Cycle 3 · Leg 2 · STEM

Little Engineers

A PreK–K engineering curriculum that introduces foundational STEM concepts through hands-on exploration and problem-solving. Aligned with the New York State Science Learning Standards and Early Learning Guidelines — 25 sequenced lessons plus two bonus builds, every file downloadable.

Browse all 27 lessons Materials library About the program

Five themed units

Jump to a unit

Units can be taught in any order. Lessons within a unit are sequential.

Lesson library

Every lesson, with its files

Search by title, vocabulary word, or concept. Expand any lesson for objectives, supplies, and standards alignment.

Materials library

Every file, filterable

Teaching decks, blueprints, handouts, templates, and the curriculum document.

    About

    How a session runs

    Every lesson follows the same arc so routines stay predictable for preschool-age learners. Target pacing is about 50 minutes.

    1. Opening Circle

      Song, story, or the “Mouse and Cheese” word game. Rosie the Robot arrives.

    2. Mini-Lesson

      The concept of the day — gears, balance, levers, and so on.

    3. Activity / Movement Break

      Hands-on or kinesthetic interlude.

    4. Rosie's Problem of the Day

      A build challenge framed around helping Rosie.

    5. Building

      Blueprint build or free build.

    6. Free Building / Sharing

      Open exploration and show-and-tell.

    7. Closing Circle

      Story, song, and clean-up.

    Outcomes

    Program goals

    Through this curriculum, students will be able to:

    • Understand how DUPLO® pieces fit together to build various structures
    • Understand how stability, balance, size, and weight affect their constructions
    • Demonstrate understanding of gears meshing
    • Use counting and sorting skills to identify particular DUPLO® pieces
    • Construct 3D models that are solutions to problems
    • Measure and weigh objects
    • Practice pre-reading and reading skills through reading blueprints
    • Sequence objects based on size, weight, and numerical order
    • Work collaboratively with other students

    Implementation sites

    PS/MS 46 Arthur Tappan School — 125 PreK–K students, engineering centers in each early childhood classroom, weekly engineering exploration blocks.

    Our Lady of Lourdes — 75 PreK–K students, family engineering nights, take-home engineering kits.

    Cross-unit resources

    • Rosie the Robot — recurring puppet/prop in every lesson
    • Piece ID Reference — used in every intro lesson (L1, L6, L11, L16)
    • Mouse and Cheese word game — alternative opener
    • Movement breaks — Construction Movement Cards (L10), Ring Around the Rosie (L16), robot finger puppets (L3)