transform a cardboard box into a marble track using scissors, tape, and her imagination. If needed, help your child to cut two-inch wide strips of cardboard. Then show her how to fold up the edges to create guards and then tape them together to form tracks with dips, curves, and even loops. Start the marble at the top and watch it zoom through the creation! This version of an amusement park ride helps kids see how energy changes from potential to kinetic as the marble rolls.

Motion & Movement: Air & Energy Experiments

10. Paper Airplane Challenge – Create and test different paper airplane designs to see which flies the farthest, straightest, or nosedives the fastest. (Mayday! Mayday!) Try various paper weights to see if it matters as your child explores aerodynamics. By the way, this makes a great brain break in the middle of a tough homework assignment!

11. Glide and Seek – Create gliders using a plastic straw, two strips of paper (3″ x 5″ for wings, 2″ x 3″ for tail), and tape. Fold one strip into a wing shape, tape it to the middle of your straw, then attach the smaller strip as a tail near the back. Your child can test different wing positions and shapes until his glider swoops smoothly across the room. 

12. Balloon-Powered Car – Some STEM activities for kids are easier to explain in a video. This is one of those! Don’t drive past this favorite idea. It’s worth putting on the brakes!

13. Roll With It: Marble Train Physics – Using pool noodles cut in half lengthwise, create inclined “tracks” with different slopes. Give your child marbles to roll on the tracks to explore gravity’s effect on acceleration.

The Science of Sound

14. Can You Hear Me Now? DIY String Phone – Yep. STEM activities for kids still include ideas you (and your parents!) tried, too. This old-school communication device uses cups and string to study sound wave transmission. Punch holes in the bottoms of two paper cups and thread string through to connect them.   

15. Rockin’ Science Homemade Instruments – Create simple instruments using household items to explore sound production, pitch, and vibration. Fill glass bottles with different water levels, stretch rubber bands of varying tensions over a box, or fill a water bottle with rice or beans.  

Bonus: Use AI to come up with other STEM activities for kids.

What STEM activities for kids would you add to the list?