Hands-on activities to spark curiosity, build foundational skills, and bring science to life for young learners!
created by:
STEM Seed
overview:
This guide contains 20 STEM lesson plans designed for preschool-aged children
Each activity introduces fundamental scientific concepts, such as observation, categorization, engineering, motion, biology, and measurement, through playful, hands-on exploration
Children will build early science and math skills while practicing vocabulary, problem-solving, and fine motor coordination. All activities are short, engaging, and use simple materials, making them perfect for classrooms, afterschool programs, or home learning.
contents:
1 Sink or Float Safari
2 Rainbow Walking Water
3 Sound Detectives
4 Marble Run
5 Number Scavenger Hunt
6 Shape Builders
7.Bubble Science
8.Texture Hunt
9.Coding with Arrows
10.Shape Hunt
why early STEM matters:
Magnet Maze
Ice Excavation
Bridge Builders
Plant Detectives
Shadow Play
Weather Station 17.Build-a-Body
18.Color Sorting Lab
19.Ramp Races
20.Sink the Boat
Early STEM education nurtures curiosity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills in preschoolers, laying a strong foundation for lifelong learning
description: Children explore density and buoyancy by testing whether objects sink or float in water.
estimated duration: 25 minutes
STEM 01 forpreschoolers
lesson topic: Sink or Float Safari
learning objective: Children will make predictions, test outcomes, and sort objects based on whether they sink or float
developmental focus: Scientific thinking, fine motor skills
intro: Introduce the activity by asking children to make guesses about which objects will float or sink before testing.
2 Present one object at a time Ask them to predict whether it will sink or float
3 Let them place it in the water to observe the result
4 Match the picture card of the tested object to the correct mat
5 Repeat for all objects
assessment/observation:
Note whether children can predict outcomes, use the words 'sink' and 'float,' and correctly match picture cards.
STEM
forpreschoolers
description: Children explore how water travels through paper using capillary action and observe color mixing as water moves between cups.
lesson topic: Rainbow Walking Water
learning objective: Children will observe how water moves and how primary colors mix to form new colors
estimated duration: 30 minutes
materials needed: 6 clear cups Paper towels Red/yellow/blue food coloring Water
Tray to hold cups
developmental focus: Observation skills, cause and effect
intro: Begin by discussing how water can move and mix colors, and let children predict what might happen when different colors meet.
lesson procedure:
1.Set out 6 clear cups in a row on a tray.
2.Fill cups 1, 3, and 5 halfway with red, yellow, and blue water.
3.Leave cups 2, 4, and 6 empty.
4.Fold paper towels into long strips and place one end in a colored cup and the other in an empty cup next to it.
5 Ask children to predict what might happen
6 Watch over time as the water travels and mixes in the empty cups
assessment/observation:
Observe whether children can describe what they see, use vocabulary like 'mix,' 'move,' and 'color,' and recall the changes they observed.
STEM
forpreschoolers
description: Children explore how sounds are made and how to identify objects by the sounds they produce through shaking and tapping closed containers.
estimated duration: 20 minutes
lesson topic: Sound Detectives
learning objective: Children will use reasoning and sensory clues to match sounds to their sources
developmental focus: Auditory discrimination, cause and effect
intro: Explain that some sounds help us figure out what’s making them, even when we can’t see it. Children will use their ears like detectives.
lesson procedure:
materials needed: Small boxes or opaque containers
1.Set up a variety of sealed containers with different noise-making items inside.
2.Gather children and explain they’ll be 'sound detectives' today.
3.Let each child shake or tap a container and try to guess what’s inside.
4.If using cards, match the sound to the image of the item.
5 Open the boxes one by one to reveal the actual items and celebrate discoveries
assessment/observation:
Notice if children listen closely, make thoughtful guesses, and use words to describe sounds (e.g., 'soft,' 'rattly,' 'loud').
