Why STEM Activities Are a Great Activity for the Classroom

What happens when you give students a simple collection of everyday materials and tell them, "Let's see what you can build"?

You may be surprised by how quickly students begin planning, experimenting, solving problems, making changes, and sharing their ideas.

That is the beauty of STEM activities.

STEM learning doesn't have to involve expensive equipment or complicated technology. Some of the most engaging STEM challenges can begin with simple materials and a creative problem to solve.

For elementary students, hands-on STEM activities provide opportunities to practice science, technology, engineering, and math skills while also developing creativity, communication, writing, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

And for teachers, a ready-to-use STEM activity can provide an easy way to add hands-on learning to the school day.

What Is STEM Learning?

STEM stands for:

• Science

• Technology

• Engineering

• Mathematics

In an elementary classroom, STEM activities often combine several of these areas into one hands-on challenge.

Students might be asked to design a structure, create a vehicle, build a habitat, construct a robot, or solve a problem.

The goal isn't necessarily to create a perfect finished product.

Instead, students learn by planning, building, testing, making changes, and trying again.

That process is what makes STEM learning so valuable.

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7 Reasons to Use STEM Activities in the Elementary Classroom

1. STEM Activities Encourage Hands-On Learning

Children learn by doing.

Instead of simply reading about engineering or discussing how structures are designed, students can actually design and build something themselves.

Give students materials and a challenge, and suddenly they have a reason to use what they know.

Hands-on activities can make abstract ideas more concrete and give students an opportunity to experience the learning process for themselves.

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2. STEM Activities Build Problem-Solving Skills

One of the most important parts of a STEM challenge is that students may not know the answer before they begin.

They have to figure it out.

Students may ask:

• What should I build?

• Which materials should I use?

• How can I make my design stronger?

• Why didn't my first idea work?

• What could I change?

• Can I find another solution?

These questions encourage students to think critically and look for solutions rather than simply looking for one correct answer.

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3. Students Learn That Mistakes Are Part of the Process

Sometimes a student's first design doesn't work.

And that's okay!

In fact, that can be one of the most valuable parts of the activity.

STEM challenges give students opportunities to test, revise, and improve their ideas.

Instead of thinking, "I got it wrong," students can begin thinking:

"What can I change to make it work better?"

That mindset encourages persistence and helps students understand that successful designs often require multiple attempts.

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4. STEM Activities Encourage Creativity

STEM isn't only about science and math.

There is plenty of room for creativity.

Give several students the same materials and the same challenge, and you may end up with completely different solutions.

Students can make decisions about:

• What their project will look like

• Which materials to use

• How to construct their design

• How to solve the problem

• How to improve their creation

This allows students to use their imagination while also applying academic skills.

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5. STEM Activities Can Incorporate Reading and Writing

A STEM activity can be much more than a building project.

Students can read directions, research information, record their ideas, explain their designs, and reflect on what happened.

For example, students might:

Plan → Design → Build → Test → Reflect

Writing can be incorporated throughout the process.

Students can write about:

• Their original plan

• Materials they selected

• Problems they encountered

• Changes they made

• What worked

• What didn't work

• What they would do differently next time

This makes STEM activities a natural opportunity for cross-curricular learning.

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6. STEM Activities Encourage Collaboration

STEM challenges can be completed individually, with partners, or in small groups.

When students work together, they have opportunities to:

• Share ideas

• Listen to classmates

• Divide responsibilities

• Discuss solutions

• Solve problems together

• Explain their thinking

A partner or group project also allows students to discover that there may be more than one way to solve a problem.

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7. STEM Activities Make Learning Fun!

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons to incorporate STEM challenges into your classroom is simple:

Students enjoy them.

Building a robot, designing a vehicle, creating a maze, constructing a tower, or designing a habitat feels different from a traditional lesson.

Students are actively involved in the learning.

And when students are interested in what they're doing, you have an opportunity to connect that excitement to important academic skills.

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STEM Activities Don't Have to Be Complicated

When teachers hear "STEM project," they may imagine elaborate materials, complicated instructions, and hours of preparation.

But STEM activities can be much simpler.

You can use everyday classroom materials such as:

• Paper

• Cardboard

• Craft sticks

• Straws

• Cups

• Paper plates

• Recycled containers

• Pipe cleaners

• Tape

• Scissors

The focus is on the challenge and the thinking process, not on having expensive supplies.

