Inside: LEGO STEAM IDEAS! 100 new ways to use the LEGO bricks you already have in your home and have fun practicing math, science, engineering, art, and technology with your children (STEAM).
If you are looking for some amazing activities to make use of those LEGO bricks you already have in your home, you’ve come to the right place.
LEGO is one of those toys that you don’t mind your kids being obsessed with, because they help develop focus, concentration, problem-solving, patience, and even organizational skills.
LEGO is also a terrific tool for learning science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM). I have scoured the internet for the most amazing LEGO activities that are engaging and easy to set up, and here is the list.
LEGO Science
Little kids are born scientists: driven by a natural curiosity and a desire to figure out how the world works. While it seems like children are “just playing” when they sit on the floor surrounded by a pile of blocks, they are actually developing their critical thinking and spatial reasoning. They’re looking for patterns, investigating cause and effect, and sharpening their focus and concentration.
The following science-y play ideas are a lot of fun and promote observation, experimentation, and problem-solving: all the important steps in the scientific process.
Star Wars Science: Defying Gravity/ Kid Minds
The Science of Aerodynamics + Messy Art / Kid Minds
Granular Convection with LEGO and Sand / Kid Mids
Aeronautics with DIY LEGO airplane / Kid Minds
The Science of Magnets with LEGO characters / Kid Minds
Code a LEGO Maze / Research Parent
LEGO Displacement / Lemon Lime Adventures
Great LEGO Balloon Car Race / Elemental Science
Write Coded Messages with LEGO bricks / Frugal Fun For Boys and Girls
LEGO Geoboards / Still Playing School
Modeling States of Matter with LEGO / Sophia
LEGO Atomic Structure / Susan’s Homeschool Blog
Sedimentary Processes With LEGO bricks / Earth Learning Idea
Magnet Maze / Science Sparks
3D Water Cycle Project With LEGO / Adventures With Kids
Surface tension / Kids Activities Blog
LEGO Sink or Float / Science Sparks
Rocket-Powered LEGO Car / Frugal Fun For Boys and Girls
LEGO Chemical Reactions / How to Smile
LEGO Technology
Smartphones and computers usually come to mind when we talk about “technology,” but the word means so much more. Technology includes all the tools and man-made objects that help us accomplish tasks. Lifts, scissors, ramps, and wheels are all examples of technology.
A great way to guide your kids through technology challenges is to structure it around a goal. What’s the task that we are trying to accomplish? For example, you might want to keep your small desk clean and organized, so the challenge would be to design a LEGO desk organizer that maximizes vertical space. The task is to build something small, more vertical than horizontal, functional, and easy to use.
Working LEGO Night Light / Frugal Fun For Boys and Girls
Easy LEGO Catapult / Little Bins for Little Hands
LEGO Pulley / Lego Education
Working LEGO Flashlight / Instructables
LEGO Desk Organizer / Kids Activities Blog
Rubber Band Powered LEGO Car / Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls
Scissor Lift / LEGO Education
Law of Motion Experiment for LEGO Lovers / Captivating Compass
Sturdy Bridge Building / Frugal Fun For Boys and Girls
Machines & Mechanisms (free lesson plans) /LEGO Education
Electric Playdough / Lemon Lime Adventures
Lego Balance Scale / Kids Activities Blog
Solar Powered LEGO Car / Teach Beside Me
LEGO Engineering
Engineers apply science, technology, engineering, art, and math (the whole STEAM) to find solutions to technical problems. When children build with blocks or construct a pillow fort, they are already thinking like engineers. All you have to do is to build on their natural problem-solving skills and give them an opportunity to practice their critical thinking.
The following collection of 12 LEGO STEM Challenges is a fun way to sneak some learning into any day. Click here to get the printable cards.
FREE PRINTABLE LEGO ENGINEERING CHALLENGE CARDS
LEGO Art
Art is a sensory STEAM and a vital component of creative thinking. Kids are born with creative mindsets and are naturally drawn to artistic expression, be it finger painting with yogurt or drumming on mom’s pots to make music.