STEM
forpreschoolers
lesson topic: Marble Run
description: Children explore how gravity and slope affect motion by sending marbles down ramps and experimenting with different heights and surfaces.
learning objective: Children will observe how slope affects speed and direction, and explore cause-andeffect through hands-on play
estimated duration: 30 minutes
materials needed: Marbles
Paper towel rolls or cardboard tubes
Tape Books/blocks to raise ramps
developmental focus: Problemsolving, fine motor coordination
intro: Demonstrate how a marble moves down a ramp and invite children to explore how changing the ramp affects speed.
lesson procedure:
1.Show children the basic marble ramp setup.
2.Let them place marbles down pre-built ramps.
3.Ask what happens when the ramp is taller or lower.
4.Encourage them to adjust ramp height and angle using blocks or books.
5.Observe and compare how far and how fast the marbles go.
6 Discuss which ramp made the marble go the fastest or farthest
assessment/observation:
Look for children making comparisons, changing ramp height purposefully, and using motion-related words like 'fast,' 'slow,' 'roll,' and 'down.'
STEM
forpreschoolers
description: Children develop early math skills by searching for number cards and matching them to sets of objects with corresponding quantities.
lesson topic: Number Scavenger Hunt
learning objective: Children will identify numbers 1–10 and demonstrate one-to-one correspondence by matching numerals to quantities
developmental focus: Counting, number recognition
intro: Tell children they’re going on a hunt to find numbers and match them with the correct number of items.
lesson procedure:
estimated duration: 20 minutes
materials needed: Number cards (1-10)
Baskets with matching sets of objects (blocks, animals, buttons)
1.Hide number cards around the room before children arrive.
2.Explain that they’re going on a number hunt!
3.When a child finds a number card, they bring it back.
4.Match the number to a basket with the same quantity of objects.
5.Count the objects together aloud.
assessment/observation:
Observe if children correctly identify numbers, count accurately, and use oneto-one correspondence to match cards to quantities.
STEM
forpreschoolers
lesson topic: Shape Builders
learning objective: Children will identify and build basic shapes, improving shape recognition and spatial awareness
description: Children explore 2D geometry by building shapes using playdough and craft sticks, reinforcing their understanding of sides, corners, and structure.
estimated duration: 20 minutes
materials needed: Craft Sticks
Play-dough
Shape templates or cards
developmental focus: Fine motor skills, geometry, creativity
intro: Show children how to use play-dough and craft sticks to build shapes, and let them match their shapes to templates.
lesson procedure:
1.Show a shape card and ask: 'What shape is this? How many sides does it have?' Then explain they’ll build their own shapes today.
2.Demonstrate how to use playdough as 'joints' and craft sticks as 'sides.'
3.Invite children to create shapes like triangles, squares, and rectangles.
4.Encourage matching their creations to the shape cards.
5 Allow free exploration with making other shapes or combining shapes
6 Discuss what they notice about size, corners, and connections assessment/observation:
Note if children can name shapes, count sides and corners, and build independently or with minimal guidance.
STEM
forpreschoolers
lesson topic: Bubble Science
learning objective: Children will investigate how bubbles form and what factors (wand shape, size, etc ) influence their size and behavior
description: Children experiment with making bubbles using different tools and shapes, exploring how air pressure and surface tension affect bubble formation.
estimated duration: 30 minutes
developmental focus: Cause and effect, scientific inquiry
intro: Explain that bubbles are made from air and soap, and today they’ll test how different wands affect bubble size.
1.Demonstrate how to make bubble wands using pipe cleaners or straws.
2.Provide bubble solution in trays.
3.Invite children to dip their wands and blow bubbles.
4.Encourage them to try different wand shapes (square, triangle, etc.).
5.Ask: 'What shape did your bubble make? Did it change when you blew harder or softer?'
6 Discuss what they noticed about size, shape, and popping
assessment/observation:
Watch for children experimenting with wand shapes, observing outcomes, and talking about their discoveries.
