Spring is a wonderful time to introduce young children to science, technology, engineering and maths through practical outdoor play.
As plants begin to grow, insects appear and the weather changes, the outdoor environment becomes a living laboratory. Children can investigate water, observe new life, build structures, compare natural objects and test their own ideas.
These Spring STEM ideas for EYFS use simple, low-cost resources and can be adapted for nursery, preschool and Reception. They are ideal for practitioners who want to develop their early years outdoor provision without filling it with expensive equipment.
What is STEM in the Early Years?
STEM stands for:
- Science: observing, questioning and investigating
- Technology: choosing and using tools for a purpose
- Engineering: designing, building, testing and improving
- Mathematics: counting, measuring, comparing and recognising patterns
In the EYFS, STEM does not need to look like a formal lesson. It happens when children wonder why a puddle disappears, work out how to transport water or test which materials will make the strongest bridge.
The adult’s role is to notice this thinking, introduce useful language and give children time to investigate.
Why Take EYFS STEM Outdoors?
Outdoor STEM activities give children space to explore ideas on a larger and more active scale. They can collect real objects, observe living things and investigate natural changes as they happen.
Learning outdoors can support:
- Understanding the World
- Mathematics
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development
- Characteristics of Effective Learning
- Collaboration and problem-solving
- Curiosity, resilience and independence
The unpredictable nature of spring also creates meaningful questions. Why is the soil wet? Where do worms go? What helps a seed grow? How can we stop the water escaping?
These questions provide natural starting points for child-led investigation. Explore the Knowledge and Understanding of the World Hub for more outdoor ideas.
STEM Books for Primary Schools: Teaching Science Through Stories with Pooja Pur
15 Spring STEM Activities for EYFS
1. Grow a Bean in a Clear Container
Place a bean beside damp cotton wool or soil inside a transparent container. Encourage children to observe its growth over several days.
Children can draw what they notice, measure the shoot or photograph each stage.
STEM learning: growth, change, observation and measurement.
Try asking: What has changed? What do you think will happen next?
2. Create a Spring Rain Gauge
Use a recycled transparent bottle to collect rainwater. Mark simple lines on the side and check the water level after rainfall.
Compare the amount collected on different days and introduce vocabulary such as more, less, full, empty and level.
STEM learning: weather, capacity, comparison and recording.
3. Build a Nest
Provide grass, leaves, twigs, moss and mud. Invite children to design and build a nest for a pretend bird.
Children can test whether the nest holds an egg-shaped stone and improve it if the structure collapses.
STEM learning: materials, construction, joining and problem-solving.
4. Make a Water Run
Offer guttering, recycled tubes, containers and blocks. Challenge children to move water from one place to another.
Allow them to change the height and angle of the channels and investigate how this affects the water.
STEM learning: gravity, flow, position and cause and effect.
5. Investigate Waterproof Materials
Collect leaves, fabric, foil, cardboard and recycled plastic. Place each material over a container and add water.
Which materials keep the inside dry? Which absorb the water?
STEM learning: properties of materials, testing and comparison.
6. Go on a Minibeast Investigation
Carefully search beneath logs, leaves and plant pots for insects and other small creatures.
Use magnifying glasses to observe them before returning every creature gently to its habitat.
STEM learning: living things, habitats, similarities and differences.
Remind children not to touch unfamiliar plants or creatures and to wash their hands after handling soil.
7. Measure Spring Growth
Choose a plant or shoot in the outdoor area and observe it regularly.
Children could compare its height against cubes, fingers, sticks or pieces of string. Formal centimetres are not essential—the important learning is noticing and comparing change.
STEM learning: growth, non-standard measurement and time.
8. Design a Bridge Over a Puddle
Use bamboo canes, planks, crates or large sticks to design a model bridge beside a puddle or on a safe flat surface.
Begin with small-world figures before attempting any structure intended to carry weight.
STEM learning: balance, strength, design and improvement.
9. Explore Sinking and Floating
Fill a shallow tray or container with water and collect safe natural objects such as sticks, petals, stones and pinecones.
Ask children to predict what will happen before testing each item.
STEM learning: prediction, material properties and comparison.
10. Build a Shelter for a Toy
Challenge children to protect a toy animal from spring rain. Provide loose parts, fabric, sticks, clay and recycled containers.
