STEM Activities KS2 Teachers Can Actually Use
The internet is full of STEM activity lists for KS2. Most of them are useless. They suggest building a bridge from spaghetti and marshmallows, call it "engineering," and leave you to work out which curriculum objective it covers. (Spoiler: none, specifically.)
This list is different. Every activity below maps to a specific National Curriculum objective. Each one includes the resources you need, a realistic time estimate, and a difficulty rating so you know what you are getting into before you commit a Wednesday afternoon to it.
Ten of these are activities you can run yourself with standard school resources. Five are workshops that work best with specialist equipment and a trained facilitator. That is not a sales pitch disguised as a blog post. It is an honest reflection of the fact that some STEM activities need kit and expertise that most primary schools do not have sitting in a cupboard. Where that is the case, we will say so.
Activity 1: Build a Simple Series Circuit
Curriculum link: Year 4 Science, Electricity: "Construct a simple series electrical circuit, identifying and naming its basic parts, including cells, wires, bulbs, switches and buzzers."
Resources: 4.5V batteries, battery holders, crocodile clip leads, bulbs, bulb holders, switches, buzzers. One set per pair.
Time: 45 to 60 minutes
Difficulty: Star Star (2/3)
Give pupils a battery, two wires, and a bulb. No bulb holder. Their first task is to make the bulb light up using only those three components. This sounds simple, but it forces pupils to think about where the connections need to be. Most will try touching the wire to the glass rather than the metal contacts.
Once they have cracked that, introduce bulb holders, switches, and buzzers. Challenge them to build circuits with specific outcomes: a circuit with a switch that controls a buzzer, a circuit with two bulbs in series. Ask them to predict what happens when they add a second bulb. Then test it.
The key teaching point is that electricity flows in a complete loop. When the circuit is broken, everything stops. Use the word "circuit" and link it to "circle." Pupils who understand this conceptually will not struggle with the Year 6 electricity objectives later.
Teacher tip: Buy components in bulk from educational suppliers rather than high street shops. A class set of circuit components costs around GBP 40 to GBP 60 and lasts for years.
Activity 2: Scratch Animation for a Maths Concept
Curriculum link: Year 5/6 Computing: "Design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals; use sequence, selection and repetition in programs."
Also links to Year 5/6 Maths: depending on the concept chosen (e.g., area, perimeter, coordinates).
Resources: Laptops or tablets with Scratch installed (free at scratch.mit.edu). No internet needed if Scratch Desktop is installed.
Time: 60 to 90 minutes (across two sessions if needed)
Difficulty: Star Star Star (3/3)
Pupils create a Scratch animation that explains a maths concept to a younger pupil. For example: a character that walks around a rectangle, counting the sides and calculating the perimeter. Or an interactive quiz on times tables using "ask" and "if/then" blocks.
This covers programming objectives (sequence, selection, repetition, debugging) while reinforcing maths content. It also requires pupils to think about their audience, which links to English communication objectives.
Structure it carefully. Session one: plan the animation on paper (storyboard with three to four frames, list the Scratch blocks they will need). Session two: build it in Scratch. Without the planning stage, you will spend the entire session troubleshooting why sprites keep disappearing.
Teacher tip: If Scratch feels too ambitious for your class, use ScratchJr for a simpler version. The programming concepts are the same; the interface is more accessible.
Activity 3: Paper Helicopter Investigation
Curriculum link: Year 5 Science, Forces: "Identify the effects of air resistance that act between moving surfaces."
Also links to Year 5/6 Maths: "Interpret and present data using tables, line graphs, and bar charts."
Resources: A4 paper, scissors, rulers, paperclips, stopwatches. A template helps (search "paper helicopter template" for dozens of free options).
Time: 60 minutes
Difficulty: Star (1/3)
Pupils make paper helicopters and investigate how changing one variable (blade length, blade width, number of paperclips, drop height) affects the time it takes to reach the ground. This is a classic fair test investigation.
