7 Winter Holiday STEM Activities for Kids!
Did you know American children rank 24th in science among developed and developing nations? The best way to improve these scores is by making STEM fun for kids. STEM activities can help children learn problem-solving skills, communication, and flexibility.
Here are seven winter indoor and outdoor activities to try this upcoming holiday season.
1. Grow Snow Crystals
You can grow snow crystals with everyday household items while teaching children about chemical reactions. With Epsom salt and food coloring, snow crystals start to form in a matter of hours, providing holiday delight for everyone.
2. Snowstorm in a Jar
Creating a snowstorm in a jar only takes a few minutes but can provide hours of entertainment and an earth science lesson. Everyone can use different colors and ingredients to make their snowstorm unique.
3. Terrarium Kit, Winter Wonderland
Who doesn't love snow globes and learning about the world around them?
Terrarium Kits are fun STEM activities that turn complex math and science problems into fun learning experiences. For the holiday season, use white paint, glitter, and cotton balls to make a terrarium kit into a winter wonderland. Building a terrarium will give your children feelings of accomplishment, and they can enjoy their terrarium for years to come.
4. Ice Lanterns
Ice lanterns are a great holiday season science experiment. You can freeze them outside or in the freezer. This STEM activity teaches children about states of matter (water changes state when it freezes) and engineering.
5. Caroling Music Box
Who doesn't like some holiday music?
Teach children about sound waves and the joy of music by building a music box together. See if you can mimic a classic holiday tune like Deck the Halls or Jingle Bells to get in the holiday spirit.
6. Snowball Launcher
First, use problem-solving and critical thinking to build a catapult, then get outside and launch snowballs at each other. Snowball fights are a classic holiday season activity and even more fun when you add STEM.
7. Make it Snow
Make the most of frigid holiday season temperatures by making snow. This only works when the weather is right, but it can create lasting memories. All you need is boiling water and sub-0 temperatures.
When you throw boiling water into freezing air, it instantly becomes ice particles. Use this experiment as an opportunity to teach children about the Mpemba Effect.
Getting Started
The winter holidays can be stressful when everyone is out of school, and the kids are complaining about being bored. Luckily there’s a solution. Entertain your children and expand their minds with one of our STEM holiday fun activities, and thank us later. These fun activities will get your kiddos in the holiday spirit in no time!
Check out our stem Maker Kits!
