All Are Welcome Back to School Pre-K SEL STEM Activity Relationship Skills

All Are Welcome – Relationship Skills SEL STEM Challenge by Carly and Adam

Create a classroom where everyone belongs! This hands-on STEM challenge, designed specifically for Pre-K learners, combines social-emotional learning with creative building to help children understand the importance of community, diversity, and inclusion.

Inspired by All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold, students work together to design and build a school where every student has a safe and welcoming place.

What’s Included

• Teacher Instructions with step-by-step guidance
• Printable Student Figures in color and black-and-white
• Vocabulary Cards for community, diversity, and adversity
• Student Planning Sheets aligned with the Engineering Design Process
• Optional connection to the All Are Welcome read-aloud

Learning Goals

• Develop relationship skills through cooperative building
• Strengthen fine motor skills with non-consumable building materials like magnetic tiles, DUPLO blocks, or KEVA planks
• Practice problem-solving and creativity in a STEM challenge
• Foster an understanding of diversity, inclusion, and empathy

How It Works

Students imagine, plan, and construct a school building that can welcome all students represented by printable character pieces. They’ll collaborate to ensure every “student” has a safe place inside, then share their creations with peers.

This activity encourages productive struggle, iteration, and teamwork—making it perfect for Pre-K classrooms or early childhood STEM centers.

Perfect For:

• STEM labs and makerspaces
• SEL lessons in early childhood education
• Community and diversity themes
• Hands-on centers or whole-class challenges

Skill Alignment:

• Texas Pre-K Guidelines: Physical Development PK4.IX.B.2 – Increasing control of tasks requiring eye-hand coordination
• Social-Emotional Learning: Relationship Skills & Social Awareness

All are welcome here—and in your classroom!

The book link is an Amazon affiliate link, and the KEVA Planks link is also an affiliate link. We earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links.