Danielle SullivanWe’ve been trying out a lot of toys, games, and family activities in the past few months with science, technology, engineering, and math ideas – STEM family activities, great for these socially distanced times, to keep my kids’ brains interested and sharp.
These activities are LIFE-SAVERS if you’re staying out of public spaces for your health, as my family has been, or if you’re on the hunt for the perfect gifts. With autistic and ADHD family members, we’ve definitely needed to be creative over here!
To help you out, I’ve put together some of my neurodivergent family’s favorite options for having fun and staying creative, the socially-distant, STEM way.
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Creative Socially-Distanced STEM Family Activities (Especially for ADHD & Autistic Brains)
Brick Loot
Brick Loot is a company dedicated to toy brick enthusiasts of all ages, and they are perfect if you’re looking for STEM challenges for kids. Brick Loot specializes in subscription boxes and custom LED lighting kits.
They also have the best building sets, including this amazing motorized bee pictured above, LEGO architecture sets, STEM building kits, and so much more! You’ll have so much fun just browsing the shop.
Piper Computer Kit
If the above Brick Loot Kits aren’t enough for your engineering-inclined family, the Piper Computer Kit might be a better fit. This is a hands-on kit that allows you to build and use a fully-functioning computer, empowering kids and adults to learn computer science, electronics, coding and more!
My son is inches away for being ready for this kit, and although I don’t have the greatest tech brain, I think it will be really fun to build this together.
Get Epic!
My son, age 7, started using Epic at school, and we’ve continued using it all summer. He’s not a confident reader, but Epic lets him go as fast or as slow as he wants, and he can read independently, or have the book read to him while he follows along.
Epic is the leading digital reading platform—built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world’s best publishers.
There are tons of books of all kinds, and my son has spent a lot of time this summer learning about volcanoes, geysers, dinosaurs, insects, and trees. Sign up today and get your first 30 days free!
AudiobooksNow
I love audiobooks. I have them on whenever I’m doing housework or driving, and my kids and I use them to take rest breaks sometimes. AudiobooksNow has the option of either buying the audiobook outright, or joining their subscription service for lower prices. Either option is great.
They have a huge Science section, and Technology & Engineering audiobooks for adults, as well as separate Science & Technology and Nature & The Natural World sections just for kids (though our family likes to listen together).
It’s a great way to learn about new STEM challenges or STEM family activities you may want to try. Sign up today and get your first 30 days free!
THiNK OUTSiDE
My ADHD daughter needs to get outside in order to regulate, but it can be hard to think of new things to do or new places to go under current circumstances. THiNK OUTSiDE is a monthly subscription box full of outdoor gear and resources that will get your kids away from a screen and outside exploring nature!
Each month’s box includes hands-on activities to do as a family. You’ll get several pieces of outdoor gear, an educational booklet, water-resistant resource cards, and more, all centered around a monthly theme like star gazing, shelter building, wildlife, navigation, and more!
Learn More and Subscribe Today!
PLUS, use code THINK10 for $10 off any subscription!
Groovy Lab in a Box
Groovy Lab in a Box is a monthly subscription box for kids 8 and over, designed by scientists, parents, and educators. They believe kids are natural engineers, so they have some great STEM challenges for kids.
Each subscription includes a monthly delivery of a Groovy Lab in a Box science inquiry, an engineering design challenge for kids, and access to “Beyond…in a Box”– their members only web-based learning section on their website.
I love that you can just buy one box, if you’re curious or just need an activity to tide you over sometime. I also love that they have these great monthly themes, similar to THiNK OUTSiDE boxes. As of this writing, some of the upcoming themes include Here Comes the Sun, It’s Electric, What’s the Matter, and Soap It Up.
Learn More and Subscribe Today!
I hope this post has given you some great STEM family activities and STEM challenges for kids to learn and grow together!
Have you tried any of these ideas? What are your favorite STEM family activities to do together while social distancing? Comment below and let me know!