STEM
forpreschoolers
description: Children explore natural materials using touch to describe and classify them by texture, enhancing sensory awareness and language development.
estimated duration: 20 minutes
lesson topic: Texture Hunt
learning objective: Children will use touch to identify textures and classify objects as rough, smooth, bumpy, or soft
Natural materials (leaves, rocks, bark, cotton, moss), Trays or baskets
developmental focus: Sensory processing, descriptive language
intro: Invite children to explore natural objects and describe how they feel using words like rough, smooth, or soft.
lesson procedure:
1.Display texture cards and introduce vocabulary: rough, smooth, bumpy, soft.
2.Show children a variety of natural materials and let them feel each one.
3.Invite them to sort the materials into groups that match each texture.
4.Ask guiding questions like 'Which ones feel the same?' or 'Which are softest?'
5 Allow time for open-ended exploration and conversation about how things feel
assessment/observation:
Note whether children can describe how things feel using texture words and sort materials accurately.
STEM
forpreschoolers
description: Children engage in a physical coding activity by guiding a plush toy through a grid using directional commands, introducing logic and spatial thinking.
estimated duration: 30 minutes
lesson topic: Coding with Arrows
learning objective: Children will sequence directional steps to achieve a goal and understand basic programming logic
intro: Introduce the concept of giving directions using arrows to move a toy across a grid just like coding!
materials needed: Painter’s tape (for floor grid) Plush toy
Direction cards (↑ ↓ → ←)
lesson procedure:
1.Tape a large grid on the floor using painter’s tape.
2.Place a plush toy at one corner and a goal (e.g., star, treat) at another.
3.Introduce direction cards and demonstrate how to use them (e.g., 'up' means move forward one square).
4.Let children take turns placing direction cards in sequence to help the toy reach its goal
5 If desired, increase challenge by adding obstacles or turns
6 Celebrate successful routes and allow time for retrying or reversing sequences
assessment/observation:
Watch for children following the grid structure, sequencing steps correctly, and adjusting when directions go off track.
STEM 10 forpreschoolers
lesson topic: Shape Hunt
learning objective: Children will identify and match 2D shapes found in their environment to familiar geometric forms
description: Children strengthen shape recognition by searching the room for objects or cutouts that match assigned shape cards, connecting geometry to objects.
estimated duration: 20 minutes
materials needed: Shape cards
Cutouts of basic shapes (circle, triangle, square, rectangle) Tape
intro: Ask children to look around the room and match real-world objects to basic shape cards.
lesson procedure:
1.Tape shape cutouts around the room on walls or familiar objects.
2.Give each child a shape card.
3.Ask children to search for matching shapes in the environment.
4.When they find a match, have them point it out and explain why it’s the same.
5 Rotate cards so each child can try multiple shapes
6 Gather together and review each shape Ask: ‘What did you find? Was it hard or easy to spot your shape?’
assessment/observation:
Notice if children correctly identify shapes and describe the similarities between objects and their assigned shape cards.
STEM
forpreschoolers
lesson topic: Magnet Maze
learning objective: Children will observe how magnets can move objects without touching them and begin to understand magnetic force
description: Children explore the invisible force of magnetism by guiding a magnetic object through a paper maze using a magnet underneath.
estimated duration: 30 minutes
developmental focus: Cause and effect, fine motor control
intro: Hold up the magnet and paperclip. Move the clip with the magnet and ask how this is possible.
materials needed: Paper maze printed on cardstock or drawn on a tray Paperclip or small magnetic object
Strong magnet (bar or wand style)
Tape
Tray or flat surface
lesson procedure:
1.Show the paper maze and the magnetic object (e.g., a paperclip).
2.Tape the maze to a tray or table so it doesn't slide.
3.Place the paperclip on top of the maze.
4.Hold a magnet underneath the tray and move it slowly, guiding the clip through the maze.
