STEM Clubs for Kids in London
Some children are made for STEM. They take the remote apart, ask questions you can't answer, and would build all weekend if you let them.
But as parents, we also have one eye on the future. We want our children to explore and enjoy science for its own sake, and to pick up the problem-solving and tech know-how that may serve them whatever career they end up choosing.
The research says you're right to start early, too. UCL followed the same children from age 10 to 22 and found that most liked science, but only around 16% could see themselves doing it, and that barely changed by sixth form. (1)
The children who did stick with it had something in common, and it wasn't school. Researchers call it science capital: all the science that happens outside the classroom, in clubs, museums and kitchen experiments.
The more of it a child has, the more likely they are to carry on with science after 16. (2)
See the latest STEM clubs and activities below to find one near you.
Smithsonian Starstruck: An Immersive Experience
Smithsonian Starstruck: An Immersive Experience is a first-of-its-kind virtual reality adventure that doesn't just show you the universe — it places you inside it. Launching in London on June 26th, and created in collaboration with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, the experience takes visitors on a breathtaking journey through the cosmos, from dazzling galaxies to the edge of a black hole. Now open at the Science Museum in London. Witness the life of stars in breathtaking detail. Book your journey today. A free Science Museum admission ticket is required to enter • Stand beside the Smithsonian’s Whipple Observatory, under a sky alive with constellations. • Climb aboard powerful telescopes and uncover the universe’s greatest mysteries. • Listen to the Sun's vibrations and behold solar flares 30 times larger than Earth. • Explore an exoplanet where volcanoes erupt and diamonds glitter beneath the surface. • Witness a spectacular supernova as star stuff is recycled into new stars and planets. • Venture to the edge of a supermassive black hole as it pulls a star into its grasp. About Smithsonian Starstruck Smithsonian Starstruck: An Immersive Experience is a fully interactive, 3D virtual reality experience that begins at the Smithsonian’s Whipple Observatory before launching visitors into space aboard the world's most powerful telescopes. Developed in close collaboration with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Starstruck transforms astronomical data and imagery into a breathtaking exploration of the universe. Blending cutting-edge immersive technology with authentic science and cinematic storytelling, Starstruck brings the cosmos within reach like never before.
Wed 16 Sept - Wed 30 Sept
09:00 - 10:00
Kids Activities • 10 years+ • £15.00
SW7, Science Museum
Camp Innovate: Robotics with LEGO kits
Children aged 8-13 will dive into hands-on science, technology, engineering, arts, maths (STEAM) and playful challenges – building, coding, and experimenting with their own creations. Problem-solving, teamwork, and imagination are all part of the fun. Highlights include: • Hands-on STEAM challenges in coding and robotics • Creative building and programming projects • Team games and playful experiments • A supportive environment to explore, invent, and have fun While young innovators tinker and test, parents can relax at artsdepot cafe with coffee, free WiFi, and a cosy spot to recharge during the half term. Facilitated by Code Kids Code Kids are a team of fun loving techies who love working with children and inspiring them through awesome, hands-on projects. They convert end users of tech into creators and designers, ready to be the creative problem-solvers of the future! Spaces are limited – don’t miss out on a day of STEAM, creativity, and invention. Camp cost includes a lunchbox from artsdepot Café containing a sandwich (ham, jam or cheese) with crisps, yogurt, cheese stick, juice, fruit (banana or apple), raisins or sweets. LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorise, or endorse this camp.
Mon 26 Oct - Mon 26 Oct
10:00 - 15:30
Holiday Camp • 8-13 years • £45.00
N12, Arts Depot
What actually happens in a STEM club
STEM sounds like a school subject. In practice it's a lot noisier than that!
For under-fives, it's all simple experiments with everyday items. Think baking soda volcanoes, food colouring creeping up a stick of celery, and toy cars racing down ramps. Nobody memorises anything. At this age, science is just something fun you do with your hands.
Primary-age children start building and testing. They might make rockets, catapults, or a model lung out of a bottle and two balloons. Lots of clubs run one project across several weeks, so your child has something to finish and show off.
For teens, it can be the technology end: coding their own games, robotics kits, electronics and 3D design. This is the age where STEM stops being an activity and starts being a hobby they disappear into.
Coding, science or robotics?
They all get sold under the same STEM banner, but they suit quite different children.
Science clubs are messy and hands-on, with a new topic most weeks. Perfect for the child who loves finding things out and likes a bit of everything.
Coding clubs build week on week, and the progress is easy to see, because your child ends up with real games they made themselves. Just bear in mind they're screen-based, and projects will need to be completed on a device.
Robotics is a bit of both: proper hands-on building, with some coding to make the thing move. It usually costs a little more because of all the kit.
Not sure where to start? Go for a science club. It samples a bit of everything, and within a term you'll know whether your child is drawn to the building, the experiments or the code.
What to check before you book a STEM activity
Is the kit included, or will you be buying it? This is where coding and robotics can get pricey.
Do the sessions build on each other, or stand alone? A term-long project isn't the one to drop into for a single week, but it's brilliant if you want your child to stick with something and create something they are proud of at the end of it.
How many children per adult? Experiments and code go wrong all the time (that's half the fun), but a child who waits twenty minutes for help may decide they're rubbish at it. Worth asking before you book.
And will they bring something home? It sounds like a small thing, but it's usually what decides whether you hear all about it at dinner!
Girls and STEM
The gap between boys and girls in STEM opens far earlier than most of us would guess. In UCL's research, just 11% of girls aged 10 said they'd like a career in engineering, compared to 44% of boys. (3)
At ten years old. Not at GCSE options.
So it isn't about steering anyone towards engineering. It's about getting there before your daughter decides this isn't for her. Some London clubs run girls-only sessions, and they can be worth a look if she's the only girl in her class with her hand up in science.
How to do STEM at home
There are a few ways to encourage STEM activities in the home.
Building blocks are brilliant for spatial thinking. Sink or float in the bath. Toy cars down ramps made of different materials. Water, ice and the kettle for the three states of matter (from a safe distance!).
With older children, they shift from doing experiments to asking questions about them. Why did that happen? What would happen if we changed one thing?
And your enthusiasm does more than any kit ever will. Children can tell quickly whether the grown-up is interested and a passion for science can inspire them as well.
FAQs about STEM clubs
What is a STEM club?
A club where children learn science, technology, engineering and maths by making things, not by being taught about them. Expect experiments, building, coding and taking things apart. No writing up, and no test at the end!
What age can children start STEM activities?
Children can start STEM activities from around two years old. It just looks completely different at each stage. Toddler sessions are sensory and gloriously messy, primary clubs build and test things, and teen clubs go deeper into coding and robotics.
Do you have to be good at maths?
Not at all, and this worry puts off more children than almost anything else. Most clubs run on curiosity and trial and error. Plenty of children who find maths lessons a struggle absolutely love robotics, because building something that works is a very different skill from getting the sum right on paper.
What's the difference between STEM and STEAM?
STEAM adds art to the mix. In practice, the difference is design: STEAM sessions care about how the thing looks as well as whether it works, which is lovely for children who are creative as well as science oriented.
Are STEM clubs worth it?
UCL's research found that children who get plenty of science outside school are far more likely to still be doing it after 16, and clubs are a big part of that. (2) But a club your child dreads is not worth doing, so the right fit matters more than anything else.
