Listen, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells…… As the Christmas bell gradually rings, every corner of the family and school is filled with holiday joy. The Christmas bell has sounded. Then, why don’t we combine STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) education with Christmas traditions on this special occasion? Come and try the following Christmas STEM projects with your kids. These STEM Christmas activities can let the kids scream in surprise and joy. Moreover, such parent-child companionship is the best enlightenment for the kids’ scientific curiosity, sense of space, and sense of number.
Today, Stemspur will explore some creative and fun Christmas STEM activities and Christmas STEM ideas with you, so that kids can learn through play and feel the magical collision of technology and holidays!
10 Christmas STEM activities for kids
In the busy preparations for the Christmas festival, we sometimes overlook the value of education. This article will introduce you to some creative STEM activities for Christmas so that kids can gain knowledge and promote scientific literacy in the joy of the holidays.
1. Sour milk with cookie pendant
There’s more to Christmas in the kitchen than gingerbread and Storon bread. When food turns into chemical reagents, the kitchen becomes the safest and most fun place for kids to experiment, which can’t be enough for a whole day!
Let’s start with the most common milk and white vinegar, make a string of textured Christmas “cookies” pendants, and let it be the one for STEM activities Christmas Day will love!
Materials required
- 1 measuring cup milk, 4 tablespoons white vinegar, decorative ribbon;
- Cookie molds, strainer, kitchen paper, colored markers
Practice
- Microwave the milk for 90 seconds;
- Add 4 tablespoons of vinegar to the heated milk and stir for 1 minute (you should see a separation of solids and liquids in the mixture).
- Use a strainer to separate the solid, press it down, and blot gently with kitchen paper
- Place a biscuit tin on clean kitchen paper, press the white solids into the tin, cut into “biscuits” and punch holes in the top with a straw. Let stand for 48 hours
- Carefully remove the solidified “cookies” from the cookie mold, and let the babies draw their favorite Christmas lace and patterns with red and green markers;
- Take care to wear ribbons and hang them in prominent places around your home to brighten up the Christmas spirit.
Got inspired
How can ordinary food be made into something solid like plastic?
It turns out that the milk we drink contains a component called casein, and when it meets vinegar, it doesn’t mix with the vinegar but clumps together like dough. This casein, which has not been dissolved in the vinegar, is pressed and dried into a hard “plastic”.
2. Peppermint bubble bomb
The LOL surprise doll bubble bath ball that girls are so excited about can be made at home. Make a bubble bath bomb with the aroma of Christmas fruit by yourself, not only more natural, safe, and healthy than bought toys but also experience the magical collision and sparkle of the chemical world. Come and satisfy the child’s curiosity of observation!
Materials required
- 1 measuring cup edible baking soda 1/2 cup citric acid 1/2 cup cornstarch 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil 2 tablespoons peppermint extract (or other fruity flavor) red food coloring;
- round cookie mold, spray bottle;
Practice
- Combine baking soda, citric acid, cornstarch, and coconut oil thoroughly;
- Add the peppermint essence and stir constantly (it will sizzle as it does so).
- Use a spray bottle to spray water every once in a while to keep the whole mixture slightly damp for easy shaping.
- Take half of the mixture and slowly add the red pigment, being careful not to over color it.
- Continuously knead the red and white mixture together and fill the mold tightly, forming a small ball at the top.
- Let dry overnight and remove from the mold
- Place the balls in a bowl, gently pour warm water over them, and watch the menacing bubble bath and sizzle of peppermint
- Keep any remaining mint balls in an airtight container to play with until after Christmas
Got inspired
Have the babies ever taken a bubble bath? Why is this little ball bubbling like crazy? And it hisses like a little volcano?
Turns out, it’s a reaction between baking soda and citric acid, called an acid-base reaction. Citric acid is the sour stuff in lemons that we eat, and baking soda, in contrast, is called a base. When the two of them meet, they produce lots and lots of carbon dioxide, and the carbon dioxide gas holds up one little bubble after another.
So, this one belongs to one of the most suitable STEM Christmas projects for kids.
3. Binary candy canes
In the era of programming, start your child’s programming journey early. The following fun beading game can help children intuitively understand binary concepts.
Materials required
- A few red and white beads, a few green beads
- hairy root strips
- Printed binary alphabet (or mom and dad can write their own)
Practice
- Write some Christmas words on white paper, such as pinyin for “snow” or English snow (not too many letters).
- Determine what the color of each bead means, such as red for 1, white for 0, and green for Spaces between letters.
- Find the corresponding letter of the binary alphabet, for example, S is 01010011, string the corresponding color, and then string a green bead at the beginning and the end.
