How STEM Tub Cards Support Making, Testing and Problem-Solving
A student reaches into a basket and pulls out a card: Build a vehicle that can travel five metres.
On the table beside them is a tub of construction pieces, wheels, axles, connectors and other building materials. There are no step-by-step instructions. No finished model to copy. No single “right” way to begin.
Within minutes, the table is full of measuring, testing, adjusting and problem-solving. The students are not just playing with materials. They are thinking like designers and engineers. They are asking: What will make this stronger? Why did it fall? What could we change? What else could we use?
This is the value of STEM Tub Cards. They turn simple classroom materials into open-ended opportunities for students to imagine, build, test and improve.
What Are STEM Tub Cards?
STEM Tub Cards are short challenge cards that can be paired with hands-on materials such as blocks, construction sets, craft sticks, paper cups, cardboard tubes, straws, pipe cleaners, recycled boxes, fabric scraps, natural materials or electronic sets.
Each card gives students a prompt or problem to solve. They might be asked to build a tower, create a bridge, design a shelter, make a vehicle, construct a maze, balance objects, create a model or solve a simple design challenge. Some cards may work best with a particular material, while others can be used with any available resources.
The strength of the cards is their simplicity. They give students just enough direction to begin, while leaving plenty of room for creativity, choice and experimentation.
Why Open-Ended STEM Challenges Matter
Open-ended STEM challenges give students the chance to explore without being told exactly what to do. Instead of following a set of instructions to make a product that looks the same as everyone else’s, students have to think through the problem for themselves.
This supports important STEM skills. Students need to plan, test, observe, compare, adjust and try again. They learn that a design may not work the first time and that this is part of the process, not a sign of failure.
A card that says, Build the tallest tower you can using newspaper, immediately creates a problem to solve. How can newspaper become strong? Should it be rolled, folded, twisted or layered? What shape will help it stand? How wide does the base need to be? Students begin making decisions, noticing what works and using what they learn to improve their design.
This kind of learning connects closely with the idea of loose parts play, where open-ended materials can be combined, moved, redesigned and used in many different ways. Research into loose parts play has linked these kinds of experiences with constructive play, problem-solving, higher-level thinking, social interaction and communication.
These small challenges help build persistence, flexible thinking and confidence. They also show students that STEM can begin with everyday materials and a good question.
From Play to Purposeful STEM Thinking
STEM Tub Cards may look simple, but they can support rich learning. A tower challenge can introduce stability and balance. A bridge challenge can lead to ideas about strength and structure. A vehicle challenge can explore movement and friction. A shelter challenge can involve materials, shape and purpose.
Students are not always using formal scientific vocabulary at first, but they are developing the foundations of STEM thinking. They are learning to investigate, build, test, adapt and explain. They are also learning that mistakes and collapsed designs are part of the process.
This also reflects the value of making and tinkering as an entry point into STEM learning. When students design and build objects, either independently or collaboratively, they are not simply completing craft activities. They are working through ideas, testing possibilities and making decisions about how materials can be used.
This is what makes STEM Tub Cards so useful in primary classrooms. They sit at the meeting point between play, creativity and problem-solving. They give students a reason to use their imagination, while also encouraging them to think carefully about how and why their designs work.
A Flexible Tool for Busy Classrooms
One of the most useful things about STEM Tub Cards is their flexibility. They do not need to be saved for a full STEM lesson or a major project. They can be used in many different ways across the school day.
Teachers might set up a STEM corner where students can choose a card and a tub of materials during independent learning time. The cards can also be used for early finishers, morning activities, quiet focus time or as a calm but purposeful option for students who benefit from having something hands-on to do.
They can also become part of a whole-class lesson. The teacher might give each pair or small group the same challenge and different materials, then compare the solutions. Or each group might receive a different card and work towards a mini STEM showcase. The same resource can be used for ten minutes of independent exploration or extended into a full design-and-test lesson.
This makes STEM Tub Cards a practical way to bring more STEM thinking into the classroom without needing complicated planning or expensive equipment.
Encouraging Choice and Student Agency
STEM Tub Cards work well because they give students a sense of ownership. A teacher can set the challenge, but students still decide how to approach it. They choose materials, test ideas, change their design and decide when something needs improving.
This kind of agency is important. Students are more engaged when they can make meaningful decisions about their work. They are also more likely to explain their thinking because the design belongs to them.
For example, if the challenge is to create a chair for a small toy, one student might use blocks, another might use cardboard, and another might combine straws and tape. Each design can be different, and each one creates a chance for discussion. Which one is strongest? Which one is most stable? Which one uses the fewest materials? Which one could be improved?
