There is something really special about the infinite questions kids tend to ask about anything and everything. Even when I don’t have the answers to many of those questions, I am always grateful for the opportunity to learn alongside my kids and to explore the world together. One of my favorite ways to do that is with science themed read-alouds that spark creativity.

Boosting Creativity With Science Read-Alouds

One of my ultimate goals as a parent is to raise curious and creative kids. Kids who know how to try, how to fail, and how to make their own magic in life. There is something truly inspiring about watching my children have more fun with their homemade toys than any of the fancy, expensive toys they may own. Science read-alouds inspire them to be creators.

In our house, STEAM exploration is high priority. My kids love to explore and create and to build and experiment. As a parent, I love watching their imaginations take flight and their curiosities bloom into creativity. What a beautiful childhood they are blessed with! They spend hours (and in some cases days) building contraptions with recycling and Legos and just about any materials they can get their hands on. If you’re looking for inspiration for your own kids, here are some of my favorite projects my kids have done, straight from their own imaginations:

• boat to float in the water table
• cardboard castle big enough to crawl inside
• spaceships with zip line attachments
• pom-pom catapults
• doctor’s toolkit complete with stethoscope
• balloon model of the Hindenberg airship (after my son read I Survived the Hindenburg Disaster, 1937)
• Lego candy dispenser
• Lego garbage truck

Science Read-Alouds to Build STEM Skills

What if we all raised our kids to dream big and to play creatively? What kinds of innovators might they become, if we taught them to hold tight to their imaginations? How might they change the world? Below, you’ll find a list of our favorite science read-alouds. These are picture books that will help to lay the foundation for key STEM skills and encourage kids to think creatively. My final suggestion comes complete with additional recommendations for expanding the fun.

1. Newton and Curie: The Science Squirrels by Daniel Kirk

Newton the squirrel asks big questions, seeks understanding, and experiments to find the answers to how things work. His curiosity inspires his sister to do the same. Together they discover how simple machines work and why big equipment at the human playground isn’t suitable for squirrels. As they learn more about the fundamentals of science and physics, they experiment by building squirrel-sized equipment of their own.

We were excited to watch Newton’s and Curie’s problem solving skills grow as the story progressed, allowing them to jump in to lend a hand to those in need. The end of this science read-aloud includes recommended online resources, allowing you to further explore science concepts with your kids.

2. Goldilocks and the Three Engineers by Sue Fliess, Illustrated by Petros Bouloubasis

We absolutely adore this STEM themed spin on the traditional story. In this version, Goldilocks is an inventor who goes on a walk, hoping to cure her inventor’s block. An equally innovative family of bears stumbles upon Goldilocks’ house. They begin to improve upon her inventions to make their stay more comfortable and her contraptions more efficient. This story offers a great lesson in how innovation often requires a team effort and outside perspectives.

3. Pebbles and the Biggest Number by Joey Benun, Illustrated by Laura Watson

Pebbles the butterfly is determined to find the biggest number that exists. In his quest for the answer, he travels all over the world, investigating numbers using science facts.

We love how science and math come together in this book, which really helped my youngest to stretch her brain and understand the scope of numbers and their size. To her, the numbers 100 and 1,000 seemed so infinite, until she discovered just how big numbers can get.

4. The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

If your kids need a little encouragement that failure is just as important as success, I recommend this book. Throughout the story the character struggles to create her idea for The Most Magnificent Thing. Over and over, she produces things that she thinks are all wrong, but she keeps trying, with every invention leading to the next. In the end, she finds success by piecing together the best parts of all her failed attempts.

My son loves to create things, but much like the character in this book, he gets frustrated when he can’t quite get his ideas right the first time. We love this book as a lesson in perseverance for young innovators.

The Questioneers Picture Book Collection by Andrea Beaty, Illustrated by David Roberts

You can’t have a list of science read-alouds without The Questioneers. I appreciate that this series was expanded into chapter books, allowing the series to grow with children, as they continue the fun with familiar characters. With this series, you can also get The Questioneers Big Project Book Collection to further expand on topics with STEAM activities and projects.

I’ve listed our favorite STEM and science read-alouds from this series below. You’ll join Ada Twist, Iggy Peck, and Rosie Revere as they explore the subjects they love most. In the process, these three curious, clever, and creative kids, inspire these important STEAM qualities in everyone around them.

5. Ada Twist, Scientist

6. Iggy Peck, Architect

7. Rosie Revere, Engineer

If I Built series by Chris Van Dusen

Jack’s big imagination is the star of this series. In every book, he dreams up fantastical versions of things. Chris Van Dusen is both a gifted storyteller and illustrator and does not disappoint. These books rhyme and flow with ease, with fun and vibrant illustrations that bring Jack’s imagination to life.

Another staple in our science read-alouds collection, these books are some of my most recommended in the STEM category. I was so excited to pre-order a copy of the next book in this series, If I Built a Town, being released this year.

After reading these, be sure to encourage your kids to sketch their own ideas for the amazing things they would build.

8. If I Built a Car

9. If I Built a House

10. If I Built a School

11. Someone Builds the Dream by Lisa Wheeler, Illustrated by Loren Long

I absolutely love the concept of this book! We give a lot of attention to the architects, the artists, the engineers… Often we forget to stop and appreciate all of the people, and all of the hands, that build and sculpt a project to life. This book is a tribute to those who do the physical labor of bringing a dream into reality. It plants a seed of understanding and appreciation for the many people that must come together to build our world.

12. Boxitects by Kim Smith

Meg and Simone are both Boxitects. Which means they both share the same building material of choice, cardboard boxes. Fueled by competitiveness and with tensions between them rising, they are teamed up for the annual Maker Match, with disastrous consequences. To have a chance at winning, they must learn to work together and merge their great ideas into one united project.

Building Upon Science Read-Alouds

Cardboard boxes are a favorite toy in our house, and Boxitects was a perfect addition to our home library during a season when my kids were always building with boxes. Whenever possible, I try to expand on read-alouds with other books and hands-on activities, so I gifted the following to my kids along with Boxitects:

• What To Do With a Box by Jane Yolen, Illustrated by Chris Sheban
• Cardboard Box Engineering: Cool, Inventive Projects for Tinkerers, Makers & Future Scientists
• Makedo Discover Cardboard Construction Toolbox (STEM kit)

The end of Boxitects also has instructions for a couple of fun boxitect projects your family can build together.

Final Thoughts

Science and STEM themed picture books are some our favorites to read aloud together. There is so much opportunity in this category to encourage creativity and to stretch learning with activities and projects. Whether you love STEM as much as my family or you are looking for fun read-aloud options beyond this category, we hope you enjoy some of these recommendations.

You can also take a look at the novel we read aloud together last month. We were pleasantly surprised by the little nuggets of science that were tucked into this wholesome story.