It is time to head back to the classroom! The beginning of the school year is always such a busy time. It is important to get students settled in and used to their new daily routine so that you can use the mornings to catch up on emails, grade, do parent communication, or prep for the day. Having activities ready to go will help you get that important time in the morning to get things done. Soft starts are a great way to do that! 

Soft starts in elementary are a simple way to get students engaged when they come into class in the morning. Students will be mentally prepared for the day with calm, inquiry-based activities.

STEM is the perfect way to do this. It naturally gets students thinking critically and creatively which puts them in the right mindset to get the day off to a great start. Having STEM soft starts ready to go will have your students designing, creating, engineering, predicting, comparing, building, & reflecting on their challenges.  

Ready to use stem soft starts in your classroom this year? here are some ideas of what to include: 

• House of Cards
• Pipe Cleaner Bridge
• Popsicle Stick Catapults
• Button Towers
• Packing Peanut Structures

All of these STEM soft start ideas and more are included in my STEM Quick Activities Resource here. 

My STEM School Box Challenges Resource includes 12 STEM Challenges that will fit into a school box. These are great for when students arrive to school early. These activities can also be used for STEAM activities, maker spaces, tinkering labs, or after school clubs. 

Included in this resource you’ll get: Challenge Labels, Inside the Box Student’s Directions, Teacher’s Page with the directions and materials, and Student STEM Journal. 

Other STEM activities included are:

• Index card towers
• Army parachutes
• Fidget spinner activities
• Building square structures
• Dominoes diving board
• Triangle structures
• Button designs.

Your students will love coming into class and doing these fun STEM soft starts!

If you are looking for more STEM activities to do this year, check out these exciting back to school STEM challenges!