Got inspired
You can go from 0,1,2…… To 10? Sure you can. But computers only recognize 0s and 1s!
Yes, it’s like this alphabet, where all the letters are represented by zeros and ones, so a computer can read them, and we call it binary. Once you understand binary, you can also “crack” a lot of codes.
4. Jingle the Christmas tree
Creating a “tool chest” for children can stimulate the interest of babies in building projects.
The use of treasure chest parts to make a super cool Christmas tree, not only plays a good exercise for the fine operation of the child’s hands, but also knows the jingling mechanical parts in the treasure chest, but make sure that mom and dad are present to assist.
Materials required
- thick foam board, green pen
- Screws, nut washers, and other parts (if not, colored tack can be used instead)
- Colored rubber bands or strings
Practice
- Mom and Dad cut the foam board into cones and asked the child to paint it green to make a “Christmas tree”.
- Screw screws anywhere on the foam tree.
- Hang nut washers on the nails
- Wrap a rubber band or string around the screws to make it look like a colorful Christmas tree (this will be loved by kids)
Got inspired
Do you have a treasure kit like Dad’s? Can you name the contents of the treasure chest?
After the completion of the Christmas tree project, go to the treasure chest, which are screws, which are nuts, which are washers, the babies all know and knows their function?
5. A rocket in a sleigh
Build a rocket launch project at home, children will not only enjoy the unexpected trajectory of motion but also learn the great Newton’s third law!
Materials required
- Long rope, several balloons, straw, clothespin
- White paper, colored pens, transparent adhesive
Practice
- Draw the sled on A4 paper, color it in, and cut it out.
- Cut a piece of straw and thread it through the long rope.
- Attach long ropes to both ends of the room (or the backs of two chairs).
- After the balloon is fully inflated, clip it with a clothespin and attach it to the sled you cut out earlier.
- Tape the balloon under the straw, making sure the straw and balloon slide freely on the string.
- Take the timer, loosen the clothespin, and let the sled go through the air.
- Pull on two ropes, and the whole family can compete in a rocket launch.
Got inspired
Why does Santa’s sleigh fly?
It turns out that the moment we let go of the clothespin, all the air that had been blown into the balloon was rushing out, creating a push in the opposite direction. This principle is also known as Newton’s Third Law.
The biggest challenge, of course, is the hands-on part.
Children may find that straws don’t slide smoothly, balloons don’t stick well or even fail on the first launch.
But the process of adjustment is to let the child continue to try the process, not only the hand will be more flexible, but also improve their patience and frustration resistance.
6. Shape jingle
Jingle Bells for Christmas, let’s creatively connect these bells, and what shapes can we combine with our brains?
Materials required
- print out cards of various shapes; Christmas bells, hair sticks, scissors
- Alternative materials: colored gummies, toothpicks
Practice
- With the child, try to insert the hair strip into the bell.
- Adjust the Angle and try to make a square.
- Use the shape cards to make more shapes
Got inspired
When you are done, you can ask the babies what little secrets they have found – the connection of the bell is called the corner of the shape, the hair strip is called the edge of the shape, and the children count together, how many corners and how many edges are there in each shape? Can you find anything similar in your home?
Can you turn a square into a cube? The number cube has several faces
Meaningful parent-child companion games are a time to enrich children, not only letting children think more, do more, see more, and learn more, but also condense the parent-child time you concentrate on together.
7. A song of ice, water, and cup
The theme of this Christmas STEM activity is the song of ice, water, and cup, and the age group of this activity is mainly kindergarten. The purpose of this activity is to let young children know that ice is a solid that does not easily change shape. And this activity can help young children understand that ice does not easily change shape, and can associate with other solids.
Materials required
- Large ice cubes (frozen in large plastic cups), plastic bags for water, and small plastic cups.
- Mallet, stainless steel spoon, not too sharp serrated knife, small towel, etc.
Practice
- The supervisor guides the children to recall the characteristics of ice and water and then shows the large ice cubes. Ask the children to help the teacher put the ice into the cup. The idea is to encourage children to think about two questions: Can ice fit in a cup? Can you figure out a way to put the ice in the cup?
- The children began to talk about how to turn big ice cubes into small ice cubes, and the teacher encouraged the children to think positively. The idea is to encourage children to think about two questions: How do you get ice into a cup? What tools are needed to assist?
- The teacher gave out the tools and the children began to experiment. Teachers visit children’s ice chiseling activities, ask children about their progress, and understand children’s ideas. Here the supervisor should pay attention to how the children put the ice into the cup (wrap the ice, smash it and fill it again, use tools to chisel the ice…).
- Give the children a bag of water and ask them to fill it in a cup. Compare the two situations and show which one is easier to fill in the cup. Here, children are asked to answer three questions: Which is easier to fill a cup with, ice or water? Does ice change shape easily? Does water change shape easily?
