This is a seriously fun and totally easy STEM challenge for kids to set up this holiday season. We all need a few tricks up our sleeves with all the hustle and bustle that is going on! Get your kids off the screens and into Christmas building games with this Christmas tree cup game. The challenge is to build a Christmas tree with just 100 cups.
Christmas Tree Cup Challenge
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.
Free Instant Printables ⭐️
Now through the 25th, download the Christmas STEM Printables instantly!
The Task: Build the tallest Christmas tree using 100 cups.
Supplies:
- 100 Plastic Party Cups {or whatever you can get}
- Imagination and Determination {free and unlimited}
Add these free printable Christmas STEM Challenge worksheets
Extend the activity for older kiddos by adding these design process worksheets to guide your kids.
Plan | Build | Problem Solve
Hand out cups to individuals or groups. Allow for 5 minutes planning time before building starts. Add a time limit for building if you wish, 15 minute to 20 minutes works well!
Decorate your Christmas tree cup tower with pompoms or even crumpled tissue paper as Christmas tree decorations.
Our STEM challenges are a great to way to engage kids even with simple supplies like these plastic party cups. We have a whole list of STEM supplies on a budget to check out.
There’s nothing better than building a huge cup tower Christmas tree and then knocking it down! Your kids will love this fun and addictive Christmas cup stacking challenge!
A simple and fun Christmas STEM activity for any time any day that all the kids can enjoy together. Go screen-free your next indoor or stuck-inside day. The kids will have a blast. If you have Nerf guns, snowball shooters, or even rolled-up socks, use them too for knocking down the towers.
More Fun Christmas STEM Challenges
Check out more Christmas STEM projects here.
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.
Christmas Card STEM Challenge: The best way to recycle all those Christmas cards! What kind of structures can you build with a heap of Christmas cards?
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?
Santa’s Sleigh Challenge: Santa needs a sleigh in order to make his rounds. But what happens if Santa’s sleigh is down for repairs with no time to spare? It’s up to you to design and build Santa a new sleigh with this Christmas STEM challenge complete with free printable worksheets.
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.
I love this idea! What a great way to encourage cooperation, creative thinking, and patience. This will be so much fun to do!
Great idea! Thanks for sharing.
Love the idea!!!! I have looked all over for the green clear cups. Any suggestions on where to look for them. Thank you in advance
I bought mine in the grocery store but I have seen them at the dollar store too.