The science content is air resistance: the blades create drag, which slows the helicopter's fall and causes it to spin. Changing the blade size changes the surface area and therefore the air resistance.
The maths content is data handling. Pupils record results in a table, repeat measurements (three drops per variation), calculate a mean, and present findings as a bar chart or line graph.
Teacher tip: Drop helicopters from a consistent height. Standing on a chair works but standing on the landing of a stairwell (supervised, obviously) gives better results because the fall time is longer and differences between variations are easier to measure.
Activity 4: Design and Build a Motorised Vehicle
Curriculum link: Year 5/6 DT: "Apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures." Also: "Understand and use mechanical systems in their products, e.g. gears, pulleys, cams, levers and linkages."
Resources: Small DC motors, AA battery holders, wheels (or bottle caps), axles (wooden skewers or straws), card, tape, glue guns, wire. One set per pair.
Time: 2 hours (ideally split across two sessions: design then build)
Difficulty: Star Star Star (3/3)
Pupils design and build a vehicle powered by a small electric motor. The DT process is crucial here: research existing designs, generate ideas, create labelled sketches, make prototypes, test, evaluate, and refine.
This is not a "let them loose with the glue gun" activity. Structure the design phase properly. Pupils should annotate their designs with materials, dimensions, and how the motor will connect to the axle. They should explain their design choices before they pick up any materials.
The build itself will take a full hour. Motors are fiddly. Axle alignment matters. Wheels that are not centred will make the vehicle veer. All of this is learning. When their vehicle goes in circles, that is a problem to solve, not a failure.
Teacher tip: Hot glue guns are essential for attaching motors to chassis. Standard PVA will not hold. Make sure you have enough glue guns and supervise their use, particularly with Year 3 and 4.
Activity 5: Unplugged Algorithm Relay
Curriculum link: Year 3/4 Computing: "Design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems." Also: "Use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work."
Resources: Large printed instruction cards (forward, turn left, turn right, repeat), cones or markers, blindfolds (optional).
Time: 30 to 45 minutes
Difficulty: Star (1/3)
An unplugged activity, meaning no computers needed. Set up a simple obstacle course using cones in the hall or playground. One pupil is the "robot." They can only follow precise instructions given by their partner, who is the "programmer." The programmer uses instruction cards to navigate the robot through the course.
Start with basic sequencing: forward, forward, turn left, forward, forward. Then introduce debugging: the robot hits a cone, so the programmer must find and fix the error in their instruction sequence. Then introduce loops: instead of writing "forward" ten times, use "repeat 10 times: forward."
This activity teaches algorithms, sequencing, debugging, and repetition without a screen in sight. It also gets pupils physically moving, which is useful if your computing lessons tend to be sedentary.
Teacher tip: If blindfolds make any pupils uncomfortable, skip them. The activity works just as well with the "robot" keeping their eyes open but agreeing to follow only the instructions they are given.
Activity 6: Coding with Programmable Robots (Specialist Workshop)
Curriculum link: Year 3/4 Computing: "Design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals." Year 5/6 Computing: "Use sequence, selection and repetition in programs; work with variables and various forms of input and output."
Resources: Class set of programmable robots, charging stations, programming mats or obstacle courses, laptops or tablets for block-based programming.
Time: 60 minutes per session
Difficulty: Star Star (2/3)
This is one of those activities that is genuinely better with specialist equipment and an experienced facilitator. Programmable robots make abstract computing concepts concrete. When a pupil writes a sequence of instructions and the robot follows them, the connection between code and outcome is immediate and visible.
For Year 3 and 4, sessions focus on sequencing, debugging, and introducing loops. For Year 5 and 6, sessions introduce variables, sensor inputs, and conditional logic (if the robot detects an obstacle, turn).
The challenge with running this yourself is the equipment. A class set of suitable robots costs GBP 1,500 or more. They need maintaining, charging, and updating. Software compatibility with your school's devices is another headache. And the first time you use them, you will spend half the lesson on technical issues rather than teaching.
