Flying cupids, launching hearts, and so much more! Let’s kick off the season with a 14 days of STEM challenges. Valentine STEM activities are simple twists on your favorite, everyday STEM projects. Adding hearts, traditional holiday colors, or themed candies/supplies makes for fun Valentine’s Day activities for kids. Encourage a love of learning with simple STEM activities!
14 DAYS OF VALENTINES DAY STEM ACTIVITIES
VALENTINE ACTIVITIES
Bring STEM fun to your Valentine’s Day this year! It’s super easy to give our STEM challenges a Valentine theme makeover with simple materials and everyday supplies. Set up fun and easy to do Valentine STEM activities and science experiments to get your kids thinking!
WHAT IS STEM?
STEM takes science and builds in elements of technology, engineering, math, and sometimes even art. A good STEM activity will include at least two of these four pillars such as math and engineering or science and technology.
Amazingly, a STEM activity is perfect for young kids because it provides so many valuable life lessons and skills such as observational skills, critical thinking skills, and design skills. It also provides a much-needed dose of failure before success. Perseverance and patience. Valentine STEM is also great for those kiddos who aren’t keen on crafts.
ALSO CHECK OUT: Valentine LEGO Building Ideas
START WITH A TINKER TRAY!
Start each holiday or season with a theme tinker tray. Go to your local dollar store or seasonal aisle of any big box store for inexpensive finds to add to this type of tinker kit or tinker tray. Read more about what is on our tray here.
A tinker tray is just one of our go-to resources for inexpensive STEM activities supplies. If you want to learn more about how we do STEM on a budget, CLICK HERE.
VALENTINES DAY STEM SUPPLIES
Have fun with these STEM ideas below. Use them to set up your own 14 day countdown calendar or move them around to suit your needs. Pick just a few Valentine activities to enjoy or try each one! It’s up to you how many you try.
The materials are inexpensive overall. You may already have many simple supplies in your cupboards and drawers. The craft store, dollar store, and grocery store have everything you need. Some of the purchased materials can even be saved and reused for different activities. I like to store materials in a large plastic tote and separate holidays and seasons into zip-top bags to keep it organized.
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE PRINTABLE VALENTINE STEM ACTIVITIES!
VALENTINE STEM ACTIVITIES
14 days of hands-on learning with a Valentine’s Day theme!
Day 1: Flying Cupids Balloon Rocket
A super fun physics activity with a Valentine’s Day theme!
Day 2: Valentine’s Day Slime
We have amazing Valentine’s Day slime activities to share with you using some of our favorite and easy to make slime recipes. Fluffy slime, saline slime, floam slime, and more!
Day 3: LEGO Marble Maze
A base plate, LEGO bricks, and a marble! Don’t have LEGO? Try a box top, straws, and tape! Additionally, we have LEGO hearts to build too!
Day 4: Heart Cup Tower Challenge
Can you build a heart shaped tower? All you need our these mini red ups and cardboard pieces! Bonus challenge, try a larger version!
Day 5: Valentine Geoboard
Styrofoam or wood. Small finishing nails, loom bands or small rubber bands for this mathematical Valentine activity.
Day 6: Valentine Thaumatrope
So easy! Computer paper, drinking straws, markers, and tape. No mess!
Day 7: Dissolving Candy Hearts
Explore solubility with Valentine’s Day candy! Free printable too!
Day 8: HEART LAUNCHER
Make a catapult and launch hearts for awesome Valentine STEM activities and physics experiments! Also check out our LEGO catapult, pencil catapult, and jumbo marshmallow catapult!
Day 9: Squishy Circuits
The is the most expensive activity on the list as you would need to purchase the squishy circuits kit. It will also require ingredients to make homemade playdough but you may already have them on hand.
CHECK OUT: No Cook Playdough Recipe
UPDATE: Super fun. I made our reactive playdough pink and used cookie cutters to make thick hearts for the circuits. We ran through the different activities that the website lists on the kit. The pictures from my phone aren’t too great! My son and husband had a great time with the whole kit.
Day 10: Build Candy Structures
Jelly beans, gumdrops, or marshmallows and tooth picks. What can you build? A bridge, a tower, geometric shapes, an abstract sculpture! Check out more ways you can build structures here!
Day 11: Valentine’s Day Coding
We have been playing around with the binary alphabet to check out coding without a computer. Grab some pipe cleaners and beads or even a LEGO baseplate and small LEGO bricks for this idea. You will also find a link to an algorithm coding game as well!
Day 12: Color Changing Flowers
All you need are some white flowers, jars, food coloring, and water for this easy science experiment.
Day 13: Valentine’s Day Lava Lamp
Explore a fun science activity with a neat result! A DIY lava lamp is an easy to set-up science experiment that showcases some simple concepts like liquid density and chemical reactions.
Day 14: Chocolate Science Experiments
Fun and edible chemistry activities for kids. Make sure to grab some sprinkles too! Make your own chocolates for Valentine’s Day.
BONUS STEM ACTIVITY: BUILDING HEARTS
How many materials can you use to build hearts? You saw the heart cup tower above, but what else can you use for building supplies? Click on the links below to see how we got creative with other inexpensive materials.
AWESOME VALENTINE STEM ACTIVITIES TO ENJOY!
Give science for Valentine’s Day instead of candy. We have all kinds of free science Valentines, and we show you what to pair them with too.
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE PRINTABLE VALENTINE ACTIVITIES!
Katie S
What size do you cut the cardboard for the stacking red solo cups into the heart?
littlebins
The width of the mouth of the cup or so is fine. There is no specific measurement or you can use index cards.