Creative Christmas STEM Activities Your Children Should Try!

STEM needs to be where kids are.

Whether that's at home, during Christmas, or in the TV shows they're watching, STEM can never be an afterthought if you want to raise successful kids. 

That's why apart from school, kids rolling up their sleeves and doing hands-on learning at home is the best way for them to gain a deeper and more detailed understanding of STEM. That's the reason why STEM activities exist. The goal of these hands-on projects is to draw out children's inquiries and promote in-depth investigations. 

This Christmas, make the most out of the celebration by adding a holiday twist to their STEM activities. We listed outstanding holiday arts & crafts as part of your kid's ultimate STEM-themed Christmas celebration. Check out how to do the Creative Christmas STEM activities below!

You also might be interested: 8 Simple Christmas Science Experiments for Kids to try this 2021

Kids' STEM Activities and Crafts for Christmas

1. Christmas Ornament Making Project

Instead of buying ornaments online, why not create them with your kids? This would be a splendid avenue to extract some artistic juices and learn some milk-plastic chemistry! This activity is a perfect alternative that can help save money from Christmas ornaments. You'll only need milk and vinegar to do it (don't worry, it's environmentally safe!). 

While these two seem like the most unconvincing partners, you'll be amazed at the result! You can find the in-depth recipe for this easy DIY Christmas craft below.

Materials

• 1 cup of milk

• 4 tablespoons of vinegar

• 1 mug/cup

• Paper towels 

• Paint and brushes

• Cookie cutters, shape mold, markers (optional)

Directions

1. With the pan, HEAT one cup of milk on a stovetop until it begins to steam (Alternatively, you may heat the milk using a microwave at 50% power for 3-5 minutes. It should have a similar temperature.).

2. PLACE 4 tablespoons of vinegar in a mug or cup.

3. POUR the steaming milk into the mug. This process should form whitish clumps called "curds".

4. STIR the mixture with a spoon slowly for several seconds.

5. Once the mix starts to cool down, SCOOP all the curds with a spoon and transfer them over some paper towels to dry. Eliminate the liquid that's left from the mug.

6. FOLD the edges of the paper towel towards the ball of curds to absorb all excess liquids.

7. Within an hour after extracting the curds, you may now MOLD, SHAPE, PAINT, and DESIGN your milk plastic. 

If you need to see how to do this STEM craft, here is an instructional video:

Here are some awesome designs of this DIY Christmas craft. STEAMpoweredfamily molded their milk-plastic ornament into a Santa and painted it accordingly. 

On the other hand, Science Buddies created a diverse collection of milk-plastic decor shapes.

2. Building Gingerbread Houses

The following STEM project deals with some engineering and fine motor skills in children. After all, the E in STEM stands for engineering. So why not put kids' creativity to the test with some gingerbread house challenge this Christmas?

The goal of this Christmas craft is for kids to unleash their inner artists while infusing engineering concepts. What's better is that all of you can munch on the masterpiece afterward, so it's a win-win!

Materials

Note: Whatever materials you use for this DIY Christmas craft is your choice. Listed below are the ones my kids and I used when we did this holiday STEM project! Feel free to buy the same or choose your own building tools.

• Structure and pillars (Gingerbread, graham crackers, pretzel sticks)

• Glue (Frosting, melted chocolate, melted marshmallows)

• Random candies for decoration

Directions

Kids call the shots when making the building. You may guide them but let your children take the lead. The point here is that they have a fantastic time doing the STEM activity this Christmas.

1. PLAN the design of the building your kids wish to create. A printed illustration might help. We recommend a nativity design to add some Christmas-themed feel to the project.

2. USE graham crackers or PREPARE your gingerbread dough for the materials used. The former is more straightforward and significantly easier to do than baking your dough. 

3. ESTABLISH the base first and work your way upwards. 

4. FILL your gingerbread house with candies to add some color and life.

3. Edible Stained Glass

Nothing screams Christmas than spending the holidays in church. But with the blizzard starting to build up, maybe we can take the church feel at home? This December STEM activity brings the stained glass aesthetics of cathedrals into your own hands!

The edible stained glass project is a fun STEAM project that combines chemistry and geometry. You will need the right temperature to get the best consistency. Check the recipe for this holiday Christmas craft below!

Materials

• Hard candies like Jolly Ranchers (assorted colors)

• Pretzel sticks 

• Aluminum foil

Directions

1. LAY a layer of aluminum foil over that table to serve as your workstation.

2. MAP out the skeleton of your edible glass design using pretzel sticks.

3. PLACE your Jolly Ranchers on a microwaveable bowl and heat at 50% power for 2 minutes at a time.

4. TAKE the bowl out and MIX your melted candy to prevent them from sticking to the bowl.

5. REPEAT steps 3 and 4 as needed until you get the molten glass consistency.

6. SCOOP the candy with a spoon and spread over appropriate areas in your edible glass design.

7. If your candy hardens, you may REHEAT them at 30 second-intervals to avoid burning.

4. Flying Reindeer Straw Art

The next STEM craft idea is pretty simple but it's interesting to know how much you can make using paper straw and a plastic pipette.

