Fun Back-To-School STEAM Activities

There's nothing more important than kicking off the new school year with the right tone and activities. Every learner who comes into your classroom needs to know that they're capable of greatness. We're here to help you plan and organize your back-to-school STEAM activities to ensure a strong start.

Time in a STEAM classroom is a precious resource. Make the most of the time you have right from the start!

These STEM back-to-school classroom activities can reduce some of the anxiety students feel when starting a new school year. By introducing students to their classroom, their fellow learners, and STEAM concepts through these activities, you can set the tone for productive learning throughout the year. Fun activities like these also create bonds between students—something that aids successful team or group learning!

The Benefits of Fun Back-to-School STEAM Classroom Icebreakers

STEAM, at its core, requires an environment that promotes curiosity, inclusion, collaboration, and much more. In the first few days of a new school year, students may be reluctant to jump into lessons with their questions and contributions. By providing some fun introductory activities, you enable students to ease into a cadence of STEAM learning.

There are many benefits to starting the school year off with fun classroom icebreakers, which include:

• Relaxing students
• Helping students form bonds
• Becoming acquainted with each other and the learning environment
• Inviting teamwork, collaboration, and conversation
• Laying a foundation for future STEAM projects
• Promoting positivity and excitement
• Kicking the year off with FUN

1. All About Me STEAM Robot, K–3

This download allows younger students to quickly introduce themselves to one another while also highlighting the importance of STEAM learning in their class. The prompts ask students questions to engage their curiosity, as well as outline a variety of STEAM topics to pique their interest. When students are finished, hang the posters in the classroom so that they can learn about each other!

Click here to download the All About Me STEAM Robot now!

2. Get to Know You STEAM Questionnaire Worksheet, Grades 3+

This activity gives students a chance to learn about each other in a hands-on way! First, pair students up in groups of 2. Next, give them a Get to Know You STEAM Questionnaire Worksheet. This sheet is where they will gather data about their partner through a series of 13 questions.

Once they’ve collected their data, students will choose 13 building materials (one for each question answered) to build a structure that represents their partner. At the end, students can present their structure along with the questionnaire to show their building process and creative reasoning.

Note: This activity could be individualized as well. Students can answer the questions and then build their own structure to represent themselves.

What you’ll need:

• Get to Know You STEAM Questionnaire Worksheet
• A collection of random building materials (see list below)
  • Multi-colored pipe cleaners
  • Paper clips
  • Cotton balls
  • Tooth picks
  • Nails, nuts, or screws
  • Play Doh or Clay
  • Craft sticks
  • Aluminum foil
  • Styrofoam balls
  • Beads
  • Cups
  • Straws
  • Pipes
  • Recyclable materials
  • Packaging materials
  • Paper rolls
  • Lego bricks
  • Markers
  • Scraps of wood or blocks
  • Yarn
  • Paper plates
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Tape
  • Rubber bands
  • Markers

3. Lunar STEAM Survival Scenario

Blast off with this fun STEAM activity! To begin, break students out into groups of 3–4. Then, give them the Lunar STEAM Survival Worksheet.

The students will follow the instructions on the sheet to walk through their journey to landing on the moon, and venturing 100 miles to the meeting station for their space mission. This simple activity will get students to start using a variety of STEAM skills such as problem-solving, collaboration, creativity and more!

As a group, they will need to choose which 10 materials to bring with them. On the sheet they will rank their chosen materials, and offer an explanation as to why that item made the cut. Next, each group will present their list to the class. A teacher’s answer key will have the items as ranked by NASA. At the end, go over NASA’s ranking with the class, and see how their answers compare.

This group activity is sure to get students talking, brainstorming, laughing, and ultimately learning together!

In Summary

Launching a classroom culture that fosters curiosity and exploration is an essential component for year-long success. Starting with STEAM-friendly activities sets the tone for fun, productive, and collaborative STEAM learning for the entire term. This time is also essential when it comes to helping students get to know one another. The more they bond with each other, the more they will enjoy the collaborative aspects of STEAM learning throughout the year.

Your friends at TinkRworks hope these resources have gotten your creative juices flowing on back-to-school STEAM ideas! Download the All About Me STEAM Robot, Get to Know You STEAM Questionnaire Worksheet, and the Lunar STEAM Survival Worksheet for free so you can start the school year in a fresh, fun way!