STEAM Teaching Resources
Bring STEM and STEAM learning to life in your classroom with engineering activities for kids, STEM challenges, printable worksheets and more resources designed by teachers for teachers.
This collection of printables and digital activities includes curriculum-aligned resources that will help you meet Australian science curriculum standards while you're getting students hooked on science, maths and more. In addition to being created by teachers, each resource has undergone a rigorous review by the Teach Starter teacher team. That means they're classroom-ready — so you can cut down on planning time!
Looking for tips on integrating STEM into your lessons? Curious about what's in the Australia STEM curriculum? Or maybe you're just trying to figure out how we ended up with STEM, STEAM and STEMM? Read on for tips from the Teach Starter teacher team!
What Is STEM Education?
- Introduction of the scientific method
- Basic science experiments
- Building digital literacy skills
- Maths problems based on real-world applications
- Coding and algorithms
- Critical thinking and problem-solving activities
Although there is no STEM curriculum in Australia per se, the science, technology and maths curricula join together to help students build critical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as providing the scientific literacy needed to succeed in STEM or STEAM careers.
While there is no engineering curriculum here in Australia, there are aspects of engineering design and problem-solving that are integrated into the design and technology components of the curriculum. The technology curriculum in primary and secondary schools also ensures students explore the use of various technologies, get acquainted with design processes and learn about the impact of technology on society.
What Does STEM Stand For?
Your school may refer to this sort of education as STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Why STEM?
The acronym has been used in education since the early 2000s when the National Science Foundation in the United States began using the four-letter term to refer to the concept of interdisciplinary education.
What Does STEAM Stand For?
STEM isn't the only term for teaching children these concepts, of course!
Your school may refer to this part of the curriculum as STEAM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. You might even see it written as ST∑@M™.
The addition of the 'A' to STEAM to include art is often credited to American educator Georgette Yakman, who has said that STEAM is not a replacement of STEM.
Instead, Yakman says, 'The liberal arts add the ‘who & why’ to the ‘what & how’ of STEM.'
STEM vs STEAM vs. STEMM — What's the Difference?
There is nothing the education system likes as much as a good acronym, so which one should you be using these days? We have touched on STEM and STEAM, but what is STEMM? And which one should you be using?
- STEM — short for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math — is often considered the OG here with STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) showing up as a relatively recent addition, but the truth is STEM and STEAM have both been around for awhile.
- STEMM is the newcomer here. It stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine. Educators and STEMM policymakers say the inclusion of that second M should also come with a focus on diversity and inclusion.
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Ugly Christmas Rashie & Christmas Sweater Project
Design an ugly Christmas rashie or jumper to earn your way into Santa’s Celebration with a printable Christmas STEM Project!
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Christmas STEM Challenge Cards
Engage your students in Christmas STEM Challenges with printable challenge cards.
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Santa’s New Sleigh - Christmas STEM Activity
Design and build a new sleigh for Santa with a printable Christmas STEM project.
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Christmas STEM Project - Elf Trap
Build a trap to catch an elf with Christmas STEM activities for kids!
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Christmas STEM – Tallest Tree Challenge
Experience hands-on STEAM concepts with your students with this Christmas Tree Building STEAM project.
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3-D Shapes Paper Christmas Decorations - STEM Project
Challenge your students to make three-dimensional paper Christmas decorations with a STEM challenge.
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End of Year STEM Challenge
Use critical thinking and problem-solving skills with this set of STEM challenge cards.
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Treasure Map Coding Robot Mat
Implement coding for kids with a printable coding robot map activity.
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Food Truck Frenzy! Project Based STEM Learning Activity
Introduce your students to the world of Food Trucks as they master maths, STEM and art to design and run their own food truck.
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Build a Pirate Ship STEM Challenge - Upper Years
A STEM challenge suitable for students in the upper years.
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Back to School STEM Challenge Cards – Upper Years
A selection of 3 STEM activities for upper years students that are perfect for the back-to-school period.
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STEM Challenge Cards - Upper Years
A set of 20 STEM challenge cards for students, suitable for the upper year levels.
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Island Resort Design - STEAM Project
Create and design your own Island Resort with a fun art and STEM project for primary students.
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STEAM Project - Ice Cream Shop Design
Use reading, writing, maths and STEM skills to plan, design and advertise an Ice Cream Shop with a STEM education project for primary students.
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Build a Pirate Ship STEM Challenge - Early Years
A STEM challenge suitable for students in the early years.
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Build It! Interactive STEM Engineering Activity
Bring engineering into the digital classroom with an interactive design project.
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Back to School STEM Challenge Cards - Lower Years
Integrate STEM activities into your back-to-school plans by guiding students to create a picture frame, name tag, and pencil cup.
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STEM Challenge Cards - Lower Years
A set of 22 STEM challenge cards for students.
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Famous Landmarks - STEM Challenge Cards
A set of 8 famous landmarks STEM challenge cards encouraging students to build famous structures.
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STEM Investigation - Build A Bridge
A STEM investigation about the construction of bridges using everyday materials, embedded in a real-life situation.
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End of Year STEM Activity- Carnival Planning Project
Integrate STEM activities into your end-of-year lessons by inviting young entrepreneurs to plan, design, and advertise their carnival!
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Coding Robot STEM Challenge Task Cards
Inspire young STEM enthusiasts to have fun with coding robots with printable STEM activity task cards.
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STEM Challenge Cards - Middle Years
A set of 20 STEM challenge cards for students, suitable for the middle year levels.
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STEM Investigation - Build A Raft
A STEM investigation about floating and waterproof materials, embedded in a fun fairy tale story.
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Solving Global Problems - Design an Invention Workbook
Help your students discover how innovation and invention can solve global problems with an invention project workbook.
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Science Week Inventions — Digital STEM Activity
Inspire young scientists to invent amazing things with a digital Science Week STEM Activity.
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Lemonade Stand Design - STEAM Project
Reap the benefits of STEM education by inviting young entrepreneurs to develop a Lemonade Stand with a STEM education project.
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Build a Pirate Ship STEM Challenge - Middle Years
A STEM challenge suitable for students in the middle years.
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Playdough STEM Challenge – Task Cards
Use this set of STEM challenge cards to foster critical thinking and problem-solving by building various items with playdough.
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International Dot Day STEM Challenge Task Cards
Integrate science, engineering and art with a set of International Dot Day STEM task cards.
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STEM - Engineering Process Poster Pack
Classroom posters outlining the STEM engineering design process.
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My STEM Reflection Journal Template
Use this STEM reflection journal with your students when completing STEM challenges.