Everyone loves watching the ball drop on New Years Eve. Keep this excitement going all night by creating your own ball drop. This hands-on STEM challenge will keep kids engaged, learning and having fun throughout the celebrations. Whether kids create at home, or school, this New Years Eve STEM Activity will quickly become a favorite.

STEM challenges are great any time of year to get kids interested in science, technology, engineering and math. Any combination of these subject areas are a wonderful learning opportunity for kids of all ages.

This free New Years Eve STEM activity challenges children to create a catapult that will send the New Years ball flying through the air. Children can then watch it drop to the ground, or aim to catch it before it falls.

The challenge uses simple materials and can be done by kids of all ages. Which makes it the perfect activity for a group or party.

If you’re looking for more exciting activities to do with kids on New Years, check out the popular Free New Years Eve Escape Room Game and huge collection of 41+ New Years Eve Ideas for Families and Kids.

As a teacher and parent, I see the benefits of STEM challenges every time I plan one for my kids and students. These activities are a great way to encourage problem solving, critical thinking and persistence. For more STEM activities to try with kids, visit 60 Best STEM Activities and 45+ STEM Challenge Ideas for Kids.

New Years Eve STEM Activity Materials

Since I usually do STEM challenges with a large group of children, it’s important to me to use materials that are inexpensive, or ideally materials that I already have on hand. This catapult challenge is always a favorite with children. For this challenge, you will need:

• Plastic Spoon
• Ping Pong Ball
• Elastics
• Jumbo Popsicle Sticks
• Free Activity Card (Optional)

You can have children create in small groups, or have each child create their own catapult. You will need approximately ten jumbo popsicle sticks for each catapult. I painted some popsicle sticks that I had to fit the New Years theme, but you can use any color.

For the ball, I painted a ping pong ball to fit the theme as well, but you can use any ball you have available. The weight of a ping pong ball works well for this activity, but any similar item can be used.

The activity card is optional to use, but it is available, for free, at the bottom of this post.

STEM Challenge Activity Card

Once you have the materials ready, there is no extra prep you need to do.

With most groups, you can simply give them the materials and challenge them to create a catapult of some kind that will send the New Years ball flying through the air. However, with younger children, you may need to build an example catapult for them to recreate.

Once your materials are ready, read the challenge to children and let them start building. This New Years Eve STEM Activity card reads, “Use the materials to create a catapult that launches the New Years Eve ball into the air, and then drops.”

New Years Eve STEM Activity

Avoid giving too much direction, or too many suggestions while children build. Encourage them to try different strategies and appreciate the learning that happens from their mistakes and attempts.

Once children figure out the basic structure of a catapult, they can test and alter their design. What happens if they move the elastics up or down on the spoon? What happens if they add more, or take away some of the jumbo popsicle sticks that create the base?

The testing stage during a STEM challenge is very important. Once children feel that they have created a catapult that will work, encourage them to test their structure by placing a ball on the spoon, pulling back on the spoon and then letting go.

The ball will fly through the air. Some of the balls will go high, but not far. Others will go far, but not high. Encourage children to notice the differences between the catapults and alter their structure in whatever way will improve their shot.

New Years Eve STEM Challenge

Extension Idea – Points Game

There are lots of simple ways that you can add to this activity. If you have a group of children who each make a catapult, you can place containers in the room where children test the distance the ball goes. On each container print a number. Each container is worth a different value.

If players aim their New Years Eve ball and it drops into one of the containers, they get that amount of points. Each child can get ten shots with their ball and whoever ends up with the most points at the end, wins.

Extension Idea – New Years Eve Kit

Another option for this STEM challenge is to create New Year’s Eve kits. In a sealable bag, place the activity card, popsicle sticks, a spoon, elastic and ping pong ball. The kit has everything needed to do the challenge.

This makes for a great present for children to take home over the holidays to explore and experiment with for New Years. You can also prepare these kits ahead of time, before a party. Each child can then be given a kit at the party to create.

However you choose to use this New Years Eve STEM activity, I hope the kids enjoy it as much as mine always do. It’s a great way to keep kids engaged during a night of excitement.

New Years Eve STEM Activity Printables

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