Little kids love learning and hands-on learning activities are the very best! That’s why STEM activities for preschoolers and toddlers are so popular amongst parents and educators alike.
Enjoy these activities with your little ones when you need a screen-free activity or when you just want them to have an educational adventure! You’ll be creating memories that will last your kiddos a lifetime.
If you’re looking for more STEM activities for kids, I’ve plenty more on this blog so feel free to look around for activities for older students as well.
Enjoy!
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What is STEM?
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. A good STEM activity will include at least one if not many of these subjects. Of course, many people throw in an A for art (STEAM) and that’s wonderful! But not everybody considers the two terms to be synonymous (although I do)
Most STEM activities are hands-on and easily adaptable for multiple ages so whether you’re looking for a STEM activity for 3-year-olds or 5-year-olds, you shouldn’t have a hard time adapting any activity you find to fit your child’s unique skillset.
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STEM Activities for 3-Year-Olds and 2-Year-Olds (Toddlers)
Toddlers typically consist of kids between the ages of 18 months at 3 years old. These STEM activities are ideal for toddlers, so long as you are providing adult supervision.
Exploding Sidewalk Chalk
Exploding sidewalk chalk is a super fun STEM activity that is appropriate for toddlers and preschoolers. All you need to do is stick the corn starch, water, and food coloring in your baggies. Take them outside, add some vinegar (with adult help) and zip the bags up real fast.
Soon you’ll have an explosion of messy color that little ones are sure to love! This activity can turn into a lesson on chemical reactions or Non-Newtonian fluids. Or you can just have some messy outdoor fun! Go learn more about making exploding sidewalk chalk now. Add this to your list of top STEM activities for preschoolers to enjoy again and again.
Exploding Ivory Soap
Exploding Ivory soap is the first STEM activity for many toddlers because it’s just so simple! All you need is a bar of Ivory soap and a microwave.
In just a few seconds, you’ll have a bubbling explosion that is safe for kids to continue playing with.
What could be better than that? It’s the recipe for a perfect toddler-friendly learning activity!
Static Electricity Dragon Taming
Have your toddlers ever tamed a dragon? Learn the basics of static electricity while making plastic dragons fly!
This experiment requires adult supervision due to the choking hazard nature of plastic bags and balloons. But if you’re there watching closely, this is an incredibly fun STEM activity for 2 and 3-year-olds.
Edible Slime
Toddlers love playing with slime and playdough but unfortunately, they have a habit of putting things like this in their mouths and that’s not always a good thing. That’s where edible slime comes in!
Your toddlers will get a kick out of playing with these edible slime recipes and you can rest easy knowing everything is food safe. Plus they’ll be developing their hand muscles while they’re at it.
Dyeing Eggs
While dyeing eggs is traditionally an Easter activity, it doesn’t have to be Easter for your toddlers to experiment with dyeing and coloring eggs.
To make this activity appropriate for toddlers, you’ll want to use hard-boiled eggs, cool whip, and food coloring. Put the cool whip and a few drops of food coloring in a large, deep-dish pan, and then let your toddlers go to town! They’ll have tons of fun coloring their eggs (and themselves) and you’ll rest easy knowing it’s all food safe.
Go learn more about this Easter STEM activity here. This is a super fun science experiment for babies and toddlers that also helps them develop their fine motor skills in a simple and fun way.
STEM Activities for Preschoolers
Preschool age typically consists of kids between the ages of 3 and 5. These STEM activities are perfect for preschoolers who are getting ready to enter elementary school.
Flying Dragon Craft
Here’s a fun STEM project for 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds. Little kids will love making their very own dragons out of recycled toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls and construction paper. Then, when they’re done making their dragons, they can watch their dragons fly using only a piece of string!
This STEM learning activity is fun and exciting for little kids and educational for older kids as well. Learn about force and motion while they explore what makes the dragon fly back and forth. Learn how to make your own flying dragon here!
Paper Airplanes
If your preschoolers are big enough to throw a ball, they are big enough for a paper airplane adventure. Explore making various paper airplanes with your youngsters and have them practice throwing them.
Have them see if they can decide which airplane is the fastest, flew the farthest, etc. This is a simple way for little ones to get their feet wet in the area of statistics and data science. Go learn how we enjoyed a dragon paper airplane contest in our homeschool.
