Toothpick Engineering: Preschool STEM Activity

Kids will love these three preschool engineering challenges! After introducing Toothpick Engineering, it quickly became a favorite for my kiddos. They enjoy building, experimenting with different designs, and yes, eating the marshmallows. 🙂 And an added bonus is that while the kids are playing, they are also developing important skills with this fun and simple preschool STEM activity.

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Preschool STEM Activities for the Win

STEM and STEAM are a hot topic in education these days and rightly so. The subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math cover important skills that teach our kids how to think, be creative, and problem solve. These activities go far beyond memorization. STEM skills will help our kids excel in tomorrow’s world.

Therefore, I love to include STEM activities in our Home Preschool time.

Related: Preschool Lesson Plan Index

While I introduced these challenges during Mommy Preschool, my Little has asked to do it several times since then. On these occasions, my older kids have hopped into the challenges and loved them as well.

Supplies for Toothpick Engineering

This STEM activity is so simple! The materials are readily available. Here is what you will need.

• Mini Marshmallows
• Toothpicks (Round Toothpicks seem to be stronger and therefore better for this activity.)
• Copycat Challenge Cards (24 Cards covering 3 Levels)
• Ruler
• Paper
• Pennies

A Word on Toothpicks and Marshmallows: Please, as always, supervise your child when working with both toothpicks and marshmallows. Be aware of choking or poking.

Challenge #1: Copycat Engineering

The first preschool engineering challenge is Copycat. Print the Free Download of the 24 Copycat Challenge Cards.

Draw a card and build the figure. Start with Level 1 cards and progress to Level 3.

This is a great challenge to get kids thinking about putting the toothpicks and marshmallows together in different ways.

Encourage your preschooler to create new designs. Then you can copy them!

Challenge #2: Tallest Tower

Use the marshmallows and toothpicks to build the tallest tower possible.

Measure the tower, and then create a different design and try to beat your own record.

Challenge #3: Bridge Builder

For this third and final challenge, use marshmallows, toothpicks, and a piece of paper to build the strongest bridge possible.

Put pennies on your bridge one at a time to see how strong it is.

Build another bridge and see which one is stronger. Which shapes are strongest?

A Challenge for Parents and Teachers

Our kids will get more out of these preschool engineering activities when they are given independence. Present the challenge and then step back and watch what your preschoolers figure out. If they get stuck, ask questions to help them head forward. However, try not to tell the kids what to do.

Additionally, remember that these STEM activities are a form of play. If your kids never move past the second challenge because they end up building a castle, hooray!

My Little loved creating designs for me to copy. We did that for a LONG time. Then her tower building the first time was simply putting those designs on top of each other. Remember, there are no wrong answers here.

And oh yeah, be sure to eat a few marshmallows and have a great time!

I hope this preschool STEM activity is fun and educational for your kiddos! Share photos of your Toothpick Preschool Engineering on social media with #lovinlifewithlittles. Happy preschooling!

Do you want more preschool STEM activities? Check out these related posts…

Colorful Crystals Preschool Science Experiment

Early Discovery and Bar Graphing with the Smell Test in Preschool Lesson Plan F is for Fragrance!

N is for Numbers Preschool Lesson Plan

Did you grab your Free Challenge Cards?

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