Our STEMbotics workshops provide all the equipment, a QTS-qualified facilitator, and curriculum-mapped session plans. Your staff observe and pick up ideas for their own computing lessons.
Activity 7: Seed Dispersal Catapults
Curriculum link: Year 3 Science, Plants: "Explore the part that flowers play in the life cycle of flowering plants, including pollination, seed formation and seed dispersal."
Also links to Year 3 DT: "Select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks."
Resources: Lolly sticks, elastic bands, plastic spoons, small pompoms (as "seeds"), measuring tapes, target zones marked on the floor.
Time: 45 to 60 minutes
Difficulty: Star (1/3)
Pupils build simple catapults from lolly sticks and elastic bands, then use them to investigate seed dispersal. The catapult represents a mechanism for dispersing seeds (like the explosive pods of Himalayan balsam). Pupils test how far their "seeds" travel, adjust their designs, and record results.
The science content is seed dispersal mechanisms: wind, water, animal, and explosive. The DT content is the design-make-evaluate cycle. The maths content is measurement and data recording.
Teacher tip: Set this up in the hall or outside. Pompoms flying across a classroom full of exercise books and water bottles gets messy quickly.
Activity 8: Cybersecurity Challenge (Specialist Workshop)
Curriculum link: Year 5/6 Computing: "Use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour." Also: "Understand computer networks, including the internet."
Resources: Laptops, secure network access, cybersecurity challenge software, printed cipher sheets.
Time: 60 minutes
Difficulty: Star Star Star (3/3)
Cybersecurity is part of the computing curriculum, but it is one of the hardest areas for primary teachers to deliver with any depth. Teaching pupils to choose strong passwords and spot phishing emails is important but surface-level. A proper cybersecurity workshop covers encryption, ciphers, network security, and ethical hacking concepts.
This is specialist territory. The software used in a good cybersecurity workshop is not something most schools have access to. The facilitator needs to explain complex concepts in age-appropriate ways without dumbing them down to the point of inaccuracy.
Our cybersecurity workshops use challenge-based learning. Pupils work in teams to crack codes, decrypt messages, identify network vulnerabilities, and build secure passwords. It covers both the computer science and digital literacy strands of the curriculum.
Activity 9: Bridge Building Challenge
Curriculum link: Year 3/4 DT: "Use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products." Year 5 Science, Forces: "Explain that unsupported objects fall towards the Earth because of the force of gravity."
Resources: Newspaper, masking tape, scissors, weights for testing (e.g., small bags of sand or stacks of books).
Time: 60 to 90 minutes
Difficulty: Star Star (2/3)
Yes, this is a bridge building challenge. It is on every STEM list ever written. But done properly, it covers genuine curriculum content.
The brief: build a bridge from newspaper and masking tape that spans a 30cm gap and holds the most weight. Constraints matter. Set a material limit (e.g., four sheets of newspaper and 50cm of tape). Without constraints, pupils just pile on material, which teaches them nothing about structures.
Before building, teach the science: forces acting on a bridge (compression on top, tension on the bottom), why triangular structures are strong, how rolling newspaper into tubes increases its strength. Then let pupils apply this knowledge to their designs.
Test bridges publicly. Add weight gradually. Celebrate the one that holds the most, but also celebrate the one with the most interesting design solution. In the evaluation phase, ask pupils to explain why their bridge failed (or succeeded) using the vocabulary of forces.
Teacher tip: Rolled newspaper tubes are the key to a strong bridge. Show pupils how to roll them tightly before they start building, or they will use flat sheets and wonder why their bridge collapses under a single textbook.
Activity 10: AI and Machine Learning Workshop (Specialist Workshop)
Curriculum link: Year 5/6 Computing: "Understand computer networks, including the internet; how they can provide multiple services, such as the World Wide Web." Also: "Use search technologies effectively."
Resources: Laptops with internet access, AI demonstration tools, machine learning training datasets, printed sorting activities.
