Summer STEM Activities for Kids

School summer holidays in the United States are approximately three months long. That is three months where students are not exposed to the curriculum that they have been learning throughout the whole school year. This can lead to declines in comprehension on more complex topics. Amongst these topics are science, technology, engineering and math.

But how do you engage your children in STEM topics over summer? While still allowing them to have the “fun” break from school that they look forward to?

Here are some fun STEM summer ideas to keep your kids progressing in their STEM education throughout summer.

1. Paper Bag Challenge

Have a paper bag full of fun STEM activities that your child can do throughout the summer. Make all of the ideas diverse containing science, technology,engineering and math projects. At whatever pace works best with your schedule, pick an activity to do with your child that will further their knowledge on STEM topics.

2. Bottle Rocket

Bottle Rockets are easily constructed and are a fun activity for kids to do alone or with friends. Despite the initial draw children have to creating bottle rockets, this will also incorporate science into a fun summer day.

3. Oobleck

This goo is a science experiment that is fun over and over again. After making original Oobleck, you can experiment with color changing or glow in the dark. This is a chemistry experiment that allows educational growth as well as exciting results.

4. Oobleck Egg Drop

Once your child has made Oobleck, drop the egg from a variety of different heights to see if the egg cracks. This will allow kids to better understand engineering concepts.

5. Homemade Catapults

Using simple materials, kids will use their engineering skills to create usable catapults. Through try and fail techniques, they will figure out the essential aspects of creating a successful catapult.

STEM Sports® provides directions on creating a catapult in one of our STEM kits. This is a simple yet comprehensive method to help students/kids dive deeper into engineering concepts.  

All of these STEM activities are easy and affordable ways to keep your child engaged in STEM during their months off of school. This will allow them to not only keep their knowledge on STEM but also advance it in a way that will allow them to be better prepared for the curriculum to come during the upcoming school year.