Looking for summer STEM activities that keep kids building, creating, testing, and problem-solving all season long? Explore hands-on STEM challenges, engineering projects, design activities, and investigations that encourage kids to think like engineers.
Instead of simply completing an activity, challenge kids to improve a design, solve a problem, or test an idea. Choose a challenge below and get started!
Summer STEM At A Glance
Summer STEM activities encourage kids to build, create, test, and solve problems through hands-on challenges and engineering projects. From rockets and paper airplanes to bridges, boats, circuits, and sound experiments, these STEM activities help children explore science, technology, engineering, and math while having fun.
- STEM Topics: Engineering, Physics, Design Challenges, Forces & Motion, Problem Solving
- Age Range: Ages 5–12
- Prep Level: Easy to Moderate
- Perfect For: Homeschool, Classrooms, Libraries, Camps, Family Learning
- Skills: Creativity, Critical Thinking, Engineering Design, Innovation
Start Here: Favorite Summer STEM Challenges
New to STEM? These are some of our favorite summer STEM activities for building, testing, problem-solving, and exploring.
🚀 Bottle Rocket
Launch a rocket powered by air pressure and experiment with different designs.
☀️ Solar Oven
Harness the sun’s energy to build and test a working solar cooker.
✈️ Paper Airplanes
Compare designs and discover which airplane flies the farthest.
🚗 Rubber Band Car
Explore motion and energy while designing a car powered by stored energy.
🌉 Paper Bridge Challenge
Use engineering and design to create a bridge that supports weight.
⛵ Aluminum Foil Boat Challenge
Test buoyancy and redesign your boat to hold more weight.
🎵 DIY Speaker
Investigate sound waves and vibrations by building a simple speaker.
🚀 Straw Rocket
Design, launch, and improve your own paper rockets.
Free Summer STEM Starter Guide
Turn STEM activities into meaningful investigations with printable planning pages, observation sheets, challenge prompts, engineering design pages, and STEM notebook tools.
Flight & Launch Challenges
Explore force, motion, air pressure, gravity, lift, and engineering design! Try these hands-on flight activities that fly, glide, launch, and soar.
Challenge: Can you make your design fly farther, stay in the air longer, or launch higher?
- Bottle Rocket
- Straw Rocket
- Balloon Rocket
- Paper Airplanes
- Paper Helicopters
- Parachute Challenge
- Popsicle Stick Catapult
- Alka-Seltzer Rocket
More Flight Activities → Coming Soon
Build Something That Moves
Simple motion activities for big results! Design, build, and test projects powered by air, rubber bands, gravity, or simple machines.
Challenge: Which design travels the farthest?
More Things That Go Activities →
Build With Paper
Discover how engineers use shapes, structure, and design to make materials stronger.
Challenge: Can you change your design to make it stronger, longer, taller, or hold more weight?
- Paper Bridge Challenge
- Strong Paper Shapes
- Paper Tower Challenge
- Paper Grabber STEM Challenge
- Paper Chain Challenge
More Engineering Activities with Paper →
Build Something That Floats
Explore buoyancy, balance, and engineering design through various buoyancy activities and floating boat challenges.
Challenge: Can your design hold more weight than before?
- Aluminum Foil Boat
- Straw Boat Challenge
- Paddle Boat
- Soap Powered Boat
- Alka Seltzer Boat
- Sink or Float Extensions
More Water Science Activities →
Create Something That Makes Sound
Easy sound science projects include these musical instrument activities. Explore vibrations, sound waves, pitch, and engineering design.
Challenge: Can you change the sound your creation makes?
Create Something That Spins
Explore motion, force, energy, and engineering through hands-on projects that spin, twirl, rotate, and race.
Challenge: Can you change the speed, direction, or length of time your design spins?
Create Something That Lights Up
Explore electricity, simple circuits, energy, and engineering design through hands-on projects that light, spin, and power simple devices.
Challenge: Can you improve your circuit or create a new way to power your design?
- Paper Circuits
- Flashlight Circuits
- Conductive Playdough
- Aluminum Foil Circuit
- Salt Circuit Experiment
More Circuit for Kids Activities →
Explore STEM Beyond Earth
Blast off into space with rockets, astronomy projects, and engineering challenges.
Challenge: How would you design a spacecraft for a mission?
- Straw Rockets
- DIY Planetarium
- Build a Satellite
- Design a Lunar Lander
- Create a Shuttle
- Make a Telescope
Turn STEM Activities Into Investigations
The best STEM learning happens when kids ask questions, test ideas, and improve their designs.
Try these simple steps:
- Ask a question.
- Make a prediction.
- Build or test a solution.
- Record observations.
- Compare results.
- Improve your design.
Even small changes can lead to new discoveries and better solutions.
👉 Learn more about the Engineering Design Process here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are STEM activities?
STEM activities combine science, technology, engineering, and math through hands-on projects that encourage creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
What are the best summer STEM activities for kids?
Popular summer STEM activities include bottle rockets, engineering challenges, LEGO projects, water investigations, edible STEM activities, and space-themed projects.
How can I encourage STEM learning during summer break?
Provide open-ended challenges that encourage kids to build, test, redesign, and improve their ideas while exploring real-world STEM concepts.
What age are these STEM activities for?
Most activities can be adapted for preschool through upper elementary students with adult support as needed.
What supplies do I need for STEM activities?
Many STEM projects use common materials such as cardboard, paper, craft sticks, tape, balloons, LEGO bricks, recycled materials, and household supplies.
Are STEM activities good for homeschool and classrooms?
Yes! These activities work well for homeschool programs, classrooms, libraries, camps, after-school clubs, and family learning at home.
Helpful STEM Resources
- What Is An Engineer?
- STEM Reflection Questions
- Engineering Vocabulary Words
- Real-World STEM Challenges
- STEM Supply List
More Summer Learning Ideas
Looking for even more hands-on activities?
- Summer Science Experiments
- Outdoor STEM Activities
- Science Snack Labs
- Ocean Activities
- Shark Week Activities
- Summer Science Camp
Make Summer STEM a Blast!
From slime and bubbles to nature walks and camp weeks—this Summer bundle is your one-stop summer STEM solution. Over 11 hands-on activity packs to make this your most fun and educational summer ever!
There is only a green link on the first week. When will the others be added?
Yes, Nicole I am working on adding them now! The 2nd week is in and the third is coming this week too.
I know you are a little behind in adding the weekly links, but my son is really into SPACE EXPLORATION. Any possibility of giving me the link for that early? Thanks!!! Crystal