5 Let each child take a turn guiding the object through
6 Try variations faster, slower, or with a thicker barrier (e g , cardboard) and talk about what changes
assessment/observation:
Note if children understand that the magnet is moving the object, use the word “pull,” and stay engaged during experimentation.
STEM
forpreschoolers
lesson topic: Ice Excavation
learning objective: Children will investigate how ice changes as it melts and how temperature affects matter
description: Children observe how ice melts and use tools to “excavate” small toys or objects frozen inside. This introduces solid vs. liquid states and the effect of heat.
intro: Explain that there are small objects frozen in ice, and the challenge is to discover which methods work best to free them.
lesson procedure:
materials needed: Ice blocks with small toys frozen inside (prepare ahead of time)
Warm water in squeeze bottles or droppers (optional) Salt Towels or trays
Child-safe tools (plastic spoons, brushes)
1.Show children the frozen blocks and the items inside.
2.Give each child or small group a frozen block on a tray.
3.Provide warm water and tools to help them melt the ice.
4.Observe which methods melt the ice faster pouring water, salt, tapping.
5.Once objects are freed, talk about how the ice changed.
6 Optional: compare to a control block left untouched
assessment/observation:
Watch for children experimenting with techniques, noticing changes in temperature, and using words like “melt,” “cold,” or “wet.”
STEM
forpreschoolers
description: Children design and build simple bridges using various materials to span a gap between two blocks. They explore ideas of structure, balance, and weight distribution.
estimated duration: 30 minutes
lesson topic: Bridge Builders
learning objective: Children will experiment with building stable bridges and observe which designs support the most weight or stay up the longest
Two books or wooden blocks to serve as bridge supports Small weights: toy animals, pennies, small cars
1.Place two blocks a short distance apart to create a “ gap. ”
2.Ask: “Can you build something that stretches across the gap without falling?”
3.Let children try different materials and combinations.
4.Once their bridge is up, test it by adding toy animals or cars.
5 Ask questions: “Why do you think this one worked?” or “What could we change?”
6 Encourage rebuilding and creative improvements
assessment/observation:
Look for children making design choices, adapting structures, and using words like “strong,” “fall,” or “balance.”
STEM
forpreschoolers
lesson topic: Plant Detectives
description: Children examine real plants (or safe cuttings) to identify parts like stems, leaves, and roots. Using magnifying glasses, they observe textures, and colors.
learning objective: Children will learn to identify basic plant parts and describe their features using sensory language
materials needed: Safe, clean plants or cuttings with visible roots, stems, and leaves
Magnifying glasses
Chart paper with plant parts labeled (visual reference) Crayons and simple plant diagrams for coloring
intro: Hold up a plant and explain that plants have parts just like people do such as roots, stems, and leaves.
lesson procedure:
1.Display a plant and name its parts: root, stem, leaf, flower (if present).
2.Give each child a plant cutting or shared one per table.
3.Pass out magnifying glasses and encourage close inspection.
4.Ask: “What do you see?” “What does it feel like?” “What’s different between these leaves?”
5 Have children color a plant diagram or label parts using pictures
6 End with group sharing: “What did you notice about your plant?”
assessment/observation:
Note whether children can name parts, describe what they observe, and stay engaged with hands-on tools.
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STEM
forpreschoolers
description: Children use flashlights and objects to explore how shadows are formed, how they move, and how their size changes based on distance.
estimated duration: 30 minutes
lesson topic: Shadow Play
learning objective: Children will understand that light creates shadows when it’s blocked and that shadow size depends on how close the object is to the light
developmental focus: Scientific observation, motor control
intro: Dim the lights and shine a flashlight on your hand. Ask children where the shapes made come from.
materials needed: Flashlights (one per child or pair)
A variety of small toys or objects (blocks, animals, hands) White wall or large paper backdrop (optional) Puppets or paper cutouts on sticks
lesson procedure:
1.Darken the room slightly and hand out flashlights.