Test the shelter using a watering can. If water gets inside, encourage the children to redesign it.
STEM learning: construction, waterproofing, testing and evaluation.
11. Create Mud Mixtures
Let children combine soil and water in different quantities.
What happens when more water is added? Can they make runny mud, sticky mud and firm mud?
Add cups, spoons and containers to introduce capacity and comparison through meaningful play.
STEM learning: changing materials, quantities and consistency.
12. Make a Natural Balance Scale
Create a simple balance using two containers attached securely to either end of a hanger or balanced beam.
Compare stones, pinecones and other natural objects. Encourage children to predict which side will move down.
STEM learning: weight, balance, comparison and prediction.
13. Construct a Bug Hotel
Use sticks, bark, bamboo pieces, pinecones and dry leaves to create a simple habitat inside a safe wooden or recycled structure.
Discuss which materials might provide dark, dry or sheltered spaces.
STEM learning: habitats, design, sorting and sustainability.
14. Investigate Shadows
Draw around the shadow of a toy, plant or outdoor object using chalk. Return later and observe whether it has moved or changed.
STEM learning: light, shadow, position and time.
15. Create a Spring Nature Pattern
Collect fallen petals, leaves, stones and sticks. Use them to make repeating patterns on the ground.
Begin with an AB pattern before exploring more complicated sequences.
STEM learning: pattern, sorting, order and mathematical language.
Useful Resources for Outdoor STEM
You do not need specialist equipment to introduce STEM outside. Start with a small selection of open-ended materials:
- Bamboo canes
- Colourful ropes
- Chalk and chalk pens
- Transparent containers
- Watering cans
- Buckets and scoops
- Guttering and tubes
- Magnifying glasses
- Clay
- Crates and planks
- Natural and recycled loose parts
A stripped-back collection encourages children to think creatively. One bamboo cane might become a measuring tool, a bridge support, a rain channel or part of a minibeast hotel.
Discover more ideas in our guide to 50 EYFS outdoor activities
The Adult’s Role in Outdoor STEM
Adults do not need to provide every answer. Often, the most powerful response is another carefully chosen question.
Try asking:
- What have you noticed?
- Why do you think that happened?
- How could we test your idea?
- What could you change?
- Which material worked best?
- How could you make it stronger?
- What do you predict will happen next?
Give children time to revisit activities and improve their designs. The first attempt does not need to succeed. Testing, adapting and trying again are important parts of early engineering and scientific thinking.
Making Spring STEM Inclusive
Outdoor STEM activities can be adapted for different developmental stages and individual needs.
Consider offering:
- Large, easy-to-grip tools
- Visual choices and simple instruction cards
- A quieter investigation area
- Opportunities to watch before joining
- Activities at different heights
- Repeated experiences using familiar resources
- Alternative ways to communicate predictions and findings
Keep activities playful and flexible. Children might communicate their thinking through movement, gesture, construction, photographs or conversation.
Explore More Spring Outdoor Activities
Continue your seasonal planning with these related ideas:
- Spring Ideas for Early Years
- Spring EYFS Outdoor Continuous Provision
- Spring Forest School Activities for Early Years
- Spring Nature Explorers
- Spring Flower Outdoor Play
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are some simple Spring STEM ideas for EYFS?
Planting seeds, measuring rainfall, building nests, investigating shadows, creating water channels and testing which natural objects sink or float are simple Spring STEM activities for EYFS.
How can STEM be taught outdoors in the Early Years?
STEM can be taught outdoors through playful investigations involving growing, building, measuring, observing, testing and improving. Practitioners can use natural materials and open-ended questions to develop children’s thinking.
What resources are needed for outdoor STEM activities?
Useful resources include water, containers, guttering, bamboo canes, ropes, chalk, clay, magnifying glasses and natural loose parts. Expensive specialist equipment is not necessary.
How does outdoor STEM link to the EYFS?
Outdoor STEM can support Understanding the World, Mathematics, Communication and Language, Physical Development and the Characteristics of Effective Learning.
Are these Spring STEM activities suitable for nursery and Reception?
Yes. Each activity can be simplified or extended according to the children’s age, development, interests and individual needs.