Time: 60 minutes
Difficulty: Star Star Star (3/3)
AI is everywhere in pupils' lives (voice assistants, recommendation algorithms, image recognition), but most primary schools do not teach it at all. The computing curriculum does not mention AI explicitly, but it sits within the computer science strand: understanding how computers process data, how search engines select results, and how inputs lead to outputs.
A good AI workshop makes these concepts tangible. Pupils train a simple machine learning model to recognise images or sort data. They see that the model gets better with more training data. They discuss bias: what happens when the training data is incomplete or skewed? This is computing, maths (data and statistics), and PSHE (ethical thinking) combined.
Teaching this yourself is possible but time-consuming. You need reliable tools, a solid understanding of how machine learning works at a conceptual level, and the confidence to handle questions like "will robots take over the world?" Our AI and machine learning workshops are designed specifically for primary pupils, with age-appropriate activities that go beyond surface-level discussion.
Activity 11: Shadow Puppet Theatre (Light and Shadows)
Curriculum link: Year 3 Science, Light: "Recognise that shadows are formed when the light from a light source is blocked by an opaque object. Find patterns in the way that the size of shadows change."
Also links to Year 3 English: speaking and listening, performance, and narrative structure.
Resources: Torches (one per group), white sheets or screens (a white sheet pegged to a frame works fine), card, scissors, split pins (for jointed puppets), wooden sticks or straws.
Time: 90 minutes (across two sessions works best)
Difficulty: Star (1/3)
Pupils create shadow puppets and use them to perform a short scene. The science learning is embedded in the process: how shadows are formed (opaque object blocking light), how moving the puppet closer to or further from the light source changes the shadow size, and how transparent, translucent, and opaque materials affect light differently.
Session one: investigate shadows, learn the vocabulary, design puppets. Session two: rehearse and perform. The performance element adds an English dimension (narrative structure, speaking clearly, audience awareness) that makes this a genuine cross-curricular activity.
Teacher tip: Darken the room as much as possible. Shadows are faint and unimpressive in a bright classroom. Close blinds, cover windows with black sugar paper, and use torches rather than relying on classroom lights.
Activity 12: Drone Programming and Flight (Specialist Workshop)
Curriculum link: Year 5/6 Computing: "Design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals." Year 5 Science, Forces: "Identify the effects of air resistance." Year 5/6 Maths: "Use estimation, measurement, and spatial awareness."
Resources: Programmable drones (class set), programming tablets, indoor flight arena setup, safety netting.
Time: 60 minutes
Difficulty: Star Star Star (3/3)
Drone workshops cover computing (programming flight paths using block-based code), science (forces, air resistance, thrust), and maths (estimation, distance, angles) simultaneously. Pupils programme a drone to fly a specific route, adjusting their code when it does not go as planned. Debugging is not abstract here. When your code is wrong, the drone flies into the net.
Running this independently is not realistic for most schools. Programmable drones suitable for indoor classroom use cost GBP 200 to GBP 400 each, you need a set of ten or more, and the risk assessment requirements are significant. You also need someone who can fly a drone competently enough to demonstrate and intervene if needed.
Our STEMdrones workshops bring everything: drones, safety equipment, a trained facilitator, and insurance. Pupils fly drones in a controlled indoor environment, learning programming and science simultaneously.
Activity 13: Water Filtration Challenge
Curriculum link: Year 5 Science, Properties and Changes of Materials: "Know that some materials will dissolve in liquid to form a solution; use knowledge of solids, liquids and gases to decide how mixtures might be separated, including through filtering, sieving and evaporating."
Resources: Plastic bottles (cut in half), gravel, sand, cotton wool, activated charcoal (optional, available from pet shops), muddy water, beakers, funnels.
Time: 45 to 60 minutes
Difficulty: Star Star (2/3)
Pupils build water filtration systems using layers of materials in an upturned bottle. They pour "dirty" water (soil mixed with water) through their filter and observe how each layer removes different particles.