Maker-centred learning also supports this idea of agency. It encourages students to see that the designed world around them can be explored, questioned, adapted and improved. In this way, STEM Tub Cards help students experience themselves as capable makers and problem-solvers.
The learning is not only in the finished model. It is in the decisions students make along the way.
Supporting Design and Technologies Learning
STEM Tub Cards also connect naturally with Design and Technologies learning. When students are asked to create a bridge, tower, shelter, vehicle, maze or useful object, they are identifying a need or challenge, choosing materials, generating ideas and producing a designed solution.
The Australian Curriculum: Technologies learning area highlights the role of design thinking and creating solutions for needs and opportunities. STEM Tub Cards give students a simple and accessible way to practise this kind of thinking in the classroom.
Supporting Different Learners
STEM Tub Cards offer natural differentiation because the same prompt can be approached in different ways. Some students may create a simple structure, while others may add more complex features, test multiple versions or explain the science behind their design.
Younger students might focus on building, balancing, sorting and talking about what they made. Older students might measure height or distance, record results, compare materials, identify design problems or write a short reflection about how they improved their model.
The cards also give students different ways to show their strengths. Some students may shine through building and making. Others may be strong at planning, noticing patterns, explaining ideas, solving practical problems or helping a group work together.
This can be especially valuable for students who may not always show their best thinking through written tasks. STEM Tub Cards give them another way to participate, experiment and succeed.
Setting Up a STEM Tub Corner
A STEM tub corner does not need to be elaborate. It can begin with a few containers of reusable materials and a small set of challenge cards.
Useful materials might include:
● blocks
● craft sticks
● cardboard tubes
● paper cups
● straws
● pipe cleaners
● masking tape
● string
● recycled boxes
● bottle tops
● newspaper
● fabric scraps
● natural materials such as sticks, leaves or seed pods
The materials can be rotated so the space stays interesting. One week the focus might be paper and cardboard. Another week it might be blocks, recycled materials or natural objects. Teachers can also pair specific cards with specific tubs to create a more focused challenge.
It can help to include simple expectations for using the space. Students might be asked to choose one card, work in a defined area, use materials respectfully, test their design and pack away carefully. A small reflection prompt can also help students think about what they learned.
STEM Tub Cards at Home
STEM Tub Cards are also a useful resource for homeschooling families or parents who want to encourage more creative, hands-on play at home. Children do not need expensive kits or specialist equipment to begin thinking like inventors, designers and problem-solvers. A small collection of everyday materials, such as cardboard tubes, boxes, blocks, paper cups, craft sticks, string, tape, bottle tops or recycled containers, can become the starting point for rich STEM exploration.
At home, STEM Tub Cards can be used as quiet afternoon activities, rainy day challenges, screen-free play prompts or part of a homeschooling lesson. A child might choose a card, gather materials and work independently, or siblings might complete the same challenge in different ways and compare their solutions.
The open-ended nature of the cards is what makes them valuable. There is no single correct answer and no need for every design to look the same. Children can experiment, make mistakes, change their ideas and try again. This kind of creative play helps develop persistence, flexible thinking, problem-solving and confidence, while still feeling playful and imaginative.
Simple Resources, Strong Learning
STEM does not always need a specialist kit, a long unit or a complex project. Sometimes it begins with a card, a tub of materials and a challenge that makes students curious enough to start building.
STEM Tub Cards give teachers, homeschooling families and parents a flexible way to encourage creativity, persistence, collaboration and design thinking. They can be used in a STEM corner, as early finisher tasks, during independent learning, for quiet hands-on focus, as part of a whole-class lesson or as screen-free creative play at home.
Most importantly, they help children experience STEM as something active and accessible. Students can imagine, create, test, improve and try again, using the materials already around them.
A small card on a classroom table, or at the kitchen bench at home, can open the door to big thinking.
To help teachers bring this kind of open-ended STEM learning into the classroom, Twinkl has created a range of STEM Tub Card resources that can be used in STEM corners, maker spaces, small group rotations, early finisher tasks or whole-class challenges.
For practical ideas and ready-to-use resources, explore the supporting Twinkl blog posts for F–2 STEM Tub Cards and Years 3–5 STEM Tub Cards.
References
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). Technologies. Australian Curriculum.
Cankaya, O. (2023). Preschool children’s loose parts play and the relationship to cognitive development.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10456023/
Cankaya, O. (2025). Loose parts play encourages spontaneous science and engineering-like thinking.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44271-025-00362-y
InformalScience. (n.d.). Making and tinkering programs.
