6 Winter Olympics STEM Activities for Elementary Classrooms
The Winter Olympics are full of speed, strategy, and incredible engineering—and that makes them the perfect theme for STEM in Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade.
If you’re looking for a way to bring the excitement of the Winter Games into your classroom without needing complicated supplies or long prep, these Winter Olympics STEM activities are exactly what you need. Each challenge is designed to be developmentally appropriate for K–2, easy to run in a classroom or STEM lab, and built around the Engineering Design Process (Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Test, Improve, Share).
Get all of these Winter Games lessons as part of the STEM Teachers Club.
1) Speed Skating STEM Challenge
In this K–2 Speed Skating Winter Games STEM Challenge, students use the engineering design process to design, build, and test a “speed skater” that can glide across a tabletop rink using only magnetic force—no pushing with hands allowed—while figuring out how the skater’s shape, base, and magnet placement affect balance and movement (including experimenting with magnetic attraction and repulsion) on a start-to-finish track.
2) Bob Run / Bobsled STEM Challenge
In the Bob Run Design Winter Games STEM Challenge, students become “track designers” and use the engineering design process to create a bobsled-style course that can safely carry a marble or LEGO minifigure from start to finish using provided makerspace materials (like paper plates, tape, tubes, cups, and paper).
The twist: their bob run has to include one straightaway plus three turns in a row, so kids can see how curves change the marble’s motion and speed—then they test by sending a marble down the track and revise their design based on what happens.
3) Downhill Skiing STEM Challenge
In the Skiing STEM Challenge (K–2), students engineer a skiing racer by attaching the skier printable to two popsicle-stick skis, then test the skier on three different surfaces—wax paper, paper, and foil.
As they test, students measure or observe which surface allows the skier to slide the farthest and record their results, then compare findings as a group.
4) Figure Skating STEM Challenge
In the Figure Skating STEM Challenge (K–2), students design and build their own skater and skating rink using materials like a paper plate, the included skater/rink/judges cutouts, and a paperclip.
They then use magnet wands to maneuver the skater around the rink using the force of magnetism, either on the included course printable or a rink they create on the paper plate. Students test how well their design works and make improvements as they move through the engineering design process.
5) Luge STEM Challenge
In the Luge Winter Games STEM Challenge (K–2), students use materials like thin cardboard, popsicle sticks, straws, tape, scissors, and the luge rider athlete printable to build a luge sled.
Their goal is to engineer a sled that can carry an athlete down a ramp. Students then test how fast their sled travels using gravity.
6) Skeleton STEM Challenge
In the Skeleton Winter Games STEM Challenge (K–2), students use materials like a skeleton rider printable, popsicle sticks, thin cardboard or an index card, straws, tape, and a cardboard ramp to engineer a skeleton sled.
Students place their sled at the top of the ramp with the rider’s head facing down and then release it to observe how it slides. After testing, students make small changes and test again to improve their sled’s performance.
FREE Winter Olympic Games Medals, Country Reports and Medal Count Tracker
If you want to expand the Winter Olympics theme beyond building challenges, the medal tracker and country reports are perfect for the Milan Winter Olympics 2026!
Ready to Bring the Winter Olympics Into Your STEM Classroom?
If your students love building, racing, and testing (and what K–2 kids don’t?), these Winter Games STEM activities will be a huge win.
Let the Winter STEM Games begin! ❄️🏅
Everything You Need—All in One Place
All of the activities mentioned above are included in the Winter Games STEM lesson plans by Carly and Adam, making it easy to plan an engaging Olympic-themed STEM experience without starting from scratch.
STEM Teachers Club Members can download all of these activities for free
The full resource is also available for purchase on Carly and Adam’s store
Whether you’re planning a full multi-day unit or just a few special STEM days during the 2026 Winter Olympics, these lessons give you everything you need to bring the Games to life in your classroom.
Get all of the lessons in both Winter Games bundles as part of the STEM Teachers Club.
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