Making and Tinkering With STEM: Solving Design Challenges With Young Children

Tinker, make, engineer―solving problems from picture books

Can you build a sturdy house that is safe from the big, bad wolf?


Imagine your dream car. What special features does it have? What can you use to create it?

Teaching and learning STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is more accessible than ever before! Children will be inspired, delighted, and challenged as they use everyday materials and STEM concepts to design and build solutions to problems faced by characters in their favorite books. This practical, hands-on resource includes

• 25 engineering design challenges appropriate for children ages 3–8
• Suggestions for creating a makerspace environment where children can tinker with materials, use tools to make creations, and improve on their ideas
• A list of 100 picture books that encourage STEM-rich exploration and learning
• Questions and ideas for expanding children’s understanding of STEM concepts
• A planning template so you can create your own design challenges

Use engaging children’s books together with the guidance and ideas in this book to extend children’s problem-solving skills and creative thinking.

• Exploring Math and Science in Preschool (The Preschool Teacher's Library of Playful Practice Set)
• Where’s the Math?: Books, Games, and Routines to Spark Children's Thinking
• Loose Parts: Inspiring Play in Young Children (Loose Parts Series)
• Stem Play: Integrating Inquiry Into Learning Centers
• Expressing Creativity in Preschool (The Preschool Teacher's Library of Playful Practice Set)
• Learning About Language and Literacy in Preschool (The Preschool Teacher's Library of Playful Practice Set)
• Big Questions for Young Minds: Extending Children's Thinking
• Baby Steps to STEM: Infant and Toddler Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Activities
• Mathematizing: An Emergent Math Curriculum Approach for Young Children
• Teaching STEM in the Preschool Classroom: Exploring Big Ideas with 3- to 5-Year-Olds (Early Childhood Education Series)