The science content is separation of mixtures: filtering removes insoluble particles from water. Different materials filter different-sized particles. Gravel catches large debris. Sand catches finer particles. Cotton wool and charcoal remove smaller impurities.
Structure this as a fair test. All groups start with the same dirty water. They change the order or type of filtering materials. They compare the clarity of their filtered water using a simple observation scale or by placing printed text behind their collection beaker and assessing readability.
Teacher tip: Use soil, not paint or food colouring, to make your dirty water. Dissolved substances (like food colouring) will pass straight through a physical filter, which is a useful teaching point about the limits of filtration but confusing if pupils expect their filter to produce clear water.
Activity 14: 3D CAD Design (Specialist Workshop)
Curriculum link: Year 5/6 DT: "Use computer-aided design." Also: "Apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products."
Resources: Laptops with 3D CAD software installed, 3D printer (optional for post-session printing), design brief materials.
Time: 60 to 90 minutes
Difficulty: Star Star Star (3/3)
The DT curriculum explicitly references computer-aided design, but most primary schools do not teach it. Partly because the software can be intimidating, and partly because teachers are not sure which software is age-appropriate or how to structure a lesson around it.
A good 3D CAD session gives pupils a specific design brief (design a phone stand, a keyring, a component for a larger project) and teaches them the core skills: creating shapes, combining and subtracting forms, adding dimensions, and exporting a design for manufacturing.
The learning is in the design process, not the software itself. Pupils who can explain why they chose specific dimensions, how they refined their design based on testing, and what they would change next time are meeting DT objectives regardless of which software they used.
Our 3D CAD workshops use age-appropriate software and, where schools have a 3D printer, pupils can see their designs manufactured. The connection between digital design and physical output is powerful.
Activity 15: Data Logging Weather Station
Curriculum link: Year 4 Science, Living Things: "Explore and use classification keys." (Used here for cloud classification.) Year 5 Maths: "Complete, read and interpret information in tables including timetables." Also: "Solve comparison, sum and difference problems using information presented in tables and line graphs."
Resources: Thermometers (ideally digital for data logging), rain gauges (a plastic bottle with a ruler taped to it works), compass, wind vane (can be homemade), recording sheets, laptops or tablets for graphing.
Time: Ongoing project (setup takes 60 minutes; data collection is 10 minutes daily for 2 to 4 weeks; analysis takes 60 minutes)
Difficulty: Star Star (2/3)
This is a project rather than a single lesson. Pupils set up a simple weather station in the school grounds and collect data daily: temperature, rainfall, wind direction, cloud cover. After two to four weeks, they analyse the data.
The science content is observation and classification (cloud types, weather patterns). The maths content is data handling at scale: reading thermometers accurately, calculating mean temperatures, constructing line graphs showing temperature change over time, interpreting data to make simple weather predictions.
This works best as a whole-class routine. Assign a different pair to collect data each day. Keep a class weather log on the wall. After the collection period, dedicate a maths lesson to analysis.
Teacher tip: Position the rain gauge away from buildings and trees, in an open area. Temperature readings should be taken at the same time each day, in the shade. Consistency matters if the data is to be meaningful.
A Note on Preparation Time
If you have read through this list and thought "when am I supposed to prepare all of this?", that is a fair reaction. The DIY activities above are genuinely useful, but they do require preparation time: sourcing resources, testing activities in advance, making sure the science or computing content is accurate, and differentiating for your class.
The specialist workshop activities (6, 8, 10, 12, 14) arrive at your school ready to deliver. The facilitator brings all equipment, manages the session, and provides curriculum links documentation. Your job is to open the classroom door and let your pupils learn.
If you want to combine the best of both approaches, consider a STEM day where our team delivers specialist workshops for some year groups while your staff run DIY STEM activities with others. It is cost-effective, builds staff confidence, and gives every pupil a memorable experience.
Browse our full range of workshops or get in touch to discuss which activities would work best for your school.
