When thinking of early childhood STEM, images of active, play-based design challenges, experiences with robotics/coding, or hands-on experiences with open-ended materials (e.g., balls, ramps, loose parts) often come to mind. While these are certainly images that align with developmentally appropriate early childhood STEM practices, some of the "hidden" experiences that relate to building character development, prosocial skills, and social and emotional learning are often overlooked yet are equally important components of early childhood STEM. Research suggests that intentionally integrating character development skills and social and emotional learning into academic content, such as STEM, can help educators focus on the "whole child" and nurture critical life skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, respect for others, empathy, and resilience.