🎄 STEM at Christmas – Festive Challenges
Christmas is a fantastic time to introduce fun, engaging STEM challenges, using a familiar and exciting context to spark curiosity and creativity across all stages.
Festive STEM activities provide opportunities for learners to design, build, test and improve, while developing key skills such as problem-solving, teamwork and resilience.
🔗 Learning Links:
- Science (forces, materials)
- Technologies (design and build)
- Numeracy (measuring, budgeting)
- Expressive Arts (creativity)
- LfS (Curriculum, Culture)
🔬 STEM focus
- Design challenges • Structures • Materials • Problem-solving
🌍 LfS focus
- Creativity • Resourcefulness • Sustainable use of materials
💡 Ideas for the Classroom
🎅 Design and build a sleigh or Santa launcher
🎄 Create a free-standing Christmas tree structure
🎁 Design sustainable gift packaging
🍪 Investigate baking science (changes, states, measuring)
❄️ Build a snowman or shelter challenge using limited materials
❓ Guiding Questions
- What materials will work best and why?
- How can we make our design stronger or more stable?
- What could we improve if we tested this again?
- How can we make our design more sustainable?
🔄 Stage Adaptation
Early Years:
Simple building and creating using festive materials and play
Primary:
Structured design challenges with testing and improving
Secondary:
More complex problem-solving, design criteria and evaluation, linking to real-world engineering
Festive STEM challenges are a great way to end the term, encouraging learners to apply their skills in a fun, meaningful and memorable way.
Little Bins for Little Hands Christmas STEM Countdown Challenge Cards:
Energising Futures Advent Calendars:
Winter STEM Challenges created by SSERC:
