Engaging STEM-focused Activities Based on Popular Fairy Tales
Get ready for a magical learning adventure with the Fairy Tale STEM activities! These hands-on challenges, designed by Emma Vanstone, are perfect for primary school children and are both fun and educational.
The collection includes a variety of activities inspired by beloved fairy tales, such as Jack and the Beanstalk, The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks, and many more. These activities not only promote working scientifically but also encourage creativity, empathy, and problem-solving skills.
Jack and the Beanstalk STEM Activities
In this challenge, children will delve into the world of biology, engineering, and physics as they investigate how a "beanstalk" grows and design ways for Jack to escape the giant. This activity combines scientific inquiry with structural engineering and problem-solving, all within a relatable story context.
The Three Little Pigs STEM Challenges
In this activity, students will brainstorm and build different types of houses using various materials (e.g., straw, sticks, bricks) to understand concepts like structure, material strength, and engineering design. This hands-on challenge involves predicting, testing, and improving their designs.
Goldilocks’ New Bed Challenge
In this activity, kids will design and build a bed for Goldilocks, exploring concepts of size, comfort, and stability through hands-on creation and iterative problem-solving.
Other Fairy Tale-Inspired STEM Challenges
Other activities include Humpty Dumpty’s safe landing and helping Pigeon (from Mo Willems’ books) overcome fears. These challenges promote creativity and empathetic problem-solving alongside scientific principles using simple materials such as blocks or paper.
Integrating Art for Enhanced Engagement
The Fairy Tale STEM activities also incorporate STEAM elements like art, such as exploring geometry and crystal formation with shamrocks or experimenting with coffee filter rainbows to demonstrate diffusion and color mixing.
These activities encourage children to ask questions, test hypotheses, design solutions, and revise their work, fostering an investigative spirit and scientific mindset through familiar narratives that make learning exciting and accessible.
Additional Resources and Science Experiments
Mrs Mactivity has created resources to accompany the Fairy Tale STEM challenges. Additional science experiments are available, including those for World Book Day.
The Fairy Tale STEM activities and additional science experiments were last updated on June 12, 2025.
Sharing Your Creations
Sharing photos of completed Fairy Tale STEM activities is encouraged on social media, with the tag @sciencesparks.
The candy house for Hansel and Gretel is a popular Fairy Tale STEM activity that keeps children busy for hours. These activities are suitable for elementary or primary school-age children.
So, grab your materials and dive into the world of Fairy Tale STEM activities! Let's make learning fun and engaging while fostering a love for science.
- In the Jack and the Beanstalk STEM activities, kids explore biology, engineering, and physics, designing ways for Jack to escape the giant, fostering scientific inquiry, structural engineering, and problem-solving.
- The Three Little Pigs STEM Challenges involve children building houses with various materials to understand structure, material strength, and engineering design, encouraging creativity and empathatic problem-solving.
- Goldilocks’ New Bed Challenge encourages kids to design and build a comfortable and stable bed for Goldilocks, using hands-on creation and iterative problem-solving.
- Other Fairy Tale-inspired STEM Challenges, like Humpty Dumpty’s safe landing and helping Pigeon overcome fears, promote creativity and empathetic problem-solving alongside scientific principles.
- Fairy Tale STEM activities incorporate STEAM elements, such as exploring geometry and crystal formation with shamrocks or experimenting with coffee filter rainbows to demonstrate diffusion and color mixing, enhancing engagement.
- Additional resources and science experiments, like those for World Book Day, are available from Mrs Mactivity, keeping the learning journey exciting and accessible for children.
