Are you looking for ideas for STEM lesson plans to teach science to young children?

For each theme linked below, I share all the activities we do in a two-hour, play-based parent-child class for kids age 3 – 8. Activities include art projects, crafts, science experiments, games, building projects, dramatic play, recommended songs, books, sensory play, snacks, free printable worksheets and more, all grouped by these STEM themes – pick any theme, and click on the name to start exploring!

Lesson Plans

• Identities: What is a Scientist;  What is an Inventor? What is an Engineer?
• Earth and Space Science:
  • Astronomy: Stars and Constellations; Planets and Space Travel
  • Geology: Earth and Earthquakes; Rocks
  • Meteorology: Weather; the Wind
• Life Science:
  • Biology: Human Body; Skeletons; Habitats, Adaptations, Eggs, Seeds & Plants, Ocean Life; Nature Hikes
  • Five Senses: Overview, Vision, Touch, Taste, Smell, Hearing, Science of Sound
  • Zoology: Dinosaurs; Bugs; Animal Classification, Farm Animals.
• Physical Science:
  • Chemistry: States of Matter, Mixtures and Solutions, Dramatic Reactions – Things that go boom! and a Sequence of Experiments
  • Physics: Force – Pushes and Pulls, Magnets, Gravity; Electricity, Light and Shadow, Rainbows, Sink or Float, Projectiles
• Math and Engineering:
  • Measurement
  • Simple Machines Unit: Overview of Simple Machines, Inclined Plane, Lever, Wedge, Screw, Wheel and Axle, Pulleys
  • Machines: Cars; Submarines; Robots, Flight
  • Building: Towers, Strong Structures, Building a House, Contraptions and Rube Goldbergs

Other materials that span across the year’s themes and can be used with any STEM lesson plan: Rhythm Curriculum, Kids Songs about Science, Recommended Books, and the Ultimate Guide to Sensory Play, and Creation Station.

These lesson plans are informed by the New York State Pre-Kindergarten Learning Standards, and Next Generation Science Standards.