Here comes springtime! Wouldn’t it be nice for your kids to come out and play under the sun? Spend time with them as you both gain new hobbies this season. There are plenty of spring STEM activities for kindergarten where they can learn and have fun at the same time.
STEM stands for Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics. With various spring STEM activities out there, your kids will never get bored indoors or outdoors.
Let your little ones do something worthwhile this season! Here are ten spring STEM activities for preschoolers that they can also do all year round! Whether they like art, crafts, experiments, or nature activities, our list will have something your kids can try and enjoy!
1. Planting Seeds Experiment
Start introducing your toddler to the wonders of nature through this spring-themed sensory activity. You can teach your kids how to grow their own plants in three easy steps.
First, fill up an empty carton with soil. Then, gently put one seed after another into the soil. Afterward, dampen the soil with enough water from a small spray bottle. Continue watering it for a few days and watch the seeds sprout!
2. Color Changing Flowers
This next activity is perfect for kids who love to play and enjoy different colors. Start by simply preparing white flowers or carnations, assorted jars and vases, and food coloring. Make sure to trim any sharp thorns and stems before you let your kids handle them.
Then, pour a few drops of food color into the vase filled with water. Place the flowers into the vase. After a while, you’ll notice the carnations will change their colors.
3. Chromatography Butterfly Craft
One of the most common STEM projects for toddlers is the butterfly craft activity. In this science experiment, your kids will learn about chromatography and separate color pigments and mixtures.
You’ll need to prepare non-permanent markers, white coffee filters, pencils, black pipe cleaners, string, and scissors. Draw a thick circle at the center and choose what color you’ll use to shade it. Then, put the coffee filter on a newspaper and fold it in half to make it look like a cone.
Afterward, get a short glass of water where you’ll put the coffee filter on top. Watch as the colors slowly mix and scatter around the paper. Do these with other colors and create one-of-a-kind butterfly cutouts in the process!
4. Flower Dissection
For your next adorable spring activity, let your toddler see and identify what’s inside of a flower. The flower dissection is one of the most effective STEM experiments for kids that will help develop and sharpen their memory.
Wondering what the best flowers to dissect are? You can pick roses, tulips, daisies, or anything similar, as long as they have distinct petals, leaves, and stems. Just prepare a magnifying glass accompanied by a flower diagram to make the activity more engaging for your kids.
5. Egg Shell Garden
Similar to the previous planting seeds activity, your kids will surely enjoy creating a small garden themselves with this fun and interactive spring-themed activity. You’ll just need to prepare clean eggshells and fill them with soil.
Place the seeds one by one into each eggshell. You can let your kids examine the sprouts up close using a magnifying glass. Then, you can also discuss with your kids the different types of soils and the growing condition of seeds based on the light levels.
6. Rainbow Slime Making
Even in warm weather, you can still make rainbows appear! Despite real and massive rainbows only showing after the rain, this simple activity will enable your kids to create one for themselves. For your rainbow slime recipe, prepare clear glue, water, food coloring, and liquid starch.
Mix the slime ingredients together and stretch out the color next to each other to build a rainbow. For this to happen, put ½ cup of water and ½ cup of glue in a bowl. Then, add food coloring and ¼ cup of liquid starch. You can ask your kid to help knead the slime until you reach the desired consistency. Enjoy the experience as your kids stretch the slime and see its different colors!
7. Flower Pot Math Game
Start stimulating the mathematical skills of your little ones as early as one year old. You’ll only need terracotta pots and play dough to act as a base for the flowers for this activity.
After each player receives a flower, player one rolls the dice and will add the number of flowers to his pot. The first player to plant all the flowers in their pot wins!
8. Cloud in a Jar
Another fun and easy-to-do experiment you can do for spring is called the cloud in a jar. First, prepare a large jar, shaving cream, food coloring, and pipettes or droppers. Then, mix the dye with some water in a small cup.
Afterward, fill the large jar with ¾ water and place the pipette in each cup. Before the experiment, spray a bit of shaving cream closely onto the lid of the jar. Let the kids observe what will happen as the colored water goes down to the cream and water below like rain.
9. DIY Kite
Spark your kids’ creativity with this next spring-themed STEM craft for toddlers. To make a kite, all you need is to reuse some scratch paper like old newspapers. Then, prepare to cut 20”x 24” bamboo sticks or dowels and glue or tie them across.
Cut a diamond out of your old newspaper and attach it to the T-shape sticks. Finally, place a string through the bottom hole to serve as the kite’s tail. All you need is an open space and a windy day to fly your kites!
10. Magnifying Glass Activity for Preschoolers
Let your kids explore new things with this next activity. You only need a magnifying glass and a few objects that your child can look at closely. Give your kid small rocks, flowers, and pine cones, and let them see it as they’ve never had before!
Engage Your Kids in Spring STEM Activities for Preschoolers
If you’re looking for ways to add fun and excitement this warm season, there are plenty of spring STEM activities you can do together with your kids. This is the perfect time to spend time and bond more with them while they’re young, playful, and imaginative. Find more seasonal crafts in the Rayito de Sol blog.
