Looking for easy STEM activities that are easy to set up at home and that will be a hit with your family (even you)? These are my best suggestions (perfect for a year long gift idea too)!

Thank you to KiwiCo for partnering with us.

’Tis the season for…at home activities.  A break from school is coming and…..you're looking for fun and easy stuff to do with your kids.  Right?  

This is inevitable this time of year.  The weather cools way down, you probably have home tasks to take care of (or potentially need to still work while your kids are home).  And these? Yes, I’m talking about them again this year.  My top recommendation for easy stem activities at home. 

KiwiCo boxes are a fun, easy and engaging way to set up fun activities for your kids that are education, hands on and totally entertaining.

 While I love a great family movie day, we all know it’s also really important to encourage our children to engage in hands on activities.  And I get it….we need help, support and ideas to get those activities set up so that they run smoothly.  Screen free activities take planning, materials, inspiration……and to be blunt, prepping stuff like this? Not everyone's thing (it’s probably not MOST people’s thing).

The teacher in me loves planning easy STEM activities.  But this time of year? I'm short on time, materials, and…..patience (just being honest here).  So I'm calling in a support team, and prepping some fun activities to do at home over winter break.  And bonus? You can subscribe so that these amazing activity options show up EVERY month throughout the year.

I've talked about KiwiCo's subscription boxes for the last couple years (and yes, I’m a bigger and bigger fan every year)……they have a ton of options with hands on and easy STEM activities to suit different ages and developmental stages.  

You also have options about frequency of delivery.  You don't have to subscribe to their monthly box (although we still do)…..you can order crates a la carte (fancy wording for…..you can shop single crates in KiwiCo's online….they even have some easy Stem Activities exclusives that are only available in the KiwiCo shop and some of the projects are as low as $9.95)  

So options for holiday gifts? You can do a subscription, plus add on a few additional crates for the winter break or even as family gifts.

Click here to get 60% off first month of a KiwiCo monthly subscription with code JOY

KiwiCo Crate Options By Age: 

Panda Crate (ages 0-2 years): arrives every other month and was developed in partnership with Seattle Children’s Hospital

Koala Crate (ages 2-4): hands on activities for preschoolers

 Kiwi Crate (ages 5-8): fun hands-on and easy STEM projects that explore art, science, and engineering for early elementary

 Atlas Crate (ages 6-11): this is the crate we’ve gotten for the last two years, it focuses on a different culture and location each month

Yummy Crate (ages 6-14): cooking is science, and this is a great option for combining the two into fun, hands on activities

Doodle Crate (ages 9-13): this is the perfect box for kids interested in art and design!

Tinker Crate (ages 9-13): future engineers and builders will LOVE THIS ONE! 

Click here to get 60% off first month of a KiwiCo monthly subscription with code JOY

A Few Tips for Implementing Easy STEM Activities at Home:

1. Prepare in Advance: As silly as this sounds….preparation is key.  Open the box, read the directions and if you’re hoping your children will be able to complete the activity somewhat independently? Unwrap things, and get everything ready for use.  
2. A Space to Work: If you want easy Stem activities to be a regular thing at home, figure out a work space.  One solution? Work trays.  Get cheap plastic trays that are easy to clean.  Each child has their own tray to work on.  This keeps messes ON THE TRAY and makes it easy to move things as needed.
3. Time Together: Yes, kids can often do SOME independent activities after age 5 or 6….but keep in mind that may look different than you expect.  For most early elementary school aged kids…..10 minutes is a LONG time to focus on an independent task.  So, you have options.  Break a larger project up….or do some parts together and then assign small independent tasks within the larger project.

I hope these tips help you to implement easy STEM activities in your household!