STEM ACTIVITIES

Fun STEM activities you can do at home!

STEM activities help kids learn by exploring and building things. They make kids better at solving problems, thinking creatively, and trying new ideas. These activities also show kids how thinking work in everyday life and can make learning fun.

PAPER HELICOPTOR

The purpose of this STEM activity is to help kids learn how things fall and spin by testing simple designs. It teaches them about gravity, air resistance, and how small changes can affect how something moves. Kids get to experiment, make predictions, and improve their designs, which builds problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, all while having fun.

Materials:

  • Plain paper or printed template

  • Scissors

  • Pencil

  • Measuring tape (optional)

How to make it:

  1. Draw the helicopter on a piece of paper or print the template

  2. Cut all the solid lines

  3. Fold all the dotted lines

Time to test:

  1. Hold the helicopter by the bottom

    Hold it as high as you can, standing with your arm over your head.

  2. Drop the helicopter

Keep experimenting with your helicopter by trying new ideas and small changes to see what works best. You can adjust the shape (make the wings different) and the size (fold the bottom one more fold or make the wings shorter). Each time you test it, you learn more about how it works and what you can improve. Don’t be afraid to try something new. even if it doesn’t work at first, it helps you get closer to the design you want.

Image credit: nasa.gov
Template Download

  1. Draw template and cut on solid lines

2. Fold solid lines in

3. After 2 sides are folded in fold up the bottom

4. Fold down wings opposite ways

5. Final product

PAPER BRIDGE

How to:

  1. Set up the gap, place the books or boxes a short distance apart.

  2. Build your bridge, fold, roll, or layer the paper to make it strong

  3. Place the bridge over the gap

  4. Test the strength, slowly add weights to the bridge and see how much it can hold.

  5. Improve you design, if it falls or bends, change the design by adding folds. supports, or layers, then test again.

Materials:

  • Paper

  • A few thick books or boxes

  • Coins/ washers

The purpose of the paper bridge game is to help kids learn how structures work by building a bridge that can hold weight using only paper. It teaches problem-solving, creativity, and basic engineering ideas like balance, strength, and support. Kids get to test their designs, see what works, and improve their bridge.

How to set up the gap with a piece or paper

Example of a test on just a flat piece of paper

Example of how to increase the strength of the paper to hold more coins