2.Let children shine lights on objects to see shadows appear.
3.Experiment with distance closer vs. farther from the wall or light.
4.Ask: “What happens to the shadow if we move the object?”
5.Let children make shapes with their hands or try simple puppet play.
6 Gather and talk about what they discovered
assessment/observation:
Watch whether children notice shadow size changes, use light direction purposefully, and describe what they see.
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STEM
forpreschoolers
lesson topic: Weather Station
learning objective: Children will identify key weather elements (sun, clouds, rain, wind) and describe the current conditions using visual tools
description: Children simulate being meteorologists by observing the day’s weather and recording their findings using symbols, introducing basic weather concepts.
estimated duration: 25-30 minutes
developmental focus: Scientific observation, early classification
intro: Introduce meteorologists as scientists who study the sky.
Markers or crayons (optional) Pinwheels, small cups, thermometer (for demonstration only)
lesson procedure:
1.Look outside together and ask: “What kind of day is it?”
2.Discuss and introduce terms like sunny, cloudy, windy, rainy.
3.Show the weather chart and demonstrate how to use the symbols.
4.Let each child place a weather symbol or color it in on a worksheet.
5.Use pinwheels or light objects to test for wind and talk about how we "see" it
6 End by reviewing the group ’ s weather findings together
assessment/observation:
Watch if children can identify the weather correctly, use symbols or drawings to communicate it, and engage in group discussion.
STEM
forpreschoolers
description: Children learn about basic body parts and their functions by assembling a life-size paper body with labeled organs and bones.
estimated duration: 35 minutes
lesson topic: Build-a-Body
learning objective: Children will identify major body parts and organs and understand that each part has a function that helps the body work
developmental focus: Body awareness, vocabulary development
intro: Explain that our bodies have many parts that work together to keep us healthy and strong.
materials needed: Large paper roll or poster board
Cutouts or drawings of body parts (heart, lungs, brain, stomach, bones)
Tape or glue
Markers or crayons (optional) Labels or simple facts (e.g., “The heart pumps blood”)
lesson procedure:
1.Lay out a large sheet of paper and trace one child’s body outline.
2.Show each body part cutout and describe its name and job.
3.Let children take turns placing the parts inside the outline.
4.Use simple language like “lungs help us breathe” or “bones hold us up. ”
5.Once complete, decorate or label the full body together.
6 Display it in the classroom or send home a smaller version
assessment/observation:
Note if children can name basic parts, recall what they do, and describe body functions in simple terms.
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STEM
forpreschoolers
lesson topic: Color Sorting Lab
learning objective: Children will identify, group, and name colors while developing fine motor control and early sorting skills
description: Children practice sorting and categorizing by color using loose parts and tongs. This foundational skill supports data organization, math, and observation.
estimated duration: 20 minutes
developmental focus: Color recognition, classification
intro: Introduce the activity as a hands-on color sorting challenge. Explain that children will act like scientists.
lesson procedure:
materials needed: Colored loose parts (pompoms, buttons, blocks, beads)
Color-coded trays, bowls, or construction paper mats (optional) Plastic tweezers or tongs
Baskets or bins for mixing materials
1.Mix all the colored items into one large container.
2.Show children how to pick up items and place them in matching color groups.
3.Offer tongs or tweezers for an added fine motor challenge.
4.Encourage children to name the color out loud as they sort.
5 Ask: “What color do you have the most of?” or “What happens if we mix them all again?”
6 Wrap up with group discussion or a quick color song
assessment/observation:
Watch for correct color matching, tool use, and verbal color identification during the activity.
STEM
forpreschoolers
lesson topic: Ramp Races
learning objective: Children will explore how height and shape affect motion and compare how different objects roll or slide
description: Children test how different objects move down ramps of varying heights. They observe speed and distance, compare materials, and make predictions.
