We are back again with our list of STEAM-based activities for kids and toddlers!
What is STEAM?
STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics, of course!
Now you may think that there are many other important subjects that a kid should learn in school and we completely agree!
However, we think that these last few decades have shown us that our world is heavily driven by the advancements in STEAM-based industries.
Things like the internet, cryptocurrency, space travel, health science and technology are some of the few developments that are currently changing what our world looks like.
We believe that these disciplines hold the key to many jobs of the future.
Even if your kid may not naturally gravitate towards STEAM subjects, we think that we can still play our part as parents, educators and caregivers to enhance their interest and knowledge of these subjects.
Of course, we don’t believe that we should force anything upon them. In fact, nothing should ever be forced.
This is why we are undertaking a 365 day challenge to come up with activities that we hope will help our toddler kid to develop an interest in STEAM and acquire useful skills.
Whether our toddler ends up being a scientist, engineer, mathematician or tech expert doesn’t really matter to us.
What matters is that she can intelligently engage and interact with these disciplines if she wants to in the future.
Below are our next 101-120 list of suggested STEAM-based kids activities.
If you want to see our previous list of activities, you can check them out here:
1-20 list of STEAM activities.
21-40 list of STEAM activities.
41-60 list of STEAM activities.
61-80 list of STEAM activities.
81-100 list of STEAM activities.
We hope that some of these ideas might inspire you and that you will share them with others!
101. Laundry
Make it a family activity when you hang out the laundry. Our toddler loves helping to hand out pegs and clothes. The laundry gets hung out much quicker too. I like to talk about the path of wind flow and which location will get the clothes to dry faster.
102. Local Historic Walks
Take a walk around your local historic sites. You never know what you might find and walking is good for everyone! On top of this, help them improve their observation skills by asking them to observe what they see, smell, hear, feel and maybe even, taste.
103. Zoo
Kids love interacting with animals and it teaches them about caring for others. Check out your nearest farms or zoos. Bonus points if they get to pet them! 🐣🦆🐎🐢🐑 Teach them about the biology of animals and how different animals need different kinds of foods and care.
104. Baking Soda Cleaning
Learned this STEAM housework tip from another mom- Spread baking soda over your carpet to deodorize it. Toddlers will happily help out and you will love how much cleaner your carpets feel! 😍 You can explain to your kid that most bad odors tend to have a higher pH level and the lower pH level of the baking soda helps to neutralize the bad odor. Don’t forget to vacuum it up after a few hours!
105. Bouncy House
Kids love bounce houses. Jumping is great for building muscle strength, balance and stamina. I like to talk about how unstable we feel when we are standing on a soft surface filled with air and how we need a firmer surface for more stability.
106. Carousel
Carousels are toddler magnets. Turn it into a STEAM activity by talking about how it travels in a circular motion, just like how the earth rotates around its axis.
107. Bull
This is a rare treat but we found a mechanical bull for kids! Just like the adult version, they are tough to stay on. But it’s great watching the kids trying to work out how to stay on for longer…how should you sit, hold on, lean your body etc?
108. Train
Trains are magical to kids. Whenever we see one, we try to get a ride on it. This tiny one was no exception, except adults were not allowed on so our toddler rode it by herself. Sometimes we wish we were a kid! Trains are an opportunity to for mechanical concepts to be shared.
109. Drive-In Theater
If you are lucky to have a drive-in theater close to you, bring your kids along! You don’t have to worry about them making noise and annoying others, they can bring their favorite snacks & drinks, and they can move around the place when they feel edgy! You can explain to them how the science of projection works on the big screen.
110. Zoophonics
We joined a Zoophonics class and it has been really helpful in introducing my toddler to early reading. Research shows that the ability to read early helps with kids doing better in school. Look up Zoophonics on YouTube!
111. Socks
This pic isn’t very clear but it’s a pic of socks in a drawer. Why is this special? Cos my toddler helped to put them away. May this helpful attitude long continue! 😜🤔 You can also make this a Math counting moment.
112. Popcorn
If your kid loves popcorn, invest in a popcorn maker! Not only is it so much more convenient with very little cleanup, but they will love watching the popcorn popping! Explain how the heat works in making the popcorn kernel pop!
113. Vege Garden Bed
A vege garden bed is a great way to teach your kid about plants, plant care and self-sufficiency. We got our kid a watering can so that she could play her part.
114. Bucket Fix
My kid has broken every bucket handle that we have got her. Got tired of buying new buckets and got a brainwave of using ribbons to replace the handles. My toddler had a fun time choosing the ribbons and loves the final result. Double win 🏅
115. Floor Shapes
When you are scrambling to find a STEAM activity to do with your kid, you will resort to anything. Including the floor. I asked my kid to look for shapes on the floor around her. 😂 She did not show great interest for long.
116. Park Hunt
It’s worth checking out other parks and playgrounds around your area. We discovered this awesome ship playground which was pretty cool! 😎 Science says that it’s important for kids to spend some time in the sun everyday to get their vitamin D.
117. Ball Slope
These magnetized ball slopes are an excellent gravity rush and are also great for learning about balance, speed, gravity and fine motor skills.
118. Box Cover Play
If you can tolerate junk, cardboard boxes like these can be especially fun for toddlers and kids to play with, paint and build with. It helps to build creativity and imagination.
119. Flowers
The kids had a fun time learning flower arrangement. We used cello tape to divide parts of a mug to hold the flowers up.
120. I Love You
When your kid tells you they love you using cryptic ‘writing’. I love it! Encourage your kid’s artistic efforts (however, unsightly) and their self-confidence to take risks will also increase.
MORE STEM KID ACTIVITY IDEAS
Hungry for more? Get some more STEM-inspired kid activity ideas here.
1-20 list of STEAM kid activities.
21-40 list of STEAM kid activities.
41-60 list of STEAM kid activities.
61-80 list of STEAM kid activities.
81-100 list of STEAM kid activities.
121- 140 list of STEAM kid activities.
