You save them every year and then buy a new box and remember that you still have a ton left from last year. Well, let’s put those Christmas cards to work and set up an invitation to engineer with our Christmas card engineering activity and STEM challenge for kids! We love simple and hands-on Christmas STEM activities for all ages!
Use The Engineering Design Process For Christmas STEM
This season, why not pair the engineering design process with fun holiday themes, such as candy canes, gumdrops, Christmas trees… you get the picture!
Engineers often follow a design process. Although all engineers use different design processes, each one includes the same basic steps to identify and solve problems.
An example of the process is “ask, imagine, plan, create, and improve.” This process is flexible and can be completed in any order.
💡 Read more about the Engineering Design Process and grab the free information guide.
Christmas Card STEM Challenge
This Christmas STEM challenge is an awesome holiday activity that can be used at home, in the classroom, or with a youth group. It’s also perfect for working together with individuals, two-person teams, or small groups!
Free Instant Printables ⭐️
Now through the 25th, download the Christmas STEM Printables instantly!
Supplies:
- Christmas cards (old, new, recycled…)
TIP: Don’t have Christmas cards? Grab a pack of index cards and fold them!
Instructions:
STEP 1. Set out a basket as a simple invitation to build with Christmas cards. It’s as easy as that!
STEP 2. Challenge them to use all the cards to build a tall structure, or design a Christmas tree. Older kids can sketch their designs too!
This Christmas card activity can be set up anytime, and it can be left out for constant use, too. Plus, I believe multiple ages will enjoy working together or building side by side.
Patience, perseverance, and steadiness are great STEM and life lessons learned here today. Yes, the structure fell over several times. How can you solve the problem? Encourage your kids to keep going and not give up. Through these failures come successes, too!
My son had a fantastic time figuring out the design needed to build this Christmas tree. He declared it a Christmas tree of triangles and built it a couple of different ways. That’s what is so wonderful about an open-ended activity like this one.
More Fun Christmas STEM Challenges
Easy setup. Awesome fun. hands-on learning. And all of this was accomplished with leftover Christmas cards. Need more fantastic Christmas STEM activities to keep you busy this season? We never have a shortage!
Santa’s Chimney Challenge: Soft candy and toothpicks are a winning combination for building structures for STEM. Build a chimney for Santa. How high can you make it?
Christmas Paper Chain Challenge: Turn decorating the Christmas tree into a STEM challenge! Make the most festive and longest paper chain you can from one piece of paper.
Jingle Bell STEM Challenge: This is our version of the classic egg drop challenge with a more Christmasy theme. Can you quiet a jingle bell so it doesn’t make any noise?
Christmas Tree STEM Challenge: The challenge is to build a Christmas tree with just 100 cups.
Christmas Catapult: Design and build a simple catapult, and test how far you can fling the red and white pom and poms. Almost to the North Pole!
Santa’s Balloon Rocket: A fun Christmas version of the classic balloon rocket. Explore forces as you send Santa flying across the room.
More Christmas Activities For Kids
- Christmas Science Activities
- Christmas Art Activities
- Christmas Jokes for Kids
- Christmas Games for Kids
Printable Christmas STEM Project Pack
200+ PAGES OF HOLIDAY THEME STEAM, STEM, Science, and Art!
- 25+ Christmas theme science and STEM activities with printable sheets, instructions, and useful information all using easy-to-source materials perfect for limited-time needs. Includes a holiday theme engineering pack with fun, problem-based challenges for kids to solve! NEW observation sheets included.
- Try a Santa’s Letter airplane challenge or take the gingerbread house-building challenge!
- Explore the five senses with a specially designed Santa’s Lab pack.
- Try a mini nature study with your favorite type of Christmas tree.
- Try your hand at building shapes with gumdrop structure challenge cards or build shapes with jingle bells. Or try the Christmas-themed paper chain challenge!
- Christmas Screen-free Coding activities include algorithm games, binary code ornaments, and more!
- Explore 6+ Christmas Art Projects with famous artist-inspired activities that combine art history, process art techniques, and more with simple to-do ideas.
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