In Pre-K education through the first years of elementary school, engineering skills may not be top of mind for parents or educators, but a solid foundation of problem-solving practice familiarity with the engineering design process will serve learners long beyond their early learning years. Though engineering in the early years looks different than the experiments and calculations students learn later in their education, hands-on learning for young kids builds on the same skills! 

Happy holidays from EiE! We are so proud to have had the honor of creating resources for your homes, classrooms and clubs this year. In celebration of all things STEM we learned this year, please enjoy these 12 days of STEM-themed holiday activities, including games, videos, and more for the whole family to enjoy. Plus, as a special bonus, check out all the holiday-themed STEM activities at the end to keep your students engaged in learning as the holidays approach.

We know elementary school is a critical time for students’ career interests. By the end of fifth grade, some students have already decided to pursue a career in STEM, while others have concluded such a career is “unthinkable” (DeWitt, 2011). The good news is that teaching about professions at the elementary level can affect this trajectory: students with greater knowledge of STEM careers are more likely to aspire to careers in those fields. (Blotnicky, 2018).

 Research has shown that direct family involvement in learning has a significant impact on a student's academic achievement and future goals. That’s why we’ve created EiE Families! Designed for families with kids ages 4 to 11, our new online experience includes at-home and on-the-go activities to support learning wherever you are. Improved accessibility features on the site like interactive read-alouds, animations, and more make learning more engaging, and fun. EiE Families also offers detailed instructions to support educators in hosting their own community STEM event. 

Anyone, even young children, can be engineers. With EiE^®’s Wee Engineer and EiE for Kindergarten units, you can foster young learners’ creativity and put them on a problem solving path before they reach elementary school.