Six fun STEM projects that will keep your kids curious and learning this summer and throughout the year.
Every kid looks forward to summer break and its promise of free time, fun with friends and family vacations. But kids also inevitably get bored at different points in the summer – as well as on holiday breaks and regular weekends – and feel like they’ve run out of things to do. As a parent, you can help limit these times of boredom by having activity ideas ready. The six suggestions we share here all involve STEM, or science, technology, engineering and math.
STEM activities stimulate your child’s curiosity, build critical thinking and problem-solving skills and can ultimately boost a child’s confidence and love for learning. And here’s the best part: you don’t have to be well-versed in or involved in any STEM field yourself. STEM project ideas for all ages can be easily found across the web. You can find projects kids can do themselves or take part in the activities with them.
Check out the six STEM project ideas below and feel free to explore more from here using the embedded resource links as a guide. There’s an abundance of opportunities available from a wide variety of sources to help keep your kids’ boredom at bay in an educational way.
Six STEM Project Ideas for Kids
1. Turn Lemons into a Power Source
If your kids are young and haven’t been exposed to many STEM activities, you can start with something as simple as a lemon-powered light. This is a simple, fun activity that teaches kids how circuits work. Since lemons are high in citric acid, they can be used as a battery. All you have to do is follow a few simple steps. If your kids are under age 12, you will want to supervise with this one, which is a good general rule to follow for all STEM activities. Also, don’t eat the lemons afterward!
Supplies needed include lemons, galvanized nails, copper wire, pennies and a small LED light or small flashlight bulb. (Click the supply links throughout this article to see the ready-to-ship solutions available at RS.)
2. Make Cyborg Light Painting Gloves
Another fun and slightly more complex way to teach your kids about electricity and circuits is by creating special gloves that light up when touching a thumb and finger together. Follow the steps given on Instructables, which include pictures to make understanding the instructions easier. If you have a digital camera, you can have even more fun using the gloves for light painting.
Supplies needed include a glove for each kid, different color LEDs, tinfoil, binder clips, black electrical tape, insulated wire, a 3 V coin battery, fusible iron-on interfacing, a hot glue gun, wire strippers and an iron.
3. Let a Brush Paint for You
If your kids love being creative and you don’t mind a little mess (These two usually go together!), we’ve got the project for you. Help your kids build their own Painting Brush Bot – a simple robot that paints on its own. This idea from STEAMsational – which offers a plethora of science, technology, engineering, arts and math project ideas – is one that’s sure to please, and since it uses a DC system, it’ll also keep your kids safe from the risk of electric shocks.
Supplies Needed include a 3 volt motor, a AAA battery pack and batteries, a hot glue gun, electrical tape, needle nose pliers, a mini clothespin, a small scrub brush, paper, washable paint and a large tray.
4. Tabletop “Air” Hockey with Magnets
If your kids love air hockey, this could be a very cool project for them, as it will allow them to create their own tabletop “air” hockey game using magnets instead of air. This could also be a good group project, with younger kids helping with the cardboard frame and game pieces and the older kids handling the electronics and magnets. STEMpedia has all the steps your kids will need to follow.
Supplies needed include thick cardboard, heavy cardboard, colored paper, a glue gun, a microcontroller, an infrared (IR) sensor, jumper cables (20 cm or 7.87 in), multicolor RGB lights and neodymium magnets.
5. Collect Items from Home to Make a Junkbot
A junkbot combines a STEM maker activity with a fun little scavenger hunt. Most of the items needed to create this robot are already laying around the house, in your kids’ various collections or headed for the trash or recycling. And since this is a “junk” bot, your kids can get very creative and keep experimenting and making different versions, which also allows them to experience the design and prototyping aspects of STEM.
Now, because this project uses tools like an X-ACTO knife or saw and a drill, you’ll want to supervise and help out in certain spots, depending on your kids’ age and skill level.
Supplies needed include bottlecaps,chopsticks, pencils, cardboard, plastic bottles, old CDs (Finally, a use for them!) and more. Since your kids can be creative about which items they use, this list is just a sample of possible items. Watch this video to see what the originator of the idea uses and recommends.
6. Create Your Own Smart Home Speaker
This advanced project for STEM-confident adventurers enables teens to create their own Amazon Echo or Alexa like device using the steps available at this link. It requires more STEM knowledge, more supplies and more coding knowledge than other the other DIY projects, but it’s a project your kid can complete with some learning and patience. If they already have experience with Raspberry Pi, they’ll have a head start. But if not, you can introduce them to a terrific tool they can use to program in different languages, teach them how to unlock its potential and watch them be surprised by their own potential and capabilities.
Supplies needed include Raspberry Pi 3 or 2, an Ethernet cable, a USB microphone, a line-in speaker, a Wi-Fi dongle and a USB power supply.
If your child learns better through video, try following the steps listed in this similar project instead.
Find STEM Organizations Near You
We hope you and your kids have fun with these projects. If you’re still looking for more STEM fun after trying these and checking the embedded source links for additional options, consider looking for STEM nonprofit organizations that hold regular workshops, events or competitions in your area or online. Organizations like these motivate kids to pursue STEM careers while also helping increase the diversity of talent in STEM fields, and some even offer summer camps. The following are just a few available examples in the U.S.: Girls Who Code, TechGirlz, Black Girls Code, FIRST Robotics and Code.org.
