Building Shapes STEM Cards
Kids will have an awesome time building popular 2D and 3D shapes with these free STEM activity task cards!
Want to take your STEM game to the next level? Snag our best selling toothpick STEM challenges!
This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
Getting Ready
I began by printing the the task cards on cardstock to give them extra durability.
Then, I ran them through my laminator and cut along the dotted line in the center of each page to separate the halves.
I grabbed a ball of playdough kids could use to build the 3D shapes and filled a small basket with a variety of rainbow-colored popsicle sticks.
(The unstained kind would work well, too. They are available in a variety of sizes from mini to jumbo size!)
STEM Activity: Building Shapes
I spread out the 2D shape task cards around one table and placed the basket of popsicle sticks in the center. The kids took turns making each shape.
Later, we talked about shape properties like the number of corners (vertices) and sides (edges) on each one.
On another table, I challenged kids to make 3D shapes. After placing one card at each seat, I placed a basket of popsicle sticks and playdough in the center.
The kids used the playdough to join each of the sides together which involved a lot of problem solving.
One of the kids figured out that he needed a bit more playdough so that the popsicle sticks would stay in place, but not too much because or his cube would fall over!
For the 3D shapes, it’s fun to include a variety of materials such as popsicle sticks, colored matchsticks and straws. That way kids can explore different materials and discover which ones are easier for building.
For instance, straws are sometimes a bit easier for modeling because they are lightweight and can be easily cut into different lengths but they’re not as strong and durable as craft sticks. The best part of this STEM activity is that you can tweak it many different ways!
Grab Your Set
Ready to play along too?! Click the blue download button to download your free set.
Then, take your STEM to the next level by snagging our best selling Toothpick STEM Challenges!
