I’m dropping into your feed on a day I don’t usually post because I wanted to share something special with you. This is an activity I tried recently, and it feels especially perfect for the upcoming week.
Recently, I introduced my students to a simple STEM challenge:
Create a heart that can hold 10 kindness messages.
That was it. No example. No step-by-step directions. Just the challenge.
And honestly? That’s where the magic happened.
Giving Kids Space to Explore
As a school media librarian, I see students in a very different way than they do in a traditional classroom. The library is already a space for curiosity, creativity, and exploration, and I try to protect that as much as I can.
With this activity, I intentionally gave very little instruction. I shared the goal, passed out materials, and then stepped back.
We used recycled materials, blocks, and paper—nothing fancy. Cardboard, scraps, tape, and whatever we had on hand. What I saw were students thinking, trying, adjusting, and sometimes starting over. They weren’t looking for the “right” answer—they were building their answer.
When we give kids room to explore on their own, they show us just how capable they are.
Play Is Work
Years ago, when my son was young, I worked in a Montessori school. One of the ideas that stayed with me the most from that experience was this:
Play is work.
When children are “playing,” they are actually doing some of the heaviest learning of all. They are planning, problem-solving, experimenting, negotiating, and making sense of the world around them.
That mindset has stayed with me throughout my career. When I watch students building, tinkering, and creating, I don’t see off-task behavior—I see deep learning happening in real time.
The Importance of a Calm, Focused Space
Before we started, I set one simple expectation:
This was a quiet, focused build.
Not silent. Just calm.
Keeping voices low helped create a space where students could really concentrate. They slowed down. They stayed with their ideas longer. The room felt peaceful in a way that’s hard to describe unless you’ve experienced it.
Sometimes our students don’t need more directions—they need less noise and more time.
Play as a Way to Process Feelings
This challenge looked like play—and it was.
But it was also meaningful emotional work.
As students wrote kindness messages and designed their hearts, they were thinking about themselves, about others, and about how words can make people feel. They expressed those thoughts through building, drawing, and writing.
Play gives kids a way to process their thoughts and feelings without pressure. It allows learning to feel natural instead of performative.
Why Open-Ended Challenges Matter
What I love most about activities like this is that they don’t require fancy materials or long prep.
They require trust.
Trust that kids can think.
Trust that struggle is okay.
Trust that meaningful learning happens when we step back and let them lead.
And every time I try something like this, my students remind me why it’s worth it.
Free Download: Kindness Heart STEM Challenge
I’ve created a free printable PDF for this activity that you’re welcome to use with your students.
It includes:
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The challenge prompt
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Kindness message templates
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A simple reflection page
👉 Click here to download the Kindness Heart STEM Challenge for free.
Or if you would prefer, you can download this activity for free on Teachers Pay Teachers
Whether you use this in your classroom, library, makerspace, or SEL block, I hope it gives your students the same space to explore, create, and connect that mine did.
Sometimes the best thing we can do as educators is offer the challenge—and then quietly step aside and watch them build.
