Kindergarten STEM STEAM Challenges, Makerspace Activities, Engineering & Design

These 3 types of STEAM STEM challenges are my favorite way to encourage engineering & design thinking in my kindergarten classroom and makerspace, but can also be used in preschool, first grade or homeschool. Use these makerspace activities as an independent STEAM STEM activity, station, bin, or for morning work, choice time or small group science lessons.

Read 3 Types of Makerspace Challenges to Use Across the Kindergarten Year to see how I use this in my own kindergarten classroom for playful inventing and creating.

✅How Does The Makerspace Center Work?

This resource gives you a year's worth of challenges intended to encourage imagination, build critical thinking skills, develop a growth mindset, and most of all, foster a love of making.

You'll find 36 challenges, 12 within each category (see below), making it easy for you to offer weekly or monthly challenges in your classroom makerspace.

These categories include:

• Building Challenges: Children are invited to combine two materials to create something new.
• Upcycle Challenges: Children are invited to make a “trash” to “treasure” transformation.
• Design Challenges: Children are invited to design, build and test an object while using the engineer design process.

✅What's Inside This Makerspace STEM Resource?

• 36 full-color table tent cards for posting each challenge in your makerspace
• 36 planning and design sheets so kids can draw and write their ideas
• Colorful makerspace signs/labels for your
• Family "wish list" letter to help you collect the materials needed for each challenge
• Open-ended table tent cards to customize your own design challenges

✅How Can I Use This Makerspace STEM Bundle?:

There are many ways to use these STEM challenges.  You might try:

• STEM Tubs
• STEM Stations
• STEM Centers
• STEM Lab
• Classroom or Library Makerspace
• Choice Time
• Free Play
• Small Group Lessons
• Early Finisher Tasks

✅Which STEM Skills Will Kids Practice?

• creativity
• innovation
• critical thinking
• abstract reasoning
• collaboration
• engineer design process
• growth mindset
• mathematical thinking

✅More Kindergarten Center Activities:

• Math Center Invitations
• Makerspace Invitations
• Science Center Invitations
• Block Center Invitations
• Storytelling Invitations
• Writing Center Invitations
• Art Center Invitations

⭐Need help setting up a makerspace in your classroom? Check out this Makerspace Classroom Setup Guidefor tons of ideas to get you started.

✅What Teachers Say About These Makerspace STEM Challenges:

❤️"Helpful, easy to use resource to begin your makerspace! I found this after I had started, and wish I had had it earlier!" Charmayne K.

❤️"Easy to put together! I so far have only used the Building Challenges. The children loved building with the materials particularly the marshmallows and toothpicks and cups with cardboard. I set these activities up during our morning centers. On occasion I added additional challenges or encouraged the children to take the activity a step further. We will be incorporating upcycling challenges during 2nd trimester with our Tinkering unit." Leslie K.

❤️"Very helpful helping myself and other teachers get started with organizing makerspaces in our classrooms!" Peaches and STEAM

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