You can buy the supplies needed for this Christmas craft in your nearest department store. In this activity, kids will make a reindeer art and get that artwork flying, just like Santa's reindeer! Here's how you do it.

Materials

• Paper Straw (with red and white)

• Printed or drawn picture of a reindeer (or any critter you like!) on a 2" x 3" paper

• Plastic pipette

• Glue (preferably glue gun)

Directions

1. PRINT out or DESIGN your flying reindeer (or any critter). 

2. CUT the long stem of the plastic pipette but leave around half an inch of the stem intact to the bulb draw (head).

3. The opening of the pipette must be wide enough to fit your paper straw snuggly. Feel free to TRIM more from the pipette stem until your kid gets the perfect fit.

4. GLUE the design you made to the bulb draw using a glue gun or stick glue.

5. INSERT the paper straw inside the small opening of the pipette.

Here is an instructional video to help you out, but in this tutorial, they used a bat instead of a reindeer:

What happens next?

The trick here is for your kids to blow through the paper straw as strongly as they can. The pressure from their breath gets trapped in the bulb draw, causing the pipette to propel into the air. In the eyes of your preschoolers, it looks like the reindeer are flying. This is the secret behind this easy DIY Christmas STEM craft!

Want to take the challenge up a notch? Have a contest and see who blows the reindeer farther!

5. Christmas Science Lava Lamp Bottle 

What good are DIY crafts if they can't put them on display this Christmas? This next art project is a fun way to teach children about density. Take note that it looks too beautiful, you'd want it on display this holiday season! So bring the fascinating beauty of lava lamps to a simple STEM Christmas art project.

Materials

• Plastic bottle (Ideally, VOSS water containers for added aesthetic feel)

• Baby oil

• Water 

• Festive food coloring (green, red, yellow, blue)

• Alka-Seltzer tablets

Directions

1. FILL around ⅓ of the plastic bottle with baby oil.

2. MIX your water with the food color of your choice.

3. POUR the colored water gently into the plastic bottle containing baby oil until ⅔ of the bottle is filled. Let your kids note what happens when you pour the water over the oil.

4. DROP a tablet of Alka-Seltzer into the colored water and oil mixture and see the lava lamp magic come to life.

So what happened here?

Oil is less dense than water. That's why water seeps down to the bottom of the bottle. When you add Alka-Seltzer to the mix, the interaction between water and the tablet creates air pressure that pushes water upwards. But the water again subsides down the bottle since it is denser than oil. This trifecta of effects creates the lava lamp-like aesthetics! 

What little bins for little hands did with their Christmas lava lamp looks pretty astonishing!

6. Marshmallow catapult

The marshmallow catapult is the highlight of all the listed Christmas STEM activities. This DIY craft will test your kids' dexterity, motor skills, engineering knowledge, and creativity! Don't worry. We're sure they'll still have so much fun, especially when they start playing with it.

The marshmallow catapult is one of the best STEM projects to do this Christmas. Check out the directions on how to make it, below!

Materials

• Popsicle sticks

• Rubber bands

• Water bottle cap

• Stick glue (Preferably glue gun)

• And a whole lot of creativity!

Directions

The steps on how to do this Christmas science activity are complicated to put into words. No worries because we included the perfect video below to teach you in making this easy DIY Christmas craft. 

After your kids finish making their catapults, it's time to load up some marshmallows and fire! Place some targets and challenge your kids to hit them. This Christmas craft idea also makes a good STEM challenge for your kiddos. 

Don't forget to give rewards to your kids who win the STEM challenge!

FAQs

What can my child learn from STEM activities?

STEM activities introduce enjoyable ways for kids to explore the world through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The learnings obtained from STEM activities support the development of math and other vital skills.

How can we use STEM in our everyday lives?

You can integrate STEM from the simplest day-to-day activities up to the celebration of special occasions. Engaging in STEM activities during Christmas or Halloween are helpful tips to embed STEM as a part of kids' lives. Never underestimate the impact of infusing STEM with every activity. 

Is STEM important for young children?

Yes, STEM is critical for your kid's academic and professional success. In this technology-focused environment, children who have a STEM foundation early on are more equipped to compete in the professional industry.

Try These Creative Christmas STEM Activities Now!

Creative Christmas STEM activities help in making the holidays a whole lot more fun. Not only do they produce beautiful results, but also promote science learning in kids. So if you want a STEM-themed Christmas celebration this December, fill their days with these awesome crafts and activities. In addition to arts, Christmas STEM experiments are also incredible ways to encourage educational play.

Like crafts and experiments, science gadgets fulfill the role of both play and learning. Our STEMscope kids' microscope is one instrument that has proven its effectiveness in stimulating curiosity and investigation in thousands of children. If you plan on buying STEM presents for a child you love, this is a good place to start.