The Mad STEM Lab

Welcome to the Tinkercad Lesson Tutorials!”

While Tinkercad is often used to create projects for 3D printing, I’ve found that focusing solely on this can leave students struggling to fully grasp the tools and features of the platform. In my experience, this often means fixing their projects myself, which takes away from their learning experience.

That’s why I’ve redesigned this unit and these lessons to focus on teaching students how to use Tinkercad effectively. These tutorials aim to build foundational skills like resizing, aligning, and grouping, while also helping students develop spatial reasoning—a key skill for problem-solving and design.

Beyond being a fun tool for creative projects, Tinkercad introduces students to concepts and skills used in engineering and design professions. Engineers across fields like mechanical, civil, and aerospace engineering use similar programs to create and prototype designs. By mastering Tinkercad, students gain advanced learning opportunities that prepare them for future STEM pathways.

These lessons will guide you step-by-step to help your students confidently explore, design, and create meaningful projects. Let’s get started!

In this lesson, students will explore the basics of Tinkercad, learning how to navigate the interface and use essential tools like resizing, rotating, snapping, and raising shapes. Through guided practice, they’ll create an arch using multiple shapes, applying these skills to complete their first design project. The lesson concludes with a gallery walk and reflection, encouraging students to share their creations and discuss challenges and solutions. Perfect for building a strong foundation in 3D design!

In this lesson, students will build on their Tinkercad skills by learning how to group and ungroup objects, create holes for detailed designs, and use the duplicate feature to save time. Through guided practice, they’ll apply these tools to design a neighborhood complete with houses, streets, and decorative elements. This engaging project encourages creativity and reinforces essential 3D design skills while allowing students to explore new techniques.

In this lesson, students will master the align and mirror tools to create precise and symmetrical designs in Tinkercad. After guided practice with tasks like making a ring and a layered cake, students will apply these skills to design and build their own robot. Using the Engineering Design Process, students will name their robot, describe its purpose, and create it in Tinkercad, showcasing creativity and technical skills in 3D design.

In this lesson, students will design a section of a zoo using Tinkercad while following the Engineering Design Process. Based on the previous lessons, students have likely been exposed to pre-made models within various Tinkercad categories, but this lesson reinforces and expands that knowledge. Students will explore the “Creatures and Characters” and “Structures and Scenery” categories to create engaging zoo exhibits.

For older students or advanced learners, this lesson can also serve as an introduction to the ruler tool, where they can practice measuring and setting specific spacing between exhibits. While the ruler tool may be more complex for younger students, it’s a valuable addition for middle or high school projects.