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A Simple STEM Classroom Routine

If you're new to STEM activities, you don't have to completely change your curriculum.

Try adding a STEM challenge once every few weeks or as you feel comfortable.

Here's a simple routine:

Step 1: Introduce the Challenge

Explain the problem students need to solve.

Step 2: Plan

Give students time to think about their design and record their ideas.

Step 3: Build

Let students construct their projects using the available materials.

Step 4: Test

Have students test their designs.

Step 5: Improve

Encourage students to make changes if something doesn't work.

Step 6: Reflect

Ask students to explain what they learned and what they would change if they completed the project again.

This simple process can turn a collection of inexpensive materials into a meaningful learning experience.

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Make STEM Easy With Ready-to-Use Activities

I know that teachers are busy.

Coming up with a new STEM challenge, creating student directions, developing planning pages, and preparing everything needed for the activity can take a lot of time.

That's why I created a collection of ready-to-use 
STEM activities for elementary students.

My STEM activities are designed to give teachers a structured project while still allowing students plenty of room for creativity.

One example is my STEM Activity – Build a Robot Project for Grades 1–5.

Students work through the process of planning, designing, building, and reflecting as they create a robot of their choice.

The activity can be used as a STEM lesson, enrichment activity, center, project, or hands-on learning experience.

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Looking for More STEM Activities?

If your students enjoy building and designing, you don't have to stop with one project!

I have created a collection of individual STEM activities that can be used throughout the school year.

Some of the projects include:

• Build a Robot

• Build a Mobile

• Build a Monster

• Build a Maze
  

• Build a Super Hero

• Build a Vehicle

• Build a Tower

• Build a Habitat

• Build a Carnival Ride

And if you want a larger collection of STEM challenges, my 29 STEM Activities Mega Bundle brings together a variety of projects in one resource.

This makes it easy to have STEM activities ready for different times of the school year without having to create every project yourself.

Whether you're looking for a single project or a larger collection of activities, you'll find ready-to-use STEM challenges designed to help make hands-on learning easier for teachers and more engaging for students.

Ready to Try a STEM activity?

Click on one of the links above or visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store (Custom Categories - STEM Activities) to browse my collection of print-and-go STEM resources.

👉MRS. NAVARRE’S TPT STORE

Why Escape Rooms Are a Great Learning Activity for the Classroom

Have you ever watched your students become completely absorbed in an activity because it felt more like a game than a lesson?

That is one reason classroom escape rooms have become such a fun way to get students learning, thinking, collaborating, and solving problems.

An escape room doesn't need elaborate decorations, complicated technology, or hours of prep. With a print-and-go classroom escape room, teachers can turn an ordinary lesson into an interactive challenge that gets students excited about learning.

Whether you're teaching reading, grammar, math, science, history, or Bible lessons, an escape room can be adapted to fit almost any subject.

What Is a Classroom Escape Room?

A classroom escape room is an activity where students work through a series of challenges, questions, puzzles, or clues to reach a final goal.

Instead of simply completing a worksheet and turning it in, students have a reason to keep going:

Can we solve the next challenge?

Students may need to:

• Read and understand information

• Answer questions

• Solve math problems

• Find clues

• Decode messages

• Put information in the correct order

• Use critical-thinking skills

• Work with classmates

• Complete a final challenge

The goal might be to "escape" from a room, solve a mystery, discover a secret message, or complete a mission.

And the best part?

Students are practicing important skills while they are having fun.

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7 Reasons to Use Escape Rooms in Your Classroom

1. Escape Rooms Make Learning More Engaging

Let's face it—students are often more motivated when an activity feels like a challenge.

Instead of saying, "Today you are going to complete a worksheet with six questions," you might say:

"Today, you are going to work to complete a mission with six challenges. Can you escape?"

That small change can make an activity feel completely different.

Students have a purpose for completing each task, and the desire to reach the final goal can encourage them to keep working.

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2. They Encourage Problem-Solving

Escape rooms naturally encourage students to think about information in different ways.

Students may need to figure out:

• Which clue is important?

• What information do we already know?

• What do we need to figure out?

• Which answer makes sense?

• What should we try next?

These are valuable skills that go beyond memorizing information.

An escape room allows students to apply what they have learned rather than simply recall facts.

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3. Students Practice Collaboration

Many escape room activities work especially well when students work in pairs or small groups.

Students can divide responsibilities, discuss possible answers, explain their thinking, and help one another.

