Incorporating STEM activities into your preschool curriculum is helpful in preparing children for school. STEM is used to describe four major learning areas: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. STEM programs are built around trying to integrate these disciplines into activities for children to solve problems and real-world situations. When incorporating STEM into a preschool program, it helps to separate the four areas to help kids grasp each concept.

At JLP Inspiring Minds, we take learning seriously and aim to provide a well-rounded curriculum. A great way to introduce the concept of STEM to young minds is to show them where STEM exists in the world they live in. It’s important to keep young minds engaged and explain difficult concepts to them in a way they can understand.

Here is a list of fun and engaging STEM activities we think make a good preschool program.

Fun STEM Activities to Include In Your Preschool Program

The best way to teach children about the principles of STEM is through immersive play. Here are some fun and engaging STEM activities to include in your preschool program.

1. Five Senses Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt is a great way to get children to spend time in nature and burn off some energy running around. A five senses scavenger hunt includes placing treasures for the kids to find by using all five senses. Each child will need a piece of paper with a list of items to find based on sensory characteristics. For example, one of the items could be to “find something pink” which incorporates the sense of sight. The child could then go on a hunt to find a pink flower. Another item on the list could be to “find something sour” and the child could choose lemons or limes that have been put out for them to find.

This activity is a great way to help children learn about their different senses and get to an answer on their own.

2. Creating the Solar System

A great way to teach your preschoolers about space is to get them to create their very own solar system. Learning about Earth and other planets can be very exciting for young children. An interesting and fun way to engage children is through arts and crafts. A fun activity is to get the children to create the solar system by cutting out different size circles of paper and painting them different colors. Each circle will represent a different planet in the solar system. You can then connect the planets together with string and create our solar system.

3. Soda Bottle Compost Activity

This activity is a creative way for children to learn about the composting process up close.

What you’ll need:

• An empty 2-liter soda bottle
• Organic materials like old produce, grass and leaves
• Soil

Cut the top off your soda bottle and remove the label so that it is completely clear. Fill the bottle with soil and organic material in alternate layers until the bottle is full. Then task the children with recording the weekly changes to their compost heap on paper. This activity is great to expose children to this natural degrading process.

4. Sorting by Color Or Animal Type

Learning about numbers from an early age is important to the overall development of your child. A great way to teach children about counting and numbers is through games. A fun way to get your children to count is to ask them to sort things by color or by type.

For example, you can make use of all the toys or animals in the classroom and ask the child to sort them into groups. Once the child has sorted the animals by type or the toys by color, ask them to count how many of each there are in the group. This is a fun and easy activity for all, plus you can reward the child with the toy if they get the answer right!

STEM Based Preschool Program at JLP Inspiring Minds

Exposing your children to STEM based preschool programs is a great step to increasing their school readiness. At JLP Inspiring Minds, we would be delighted to support your child through their developmental stages. We pride ourselves on a fun, educational and highly interactive STEM curriculum. If you want to learn more about enrolling your child with us, then contact JLP Inspiring Minds today!