Father’s Day is the perfect time to show Dad how much he means to you. Creating a card, or something handmade always makes a wonderful gift. We love creating things for every occasion in kindergarten, and I wanted my students to make something unique for their Dad. My students love STEM challenges, so their Father’s Day gift has a twist with this Free Fathers Day STEAM Activity.

STEM or STEAM activities are hands-on activities that blend, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. More recently Art is often added into STEM learning. The more of these subject areas mixed together, the better.

STEAM projects are a great way to take a simple activity and add a bit of a challenge by setting some restrictions, such as limiting the materials supplied, or setting a time limit. For this activity each child’s project will end up looking different and being unique.

For more STEM activities including a similar one for Mother’s Day, check out 45+ STEM Challenge Ideas for Kids and Mother’s Day STEAM Activity.

Homemade gifts for Dad are always a favorite. Visit Play Learn Inspire for a Father’s Day Gift Idea that we also created this year in my classroom, and a Father’s Day Nature Craft.

Free Fathers Day STEAM Activity Materials

This free Fathers Day STEAM activity is perfect for classroom use or at home. The activity does not require any special materials and all of the printables are available for free.

There are several versions of the printable available for you to download. Some include text/instructions for children, other pages create more of a card for Dad. There is also a page that creates a picture of just Dad, or you can create you and Dad. You can also give children a choice for which page they would like to work on.

To make it less challenging for younger children, you can print the page that has the outline of a person/people on it. There are other pages you can print that challenge older children to create the person without the outline.

It’s up to you which page(s) you print. If you have access to cardstock to print the images on, it’s a great option. Otherwise, if you use heavy materials to create the people, you can glue the page to cardboard or a stronger material after children are done creating.

You will need glue, the printables as well as building materials. A few ideas for materials to give children are featured below, such as craft supplies, bolts and screws or nature items.

Whatever material you choose, make sure that it is appropriate and safe for your group.

Free Father’s Day STEM Activity Steps

Whether children are creating for Dad, grandpa, uncle or any other special father figure in their life anyone would love to receive this project.

Start by showing children the materials they get to create with. Then give them a copy of the printable for them to start gluing to create their Dad.

If you don’t want to use glue, you can have children create their figure and then take a picture of each child’s creation and print a picture of their page.

My children suggested using some materials that they felt related to Dad, such as tools and building materials, like screws.

Provide the materials and have children start creating their image. Children are challenged to create an image of their father using only the materials you have supplied. Challenge them to completely fill the outline.

Once they have a rough image of Dad, they can begin gluing the pieces down.

Free Fathers Day STEAM Activity – Outdoors

Another fun option for this free Fathers Day STEAM activity is to complete the activity outside. Children can gather lots of nature supplies, such as grass, leaves, twigs, pebbles and anything else that they feel they could integrate into their picture.

Use the materials to build and create a figure of Dad. I supplied my children with some googly eyes to bring their picture to life, but doing so is completely optional.

Heading out for a hike to gather supplies is a great way to spend the day creating the project. It encourages children to think about what each piece from nature can be used for.

Fathers Day STEAM Activity with Craft Materials

If you have lots of craft materials, you can supply children with the supplies to create their Dad. There are no specific materials to include, you can give children anything you have on hand. I used straws, pompoms, felt, tissue paper, beads and more.

The challenge comes from children being able to successfully create only using the supplies they are given. They must be creative and use the supplies in a way that makes sense to create the Dad. They can try different materials in certain spots and change them around before gluing.

Art Building Challenge for Kids

Whatever supply you choose to use for your homemade Father’s Day project, the possibilities are endless for what kids will create. One of the wonderful things about STEAM activities is that every child can be successful, and at the same time every project will turn out differently from each other.

Dad will love seeing how their child recreated their image using different supplies. It’s sure to get a smile from Dad and is a great piece to frame.

Free Fathers Day STEAM Activity Printables

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Free Fathers Day Scavenger Hunt

Take Dad on an adventure around your home with this free printable scavenger hunt just for Dad!