Integrating Tinkering into STEAM education adds valuable dimensions to the learning experience, fostering creativity, exploration, and problem-solving skills. Tinkering involves hands-on experimentation with materials, tools, and concepts to discover, invent, and innovate. It provides open-ended explorations, with challenges or prompts that encourage learners to tinker and explore instead of prescribing a specific outcome. It allows students the freedom to experiment, make mistakes, and iterate on their ideas. The variety of hands-on ideas allows Tinkering to naturally lend itself to interdisciplinary learning. Encouraging students to draw connections between different STEAM disciplines as they engage in tinkering activities. Tinkering promotes problem-solving skills as students encounter challenges and obstacles during their exploration. It encourages students to approach problems with a growth mindset, viewing failures as opportunities for learning and improvement. Tinkering provides a rich environment for inquiry-based learning, where students can pursue their own interests and curiosities while emphasizing the importance of asking questions, exploring possibilities, and seeking answers through hands-on experimentation.

In this session, we share different Tinkering STEAM activities that we have been using in our spaces and open a discussion on the value of Tinkering in STEAM education. Participants will be able to experience the hands-on activities and share their reflections and ideas with colleagues.