Engineering and Empathy for PreK & K
Integrated Engineering and Empathy Challenges
In these hands-on design challenges, engineering and empathy come together as an integrated whole. Elements of empathy are specifically drawn out to encourage students to consider the needs and feelings of the various stakeholders in the challenge in order to design successful solutions.
- Audience
- Educator
- Subject
- Social-Emotional LearningSTEAM
- Age
- KindergartenPre-KPreschool
- Languages
- English

How to use this guide
This unit contains four activities that have been designed and tested in classrooms by teachers and Boston Children’s Museum educators. There is no particular order in which these activities should be taught, and you do not necessarily need to teach all four activities.
Make Way for Ducklings
Three Little Pigs
Shelter From the Snow
A Boat to Cross the River
Within the lesson plans, you will find objectives, suggestions for the time you may want to spend on the activity, materials needed, and standards addressed through the activity. You will also find suggestions for centers and/or precursor activities you might facilitate in your classroom to help prepare students for the engineering and empathy challenges.
We encourage you to just jump in and try it out. Click below to download the activities that integrate engineering and empathy.
Related Resources
EducatorGuideTinker – Educator Guide
Tinker is a set of resources designed to support educators and caregivers in engaging young children with hands-on STEAM learning. Encouraging children to tinker gives them the skills to be creative problem solvers out in the world. Tinkerers make great discoveries, small and large. Children who are encouraged from an early age to tinker and […]
EducatorGuideTinker – Playgroup Guide
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EducatorGuideMe, You, We – Playgroup Guide
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EducatorGuideMath Everywhere – Playgroup Guide
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EducatorGuidePlayful by Nature – Playgroup Guide
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CaregiverActivityStories Full of Feelings
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