- According to the characteristics of ice is not easy to change the shape, let the children associate what other items are not easy to change the shape of ice. Children communicate and discuss with each other, and teachers record the items that children associate with them in time.
Got inspired
The change of a large ice cube into a small ice cube is a change in shape. After practical activities, children will find that it is not easy to turn large ice cubes into small ice cubes, and the shape of ice is not easy to change.
However, children may not easily understand what is solid, so it is suggested that teachers guide children to associate which items are as difficult to change shape as ice and make a simple description of these objects: such as whether there is a shape, whether the shape is easy to change, hardness, etc.
In addition, when using these AIDS, supervisors should remind children to use the tools safely, so as not to accidentally injure themselves and other children.
8. Christmas Destiny gift ball
Christmas gift to kids, how can let them so easy to get it ~ a challenge!
It is very popular to wrap the gift layer by layer into a big ball or to wrap the gift with multiple layers of packaging paper, the purpose is to let the other party feel the surprise of opening the gift.
Materials required
- A pair of dice
- Plastic wrap
- Gifts or cookies or candy for kids
Practice
- Everyone forms a circle and places the gift ball in the middle.
- The things we need are a pair of dice, we talk about the meaning of the points, such as 1 to the right, 3 to the left, 5 to the opposite pass, and so on.
- Everyone takes turns rolling dice to decide the order in which the gift balls should be passed;
- The contestants pass the gifts around as they open them, and the last one to open them gets the gift.
Got inspired
This is one of the free Christmas STEM activities. The more people are engaged, the more interesting it will be. Because no one knows who will get the gift, can only rely on luck! Why don’t you see how he plays?
9. Design a snowflake molecular model
Using chemistry, children can learn about the molecular structure of snowflakes and use model materials to create beautiful snowflake decorations. This activity not only adds to the festive atmosphere but also deepens the children’s understanding of the structure of matter.
Materials required
- AGAR powder
- Water
- Food coloring;
- Transparent container.
Practice
- In a small pot, combine AGAR powder and water in the proportions indicated on the package and bring to a boil.
- Add food coloring and stir well.
- When the mixture has cooled, pour it into a clear container to form small spheres of different sizes. These mimic the droplet shape of snowflakes.
Got inspired
Discuss with kids how snowflakes are formed and why they are hexagonal. Have kids try to draw different shapes of snowflakes and compare their symmetries.
10. Human-made volcano in snowfield (can be indoor or outdoor)
Using nearby materials such as vinegar, baking soda, coloring, and dish soap, let the children design and make their models of volcanic eruptions. By observing and explaining the science behind volcanic eruptions, children gain a deep understanding of geology. They also learn how to investigate natural phenomena through observation, hypothesis, and experiment.
And I can guarantee you that this little STEM experiment for kids can be one of the most educational Christmas STEM projects for Christmas Day and your whole family.
Materials required
The following materials should be prepared for each little kid.
- Small plastic bottle (representing a volcano);
- Vinegar
- Baking soda;
- Red food coloring;
- A small cup of dish soap;
- Real snow if there’s any (if no real snow, white plastic foam particles can be used);
Practice
- Insert the small plastic bottles in real snow, or almost buried in the white plastic foam particles.
- The children begin by pouring spoonfuls of baking soda carefully into small plastic bottles.
- They then mixed vinegar and red food coloring in a separate container to mimic the color of the “magma.”
- Next, the children slowly poured the “magma” into a plastic bottle containing baking soda.
- Watch the reaction: When vinegar is mixed with baking soda, carbon dioxide gas is produced, mimicking the “eruption” of a volcano.
- Finally, kids can drop a few drops of dish soap on the surface of the “magma,” which creates a rich foam that makes the effect of the eruption even more realistic.
- The whole practice steps can be the same as the video down below.
Got inspired
At the end of the experiment, the supervisors should guide the kids to discuss the formation principle of volcanoes, the process of volcanic eruption, and its significance in earth science (if you don’t want to prepare all of it, you can refer to the National Geographic ultimate volcano kit, which we’ve concluded in our best National Geographic earth science kit for kids review, to get the all package).
To wrap up
Christmas is a time of wonder and creativity, and STEM & STEM education is the best way to stimulate kids’ creativity and imagination. Through these educational and fun Christmas STEM activities, we can empower kids to enjoy the joy of the holiday while developing their scientific literacy and creativity. Let’s join hands to make Christmas-themed STEM activities full of wisdom and fun for our kids!
What’s more, only by doing the summary and following explanation of knowledge related to mentioned ideas and projects, can the kids get the inspiration from these STEM Christmas activities.
