Electrical STEM Activities for Kids
Simple circuits for kids with Snap Circuits
My 6 year old has been having a lot of fun working in "creative mode" (any Minecraft fans out there?) with
Snap Circuits (affiliate link, please read my full disclosure here).
After
a brief lesson on Ohms law and basic circuit components such as
resistors, capacitors, batteries, and motors, he went to work. In the
end he used both of our battery packs and a fan to make a flying saucer
that flew way higher than it did with just one battery pack. His big
takeaways are: "Always make a loop," and "Make sure you don't switch
things around the wrong way, especially the LEDs (polarity)."
Snap Circuits are one of the few ways I have found for young kids to easily explore circuits. It is one of my favorite STEM toys. Definitely check them out if you can.
It is so much fun to build with Snap Circuits!
Use Minecraft to Learn about Logic
Did you know that you can create logic gates right IN Minecraft? I'm betting your kids know (if they play) but they may not realize that logic gates are used across programming languages. You can learn about AND, OR, NOT, and more
here:
If your kids aren't into Minecraft but like dominoes,
these are amazing:
Online Circuit Activities and Simulators
Some great virtual resources:
I highly recommend the
Blobz Guide to Electric Circuits.
I also found the following,
The Fusebox circuit builder
Electricity Circuits Game at Science Kids (click to go to the site and play):
BrainPOP has a way to simulate circuits and components as well!
What ARE Circuits?
For more background on electrical circuits, why not visit these sources:
Try a Digital Breakout!
For some basics about circuits, as well as fun code-cracking, I created some digital breakout activities for
upper elementary and
middle school:
Hands on Circuits
If you are looking for more hands-on ways to explore electrical engineering activities for kids, here are some other great kits (affiliate links):
We have used this and it's great, though I recommend it for about ages 10 and up:
Graphics in main image from Teachers Resource Force and The Cher Room.