One student may be good at finding clues while another is better at solving the puzzle.

This creates opportunities for students to practice:

• Communication

• Listening

• Cooperation

• Sharing ideas

• Explaining their reasoning

• Working toward a common goal

And when students successfully complete the challenge together, they get to celebrate their accomplishment as a team.

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4. Escape Rooms Can Reinforce Curriculum Skills

An escape room doesn't have to replace your curriculum.

Instead, it can be used as a review activity, enrichment activity, center, early-finisher activity, seasonal activity, or end-of-unit challenge.

For example, a grammar escape room might have students practice capitalization and punctuation.

A math escape room might involve solving money problems.

A reading escape room could require students to read carefully to find information needed to solve each challenge.

This makes escape rooms a flexible addition to your existing lessons.

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5. They Can Be Used With Different Learning Styles

One of the advantages of an interactive activity is that students aren't simply sitting and listening to a teacher.

Depending on the escape room, students may be:

• Reading

• Writing

• Discussing

• Cutting and sorting

• Solving problems

• Looking for clues

• Drawing conclusions

• Sequencing information

• Working with visual materials

This variety can make a lesson feel more active and engaging.

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6. Escape Rooms Can Be Used for Review

One of my favorite ways to use an escape room is as a review activity.

After students have learned a concept, an escape room can provide a fun way to see what they remember.

For example, instead of giving students another traditional review worksheet, you can turn the review into a challenge.

Can your students use what they've learned to complete the mission?

It can be especially helpful before a break, at the end of a unit, or when you want to add something different to your regular lesson routine.

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7. You Don't Have to Spend Hours Preparing

This is one of the biggest benefits for busy teachers.

A classroom escape room doesn't have to mean creating elaborate props, locks, decorations, and complicated clues.

Print-and-go escape rooms can make preparation much easier.

Print the pages, gather whatever basic supplies are needed, and you're ready to create an interactive learning experience.

That's one reason I love creating escape room activities for teachers who want something fun for students but easy for the teacher to prepare.

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How to Use an Escape Room in Your Classroom

Small Groups

Divide students into groups and let each group work through the challenges.

This gives students more opportunities to communicate and collaborate.

Partners

Pair students together and let them solve the challenges with a partner.

This can be especially helpful for younger students who may need a little more support.

Learning Centers

Set up an escape room as a center that students can complete during rotations.

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Try a Classroom Escape Room!

If you're looking for a way to add more excitement to your lessons, consider trying a print-and-go escape room.

I create classroom escape rooms designed to make learning interactive while keeping preparation simple for teachers.

Here are a few of the escape room challenges available in my TPT store:

📚 Reading, Grammar & Language Arts

Capitalization and Punctuation Escape Room
Students practice important grammar skills while working through an escape room challenge.

💰 Math

Counting Coins Escape Room Challenge
A fun way for young learners to practice beginning money skills and counting coins.

🌊 Science & Animal Habitats

Ocean Escape Room Challenge | Save the Ocean Animals
Students complete challenges while learning about ocean animals and helping to complete their mission.

Rainforest Escape Room Challenge 
Students enjoy completing tasks and navigating through different rainforest locations.

📜 Social Studies

Save the U.S. Constitution Escape Room
A fun interactive activity that can be used when teaching about the U.S. Constitution.

✝️ Bible & Christian Education

For Christian classrooms, Sunday School, homeschool, and Bible lessons, I also have several Bible-themed escape rooms.

Students can learn about Bible stories while solving challenges based on:

• Jonah and the Whale

• The Miracles of Jesus

• The Easter Story

• Adam and Eve

• The Seven Days of Creation

• David and Goliath

• The Christmas Story

These can be a fun way to add an interactive element to a Bible lesson while reinforcing the story and important details.

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Make Your Next Lesson a Challenge!

Learning doesn't always have to look like a traditional worksheet.

Sometimes students need an opportunity to move, think, talk, solve, and work together.

A classroom escape room can turn a regular lesson into an experience.

Whether you use an escape room for review, enrichment, a learning center, a holiday activity, a Bible lesson, or simply to give your students something different to do, the goal is the same:

Make learning memorable.

And when students are excited to figure out what comes next, they may not even realize how much learning is happening along the way!

🔐 Ready to Try an Escape Room?

Visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store to browse my collection of print-and-go escape room activities.

👉Mrs. Navarre's TPT Store  - Look for the custom categories on the left of my store page to find my Escape Room activities.