Activities for 9-11 Year Olds to Do at Home

Inspire innovation and creativity with STEAM projects catered for your kid!

STEAM Projects You Can Do Today

Make Instant Ice

Water is usually loaded with particles and impurities, which enables ice to form. But purified water isn’t. This allows purified water to reach way colder temperature before solidifying.

If you leave an unopened bottle of purified water in the freezer for two to three hours, the bottle will be way colder than the freezing point of regular water. When you pour that super-chilled water onto a block of ice, it latches onto the ice’s impurities and freezes instantly!

Learn more: Instant Ice

Launch a Balloon Rocket

Create your very own balloon powered rockets and see how far they can travel. Experiment with different balloon shapes and sizes to experiment with the travel speed. You can even add some cargo for your balloon rocket, and see how that impacts the journey!

Learn more: Balloon Rocket

Play Periodic Table Battleship

Explore the Periodic Table of Elements through a fun game! Just print out a couple Periodic Tables, follow the instructions in this awesome article, and brush up on your chemistry!

Learn more: Periodic Table Battleship

Make a Rube Goldberg machine

Make a complex machine with as many pulleys, levels, and rolling objects as possible! Making a Rube Goldberg machine takes patience, but also gives a chance to stretch your creativity!

Learn more: How to Make a Rube Goldberg machine

Build a Rubber Band Racer

Challenge your kids to build their own version of this rubber band race car and then let them spend an afternoon hosting their own races!

Learn more: DIY Rubber Band Racer

Dancing Salt

Discover how music creates vibrations you can see using salt and a portable speaker! Then try experimenting with different genres of music to see which ones make the salt dance more.

Learn more: Dancing Salt

Baking Soda Ocean Art

Have some creative fun with your own undersea collection, made from baking soda dough. Add details and texture to your creations to bring them to life. Share them as gifts or display them in your room as keepsakes!

Learn more: Baking Soda Ocean Art

Egg Geodes

Have you ever grown your own crystal geodes? Try this egg experiment and grow your very own borax crystals in a shell! Experiment with different borax concentrations and see how big your crystals can grow.

Learn more: Egg Geodes

Cute Birdhouses out of Cardboard Tubes

Using only recycled materials, these birdhouses are perfect for decorating a room!

Learn more: Recycled Birdhouse Crafts

Water Squirter

A squirt gun is a great example of what happens when you apply pressure to a liquid. In this quick, fun experiment, learn how to make your own miniature water squirter using just two cups, a straw, and some clay!

Learn more: Water Squirter

Q-tip Bow & Arrow

Not only is this tiny bow and arrow project adorable, but it can also be made with everyday household items! Just follow this quick guide and unleash the Q-tips for target practice.

Learn more: Q-tip Bow & Arrow

Make Your Own Bookmarks

Create a personal bookmark to make reading even more fun! This project is both fun and practical, and can be accomplished with upcycled materials.

Learn more: 25 Creative DIY Bookmark Ideas

Take a Googly Eye Walk

Add some fun to the world around you with some gigantic googly eyes! All it takes is paper plates, a sharpie, and a bit of imagination.

Learn more: Googly Eye Walk

Pop-up Cards

Pop-up cards are a great twist on the ordinary greeting card. All it takes is some decorative paper and a few strategic cuts to create something truly special!

Learn more: Make Your Own Pop-up Cards

Fluffy Slime

Is your slime feeling mucky and dense? Could your slime use a little pep in its step? Try mixing together this special concoction of household goods and make fluffy slime! In the process, learn about polymers and the science behind slime!

Learn more: Fluffy Slime

Balloon Penny Coin Spinner

This demonstration of a penny spinner — which bears remarkable resemblance to a particle accelerator – aka, an “atom smasher” – is fun for everyone. All you need is a clear balloon and a coin!

Learn more: Balloon Penny Coin Spinner

Pumping Heart

Curious about how your heart pumps blood? Create a model to learn about the right atrium and the ventricle!

