STEM Holiday Activity: Mechanical Systems Snowman for Kids
- Amy
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Holiday crafts are fun — but with one small change, they can become powerful, hands-on STEM holiday activities where students explore mechanical systems, pivot points, and rotational motion. With just a printable snowman template, brads, scissors, and markers, students can build, decorate, and experiment while learning engineering and physics concepts — all in a quick and easy activity that fits into any classroom or holiday program.
Hands-On Materials for Your STEM Holiday Activity
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No fancy supplies required! This activity only needs:
🖨️ A printable snowman template use regular printer/copy paper — or, for sturdier puppets, white printer cardstock
✂️ Scissors
That’s it. With just these materials, students explore engineering, physics, art, and design — all through hands-on STEAM learning.
From Craft to STEAM: Why Mechanical Systems Matter
When kids build this snowman, they aren’t just decorating — they’re exploring a mechanical system. A mechanical system is made of connected parts that can move and spin together. When one part moves, another part can move too — just like real-world machines. The snowman’s arms and body are connected so they move together — this is called a mechanical linkage. When one part pushes or pulls another, that’s called force transfer.
The spots where parts spin are called pivot points, and the spinning is called rotational motion. The arms and hat can rotate around these points, giving students a chance to experiment with both types of mechanical systems. Move the brads, pull the linkage, and tilt the hat — students are learning by doing, just like real engineers.
By using simple brads to connect the pieces, students see how motion travels through the system. Teachers can repeat the big idea again and again as kids build, test, and play:
“These parts are connected. When one moves, another moves too.”
That’s a mechanical system in action — connected parts moving and rotating together!
An Easy, Quick STEAM Holiday Craft for Kids
This snowman puppet is designed to be simple, fast, and flexible — perfect for busy classrooms, holiday schedules, or STEAM stations.
⏱️ Quick to assemble
✂️ Minimal prep
🎨 Creative and hands-on
🧠 Real engineering concepts, made kid-friendly
Students cut, decorate, and connect the snowman pieces using brads. As they build, they explore how joints move, how parts rotate, and how motion can travel from one piece to another.
It feels like play — but it’s real learning.
Download & Build the Free Mechanical Systems Snowman
Bring this simple holiday craft into your classroom as a fun and easy STEM holiday activity! Print the activity plan and key concepts sheet, color and decorate the snowman, cut along the dotted lines, and follow the step-by-step instructions to attach the brads. Kids can experiment with mechanical linkages to wave the arms or pivot points and rotational motion to tilt the hat. For an extra challenge, encourage them to add moving parts to the snowman or design their own holiday puppet from scratch.
Step 1: Print the Materials
Print the activity plan with the key concepts sheet to guide your discussion. Then print the snowman template on a sheet of paper.
Step 2: Color and Decorate
Have students use markers or crayons to decorate the snowman’s face, body, and hat. Encourage them to be creative with colors and patterns!
Step 3: Cut Out the Parts
Carefully cut along the dotted lines to separate the snowman’s body, arms, hat, and linkage.
Step 4: Connect the Parts
Follow the step-by-step printable instructions to attach the brads. The colored dots on each part show which pieces connect. Remind students not to tighten the brads too much — the parts need to move freely.
Step 5: Explore Mechanical Systems
Students can experiment with two types of mechanical systems:
Move the linkage to make the snowman’s arms wave
Tilt the hat to explore rotational motion around a pivot point
Step 6: Take the Challenge Further
Encourage kids to add moving parts to the snowman or design their own holiday puppet from scratch. How many moving parts can they create? What new pivot points or linkages can they invent?
Explore Mechanical Systems
When kids build this snowman, they aren’t just decorating — they’re exploring a mechanical system. A mechanical system is made of connected parts that can move and spin together. When one part moves, another part can move too — just like real-world machines, from toys to tools.
Mechanical Linkages in Your STEM Holiday Activity
A mechanical linkage is a type of mechanical system where parts are connected so they move together. As students build the snowman, you can point out:
The arms moving together
The joints spinning at the brads
How pulling or pushing one part affects another
Each time kids pull, push, or rotate a part, they’re seeing a mechanical linkage in action — one part moves, and the connected parts follow.
Here’s a simple way to explain it:
“A mechanical linkage is when parts are connected so they can move together.”
Pivot Points & Rotational Motion
One special feature of this activity is the snowman’s tilting hat. By adding a brad to the corner of the hat, students create a pivot point — a spot where the hat can spin or rotate.
When kids move the hat, it doesn’t slide; it rotates smoothly around the brad. This helps students understand:
Where movement starts
How rotation works
How changing a pivot point changes motion
Teacher Talking Point: Encourage students to experiment:
“Try moving the pivot point or tilting the hat at different angles. What happens to the motion of the hat?”
All of this happens with just one tiny fastener, showing how even a simple mechanical system can teach important engineering ideas.
Why This Works for Holiday Learning
Holiday crafts often focus on decoration alone. This activity adds purpose.
Instead of just making something cute, students:
Build a moving system
Test how parts work together
Improve their design
Use engineering words naturally
It’s still festive. It’s still fun.But now it’s STEAM learning — and the big idea of mechanical systems sticks.
Perfect for Classrooms, Makerspaces, and STEAM Days
This simple, hands-on snowman craft is more than just a holiday activity — it’s a STEM holiday activity that lets students explore mechanical systems, linkages, pivot points, and rotational motion. Perfect for
Classroom holiday activities
STEAM centers
Makerspaces
Early engineering lessons
Winter-themed learning days
Download the free Mechanical Systems Snowman Puppet afor a fun and easy STEM holiday activity in your classroom!