To incorporate an art element in any activity, you can ask kids to take photos, sketch their designs, draw their findings, and in later years, come up with a piece of descriptive writing to summarize their projects. A critical component of scientific discovery is sharing ideas and solutions with others, and the more creatively it can be expressed, the more people will be interested in hearing more about it.
Artsy LEGO ideas
LEGO Mandala Art / Mama Papa Bubba
Print Making With LEGO Blocks / Kitchen Table Classroom
Printing Patterns with LEGO bricks / Science Sparks
LEGO Car Ramp Painting / Toddler Approved
Quick DIY LEGO Thank you Cards / Life with Moore Babies
DIY LEGO Crayons / The Best Ideas for Kids
LEGO Car Art / Steam Powered Family
Drawing Ideas Inspired by LEGO / Kids STEAM Lab
LEGO Pendulum Painting / Kids Craft Room
Sensory & Artsy LEGO Ideas
Oobleck STEAM Activity with LEGO / Steam Powered Family
LEGO Sensory Bottle / The Chaos & The Clutter
LEGO Science Scavenger Hunt / Fun A Day
Ice Excavation Experiment / Lemon Lime Adventures
Kinetic Sand LEGO Stamping / And Next Comes L
LEGO Snow Globe / Mini Eco
LEGO STAR WARS Molten Lava Slime / Fun a Day
Sensory Play with LEGO and Water / And Next Comes L
LEGO Sensory Bin / Little Bins for Little Hands
LEGO Math
Children are exposed to many math concepts every day – shape, size, distance, and patterns. LEGO play brings many mathematical concepts to life by making them visible and tangible. Be it symmetry or addition, LEGO allows children to naturally build skills and a mathematical knowledge base in a fun way.
LEGO Doubles and Near Doubles / Kid Minds
Symmetry and Patterns with LEGO bricks / Kid Minds
Decomposition with LEGO / Kid Minds
Teach Numbers with LEGO bricks / The Joy-Filled Mom
Counting and Measuring with LEGO / The Imagination Tree
LEGO Addition / Playdough to Plato
LEGO Multiplication / Renee at Great Peace
Place Value / Royal Baloo
Roman Numerals / And Next Comes L
LEGO bar graphs / Look! We Are Learning
Ten Frames Games / A Little Pinch of Perfect
Skip Counting / Kids Activities Blog
Color Sorting / This Little House of Mine
Polyomino Puzzles with LEGO / Steam Powered Family
LEGO Fractions / JDaniels4’s Mom
Working LEGO Scale / LEGO Ideas
Comparing Numbers / Royal Baloo
Money Skills / You’ve Got This Math
Area & Perimeter / School Time Snippets
Coordinate Plane / iGame Mom
LEGO Clock / Our Nerd Home
LEGO Bar Charts / Science Sparks
Mean, Median, & Mode with LEGO / E is for Explore!
Proof Pythagorean Theorem with LEGO / iGame Mom
LEGO Challenges
Setting a LEGO activity up as a challenge adds an extra layer of excitement. Kids are building something that they probably haven’t thought of building yet. Plus, there are constraints – the number of bricks or building restrictions that focus creativity and problem-solving. And perhaps they even have to race against the clock to come up with something exciting. What’s it going to be?
LEGO STAR WARS Challenges / Simple Play Ideas
Wind-Powered STEM Challenge / Steam Powered Family
LEGO Unsinkable Boat Challenge / Kids Steam Lab
Wind Racers Challenge / LEGO Librarian
LEGO Challenge Cards to take on the Road / Laly Mom
LEGO Challenge Game / Artsy Fartsy Mom
Timed LEGO Building Challenge / Simple Play Ideas
LEGO Math Challenge / Buggy and Buddy
Stained Glass LEGO Building Challenge / Frugal Fun For Boys and Girls
LEGO Challenges for Families and Groups / Renee at Great Peace
Storytime LEGO Building Challenge / Left Brain Craft Brain
Flat LEGO Challenge / Pickle Bums
More LEGO STEAM Activities
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How to make a paper airplane says
Very nice post.