Learn more: Pumping Heart

Make An Origami Dinosaur

Want to make an epic paper dinosaur? This tutorial will take you on a origami adventure to the Jurassic!

Learn more: 10 Origami Ideas for Beginners

Finger Knit a Beanie

Finger knitting is an awesome, handy skill which produces some beautiful & practical results. All you will need is some wool, your fingers and a pair of scissors!

Learn more: 20 Gorgeous Finger Knitting Projects

Tour a Virtual Museum

Some of the world’s most exciting museums have brought their knowledge online, and now offer virtual tours. View museums around the world from the comfort of your home!

Learn more: 12 Museums That You Can Visit Virtually

Learn How to Bake Bread

Baking bread can be intimidating, but if you follow these simple steps you’ll soon be enjoying some fantastic, fresh loaves! In the process, you’ll learn about how yeast works and explore the chemistry of baking!

Learn more: Learn How to Bake Bread

Build a Tin Lantern

These tin lanterns are easy, kid-friendly, and can be built with items from around the house. If you’re feeling creative, you can even experiment with different light designs!

Learn more: Build a Tin Lantern

Host a Paper Airplane Contest

Put your physics, aerodynamics, and construction skills to the test with this fun group activity! Create your own contest, follow these rules (or make your own!), and hope that the wind is at your back!

Learn more: Official Paper Airplane Contest Guide

Plant Light Maze

Have you ever noticed how plants grow toward the light? Build this simple light maze, and watch the plant grow around the obstacles to reach the light! Try experimenting with different mazes and see how the plant reacts. Can your plant complete its maze?

Learn more: Plant Light Maze

Pom Pom Bunnies

There’s nothing sweeter than fuzzy little animals… even sweeter when they’re made by hand! These pom pom bunnies give plenty of room for creativity and the result is guaranteed to be incredibly cute!

Learn more: Pom Pom Bunnies

Thermal Powered Flower

Have you ever seen hot air rise? In this project, explore the physics behind thermal air currents (hot air rising) by harnessing them to power your own spinning flower! Note that this project uses fire and paper, and should only be attempted with adult supervision. Happy spinning!

Learn more: Thermal Powered Flower

Invent a Secret Code

Invent a secret code and write messages! See if your friends or family can break your code, and try to break theirs. Can you decode their hidden messages?

Learn more: How to Create Secret Codes & Ciphers

Self Watering Planter

Learn how to water your plants with just string and a Ziplock bag! In this project, you’ll run a string from the bag of water directly into the soil, where the plant roots will soak up the water. You’ll need to use a low container to make sure the bag rests gently on the ground. Then your plants will have a steady supply of water to keep them green and growing!

Learn more: Self Watering Planter

Rubber Band Helicopter

Learn about helicopters by making a rubber band powered flying toy! The two propellers on your rubber band helicopter are able to fly thanks to the same principles that keep real helicopters aloft. The angled blades of the propellers act like fans when they spin, pulling air from above and blowing the air downwards. This creates enough lift to counter the effect of gravity on the helicopter, pushing it higher and higher into the sky!

Learn more: Rubber Band Helicopter

Egg Drop Project

When an egg drops from a second-story window, it picks up 32 feet/second of speed for every second it falls. By the time the egg reaches the ground, it’s going at about 24 miles per hour. And then, suddenly, its speed drops to 0 miles per hour (usually along with a big SPLAT). How can you get an egg to drop without breaking it? Change the way it drops with this awesome egg drop experiment!

Learn more: Egg Drop Project

Cranberry Chemistry

What do cranberries and chameleons have in common? They can both change color! Cranberries contain chemicals called anthocyanins, which change color depending on how acidic their surroundings are. (They are natural pH indicators!) Since cranberries are naturally acidic, they normally look red, but we can neutralize the acid to find the berry’s true colors.

Learn more: Cranberry Chemistry