Floating Boat
This floating boat activity is tons of fun for kids, especially in the warm summer months. Have your kids see if they can build a boat that floats using only recyclable materials you have on hand.
When they’re done, test the boats to see if they actually do float! This is a good lesson in buoyancy for preschoolers. Learn more about the floating boat STEM challenge now.
Homemade Spectroscopes
A homemade spectroscope is another fun STEM activity for preschoolers. This one helps kids learn about light refraction. Making rainbows is a ton of fun and this new toy will keep your preschoolers entertained for hours. Learn how to make a homemade spectroscope now.
Elephant Toothpaste
If you’re looking for a fun STEM experiment to do with your kids, look no further than the elephant toothpaste experiment! This is a great way to teach kids about chemical reactions, and it’s really easy to do. All you need is some hydrogen peroxide, yeast, dish soap, and food coloring. Your kids will have a blast watching the elephant toothpaste reaction in action!
Homemade Butter
Homemade butter is the perfect science activity for preschoolers to learn about molecules. Learn what happens to molecules when you mix them up or when you let them sit for too long. It’s quite fun and at the end of this preschooler-friendly STEM activity, you have a delicious snack!
Learn how to make homemade butter now! It’s the perfect science project.
Fizzy Lemonade
A fizzy lemonade science experiment is the perfect STEM activity for 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds, although older kids will enjoy this activity too. Your kids will learn about acids and bases as they combine lemon juice (an acid) with baking soda (a base).
These ingredients combine to make a chemical reaction that results in an explosion. It is a whole lot of fun for little ones but not overly messy or complicated. And of course, all the ingredients are edible and completely safe! Go learn how to make your own fizzy lemonade experiment now.
Homemade Seed Bombs
While these homemade seed bombs will require some adult supervision, your preschoolers will enjoy planting their very own seeds with these balls of clay and dirt.
Talk about plants and how they grow or how the clay and dirt protect the seeds from hungry birds. Then continue these discussions, along with a chat about how plants, bugs, and animals all need each other to survive, as you wait for your seed bombs to grow. This STEM activity is perfect for preschoolers, or for the whole family!
Slime
I have never met a preschooler who doesn’t like slime. While there are plenty of edible slime recipes for kids who can’t keep their toys out of their mouths, most preschoolers are old enough for more advanced slime recipes.
Be sure to test out different recipes and ingredients for your very own science project that explores various chemical reactions!
Brainflakes
Little kids who aren’t quite ready for Legos but who need more than just Duplos will love these cute little Brainflakes. Brainflakes are an open-ended STEM toy that allow your kids to build and create to their heart’s content!
These are too big for kids to choke on and won’t kill your foot if you step on them barefoot so parents love these simple toys too. Go read more about Brainflakes here!
Soda and Mentos Geyser
We have a writeup on making a DIY soda and Mentos bottle rocket here but this activity can easily be adapted for younger kiddos. Instead of having your older kids engineer a rocket, younger kids (including preschoolers) can watch as you stick a couple of Mentos candies into an open bottle of diet Coke.
Your preschoolers will love making their very own soda geyser!
When you combine diet Coke with Mentos candies, you get a physical reaction that is quite explosive! Make sure your little ones are standing back as this can get quite messy but it’s tons of fun.
Homemade Ice Cream
What kid doesn’t love ice cream? Your kids will love it even more when they get to make their own!
Teach your kids about cold and heat and how they work, especially when mixed with salt, as you make your very own ice cream. You can make ice cream in a bag or you can get a group of kids together and try your hand at tin can ice cream. Although I recommend the baggie version for little and impatient kids.
Other STEAM Activities for Preschoolers and Toddlers
In addition to the STEM activities my family has personally enjoyed, I have also made a few roundups of STEM activities that families all over the internet have done. While not every activity in these roundups is appropriate for toddlers and preschoolers, some of them are worth checking out.
- Valentine’s Day STEM
- Christmas STEM
- Thanksgiving STEM
- Halloween Science
- Dragon STEM
- STEAM Art Projects
STEM Resources Delivered to Your Inbox Every Month
If you liked this edible STEM activity, you are going to love the STEM Made Easy Digital Subscription. Each month, you’ll receive 5 fully-planned STEM project guides along with worksheets and instructions for how to make them fun and engaging for kids ages 3-19. Check it out now!
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