Start the school year with a few STEM challenges that get kids building, testing, and talking about their ideas right away. These first week of school STEM activities use paper, index cards, tape, and other basic classroom supplies, so you can get started without a complicated setup.
Use one challenge each day for a 5-day STEM kickoff, choose just one for your first STEM lesson, or keep them handy for quick engineering challenges throughout September.
Free Download: Grab the First Week of STEM Investigations Guide below. It includes the 5-day quick-start plan, an Index Card Chair Challenge, a Walk Through Paper Challenge, and STEM process pages you can reuse for other projects.
Field: STEM & Engineering
Grades: K–5
Concepts: Engineering Design, Testing, Observation, Problem Solving
A Simple 5-Day STEM Kickoff
You don’t need five elaborate lessons to introduce STEM. Start with one manageable challenge each day and let students get comfortable with the basic routine:
Ask a question → Make a plan → Build or test → Observe → Improve → Try again
👉 This is a fantastic introduction to the Engineering Design Process (more printables here).
Here’s an easy first week:
Day 1: Paper Chain Challenge
Can you make the longest paper chain from one sheet of paper?
Give each student, pair, or group the same amount of paper and let them decide how to cut and assemble their chain. Measure the finished chains and compare the different solutions.
This is one of my favorite back-to-school STEM challenges because the materials are so simple but there are plenty of ways to rethink the design.
Day 2: Strong Shapes Challenge
Which shapes make the strongest structures?
All you need is paper! Compare triangles, squares, and cylinders. Add weight and observe which designs stay standing.
It’s an easy introduction to the way shape can affect the strength and stability of a structure.
Day 3: Paper Bridge Challenge
Can you build a paper bridge that holds weight?
Place a sheet of paper between two supports and experiment with folding, rolling, or shaping the paper before adding pennies or other small weights.
Have students record how much each design holds and then make one change before testing again.
Day 4: Paper Helicopter Investigation
What makes a paper helicopter fall faster or slower?
Build a simple paper helicopter and test it several times. Then change one feature, such as blade length, paper type, or added weight, and compare what happens.
This challenge is especially useful for introducing the idea of changing one variable at a time.
Day 5: Index Card Chair Challenge
This challenge is included in the free First Week of STEM guide.
Can you turn 5 index cards and no more than 12 inches of tape into a chair or platform that supports a small toy?
The finished structure must:
- Stand on its own.
- Hold the toy above the table.
- Stay standing for at least 10 seconds.
- Be tested before students improve the design.
🔎 Students can fold, roll, layer, and combine the index cards in different ways. After the first test, have them choose one change that could make the chair stronger or more stable and try again.
Questions to Use With Any STEM Challenge
You don’t need a different worksheet or discussion for every project. A few good questions work across almost any engineering challenge:
- What do you notice?
- What do you think will happen?
- What worked well?
- What would you change?
- What evidence do you have?
- What would you try next?
You can use these during the activity, as a quick class discussion afterward, or with a STEM notebook.
👉 Grab a free STEM Questions for Reflection printable here.
Bonus: Can You Walk Through a Sheet of Paper?
Add this one when you need a quick challenge that looks impossible at first.
Can you cut a single sheet of paper so that the opening is large enough to step through?
👉 The Walk Through Paper Challenge encourages students to experiment with cuts and folds and rethink what is possible with an ordinary sheet of paper.
⭐️ The printable template is included in the free guide.
Get the Free First Week of STEM Guide
Use the printable guide to make your first STEM lessons even easier.
Use the complete five-day sequence or pull out individual pages whenever you need a simple engineering challenge.
👉 Download the Free First Week of STEM Investigations Guide Below
Frequently Asked Questions
What grades are these first week STEM activities for?
These challenges work well for elementary students, especially grades K–5. Younger students can build and discuss their observations, while older students can add measurements, design constraints, data collection, and written explanations.
How long should I allow for each STEM challenge?
Plan for about 20–40 minutes. You can also shorten many of the challenges by completing the planning and first test during one STEM period and saving redesign for later.
Do students need to complete the engineering design process every time?
No. Especially during the first week, the goal is to introduce the routine. Ask students to plan, build, notice what happened, and make one improvement. You can add more detailed recording as students become familiar with the process.
Want more hands-on STEM ideas that actually work?
Our Classic STEM & Engineering Projects Pack includes 50+ favorite experiments and engineering challenges with printable journal pages, instructions, and easy-to-find supplies. Perfect for classrooms, homeschool, and curious kids who love to build and test ideas.
More STEM Activities to Explore
- First Week of Science Activities
- September Science Planner
- Engineering Activities for Kids
- STEM Challenges for Kids
- Engineering Design Process for Kids
Looking for even more ready-to-use STEM activities? The Lifetime Library includes hundreds of printable STEM, science, art, LEGO, and seasonal resources organized so you can quickly find what you need throughout the school year.
