creative approaches to STEM topics

Discover innovative ways to teach science, technology, engineering and math basics through creative activities. Check back often as our selection is always growing.

This activity gives children an opportunity to practice counting and critical fine motor skills.

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This activity gives children an opportunity to learn about an animal they have or would like to have in their lives.

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Help children recognize that animals, as well as people, need protection from the sun.

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This activity supports engineering thinking along with comprehension skills.

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Weight can affect how far a ball can be pushed by another ball.

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A fun way to point out differences in matter and weight.

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This activity gives the children the opportunity to see how ice floats.

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Learn what sorts of materials and structures are effective at producing echoes.

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What happens to sand when you add water.

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This activity helps children practice the order of numerals 0–9.

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This activity uses children’s families to aid and encourage practice with counting.

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This activity helps children see the difference between two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes.

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This activity is a creative way to demonstrate that secondary colors are made from primary colors!

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This activity is a simple beginning to the discussion of which materials can be recycled and which cannot.

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Understanding that things can be measured is an important part of early childhood.

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Shadows are an interesting phenomenon that may be a little confusing to small children.

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Get kids thinking, creating and moving! This activity is perfect for the kids to practice both engineering and motor skills.

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Unlock the abstract mind of young children!

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Is it magic or science?

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This experiment is a colorful way to demonstrate some of the differences between oil and water.

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Because many parents use digital apps for navigation, many children may not be familiar with traditional maps.

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Children can better understand classroom directions, guidelines or commitments by getting physically involved with the procedures.

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On many occasions it is thought that the only way to measure a child’s listening comprehension is through asking questions.

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Learning shapes is one of the most critical fundamentals of early childhood education.

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Shape recognition is an important part of elementary mathematical skill-building for young children.

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One-to-one correspondence and counting are incredibly vital in early childhood education.

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Teaching kids about science can be fun! It is great to bring excitement into more serious subjects.

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Children like to be involved in things that adults do, especially cooking and baking.

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Teaching children letters and shapes is fun with this slithery activity!

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When you are working with little kids and paint, cleanup stations are a must.

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Take a scientific approach to a childhood favorite: bubbles!

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Understanding spatial relationships and position words are two critical foundations to early childhood education.

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Dive into measurement and help children develop an understanding of depth perception.

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This experiment is a colorful way to demonstrate some of the differences between oil and water.

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Make spaghetti do tricks with this fun and fizzy experiment!

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Classification and sorting are important skills to develop for math, science and language arts.

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Introduce children to a novel way of construction play! Marshmallows and straws can be surprisingly effective at making interesting and elaborate constructions.

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This activity is a fun, artistic twist on the classic homemade volcano science activity.

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For young children, it can be hard to understand that the sounds we hear are made from vibrations.

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Young children are fascinated with how the human body works, and listening to a heartbeat is particularly intriguing.

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Children will love the unique sensory feel of this activity—plus, they'll be learning valuable science skills!

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Learning shapes is one of the most critical fundamentals of early childhood education.

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This simple activity is sure to spark an interest in science for little ones!

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Children will go fast and far as they explore ramps, how they work and how they can affect an object's speed.

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Explore the process of creating machines that do…nothing!

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Teach children STEM terms as they complete their own projects!

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Show and tell is an age-old activity that happens in many classrooms.

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Measuring lengths of items is always a fun learning experience for little ones.

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Construction projects are a great way to reinforce engineering skills and vocabulary, and constructing a maze adds an added component of creative thinking!

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Classification and sorting can take on a more personal meaning when children use items they've created themselves.

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Pete the Cat may be losing his buttons, but his story provides a great chance to practice sorting skills!

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Build motor skills and numeral recognition with this simple educational activity.

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Since puzzles can be expensive, this activity is an affordable way to create your own!

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Whether you live in a climate where is snows or not, children are intrigued by snow people.

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A truly tasty science activity!

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Recreate numbers, shapes and more with modeling materials!

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Use the power of magnets to create unique artworks!

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Use children's own artworks to help them learn spatial terms!

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Create craft stick rafts and then test them. Will yours sink or float?

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This insect lifecycle activity gets two colorful thumbs up!

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Enjoy finger painting without the mess!

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Free Stem Activity Guides for Kids

Our free STEM activity guides at Discount School Supply are helping classroom teachers and parents at home create fun STEM assignments and make free STEM kits from free or inexpensive items.

Remember Show and Tell? We have free STEM Show and Tell activities specially designed to help even youngest children learn the fundamentals of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

We have fun STEM display ideas for classrooms and today’s socially distanced hybrid and distance learning settings at home. Learn how kids can “engineer” vocabulary-building activities using simple objects.

Developing Cognitive Thinking

Our free STEM learning projects include how kids can develop cognitive brain connections using inexpensive modeling clay to learn about shapes while counting their finds. Studying and tasting ordinary apples can help children engage in science experiments with our free science learning ideas.

Help even youngest children learn about spatial relationships. Engage the family in making puzzles at home or in the classroom from castoff place mats. Our activities for ages 2 and older help children learn how the science behind magnets can help them create art.

STEM Learning Benefits

A National Science Foundation-funded study reports that Early STEM learning can set the stage for later success in school. Hands-on group activities can help children improve socio-emotional skills when they work together. Recycling used items for STEM experiments introduces children to the basics of environmental stewardship on a planet with finite natural resources.

Also shop our collections of discount-priced Early STEM and STEM learning supplies for teachers and parents. We have hundreds of age-appropriate STEM teaching curriculum supplies for infancy through teen years. Save money when you buy our value-priced STEM learning supplies bundles. Enjoy free or flat-rate shipping on qualifying purchases.