Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Fairy Tale STEM Activity

Bring a classic fairy tale to life with this Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Fairy Tale STEM Activity.

In this Snow White STEM challenge for elementary students, kids use simple materials to design and build a table big enough for Snow White, all seven dwarfs, and their dinner plates, while exploring story elements and the engineering design process.

Perfect for a K–5 STEM lesson, literacy integration, or fairy tale unit, this low-prep activity turns a beloved story into a hands-on design challenge.

What Students Do

• Review or listen to a version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, then discuss familiar fairy tale story elements like good vs. evil characters, magic, castles, and “once upon a time.”
• Read a kid-friendly challenge letter inviting them to help the dwarfs by building a table where everyone can eat together.
• Use popsicle sticks, play dough, and printable character and plate cards to engineer a sturdy table that fits Snow White, the seven dwarfs, and their dinner plates all at once.
• Follow the Engineering Design Process (Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Test, Improve, Share) as they sketch, build, test, and redesign their table.
• Extend learning by comparing two versions of Snow White with a Venn diagram and identifying story elements using a visual reference page.
• Respond to a creative writing prompt about discovering a magical cottage in the forest and the adventures they might have there.

What’s Included

• Teacher instructions with suggested materials, setup tips, and ideas for extension activities.
• Color and blackline Engineering Design Process posters, plus a question chart to guide students through each step.
• Printable Snow White and dwarf character cards (color and blackline) and dinner plate cards to use in the build.
• Student challenge letter and Ask/Imagine/Plan design page for the table-building task.
• Visual story elements reference pages
• Venn diagram organizer for comparing two Snow White versions.

Use this Snow White fairy tale STEM activity as a literacy extension, STEM Friday challenge, or part of a fairy tale unit to help students engineer solutions, analyze stories, and think creatively—happily ever after.

Read-aloud connection: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

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