By Tyler King

With winter’s cold weather and snowy precipitation, nature becomes a playground for young minds to learn. Kindergarteners will especially enjoy this season as curiosity becomes a beautiful motivation to explore. From building igloos to making frozen bubbles, here are three winter STEM activities to spark inspiration and excitement in your kindergarten students!
1. Building Igloos
In this activity, kindergarten students explore the engineering behind igloo construction using toothpicks and marshmallows. They will create an igloo structure with their materials and learn how to engineer a stable structure using limited resources. This activity can even become a competition, with the winner receiving a prize! This project allows students to get hands-on with a creative winter STEM project they’ve never tried before.
Activity link: Building Igloos – Lemonlimeadventures.com
Materials needed: marshmallows and toothpicks.
2. Arctic Animal Insulation
This activity demonstrates to kindergarten students how different Arctic animals stay warm. First, teachers will prepare a bowl of icy water. Then, students put gloves on, dip their hands in shortening, and put them in the water. Because of the fat in the shortening, their hands will stay warm! This experiment will teach kindergarteners about the biological adaptations of Arctic animals that live in cold environments.
Activity link: Arctic Animals – Icanteachmychild.com
Materials needed: a bowl of ice water, shortening, latex gloves, and plastic wrap.
3. Frozen Bubbles
This activity allows kindergarten students to experiment with a fan-favorite activity: bubbles! In this experiment, students will blow bubbles in a cold environment outside. Then, as the bubbles float or land, they will watch as they freeze with thin layers of ice. This experiment is a unique way to pique kindergarteners’ curiosity while also showing them about freezing points and changes in states of matter.
Activity link: Frozen Bubbles – Firefliesandmudpies.com
Materials needed: bubble solution and bubble wands.
Winter brings various learning opportunities and explorations for learners of all ages. With its beautiful and joyous nature, winter is the season of experimentation. Incorporating these engaging STEM activities into your kindergarten curriculum can ignite a passion for learning and creativity in your young learners. So bundle up, grab your mittens, and get ready to try these three engaging STEM activities for kindergarteners!
Do you want more resources on the topic of winter STEM activities? NSTEM’s vast resources database provides thousands of STEM resources that are searchable by category, school level and state. This comprehensive library includes info on enrichment activities, curricula, internships, scholarships and more. Check out a free sampling here. Or get an NSTEM membership today to unlock the complete list.
K-2 is where it all starts with STEM education. The National STEM Honor Society focuses on “From K to Career, NSTEM from the Start!” To start your K-2 Chapter of the National STEM Honor Society, click here.