If you are like me and always look for ideas that can make your life easier, without losing the meaning then I have a good new for us. According to the research by Dou et al. (2019) to get your kids excited about STEM the only thing we as parents should do is to talk to our kids about science. That is it! Moreover, as person who deal with kids who cannot read and write yet, I figured this idea long time ago. There is no other way to introduce STEM to 3 years olds as to talk and model it.
Moreover, Dou et al. (2019) pointed out only two types of experiences strongly predicted a child's STEM interest: talking about science and experiences with the media (e.g., science fiction books and television programs). Although it is not a good idea to let a kid watch too much TV before they are ready, if this is the case, educational programming, especially those based on science, should take priority over Cocomelon.
I relied heavily on educational documentaries for our household's needs. But it's always a part of a larger package of events. Furthermore, it is usually simpler to demonstrate some ideas than to explain them from the ground up. For example, I can explain what the water cycle is, but the right media might have a bigger effect on the child.
So how do we get kids interested in STEM early on?
Here are some tips that worked with my oldest child:
- Pay close attention to where their interest (or attention) goes. I heard someone say, "Where interest goes, energy flows," but I don't remember who. It works just like that with kids. Young children are easily distracted, so it's best to use their natural curiosity to your advantage. Let's say your kid is crouching down and watching the crawling ant. So, here's your chance to make use of their natural interest! Come closer, ask them questions, and listen to what they say. Start with a simple question: "Do you know what that bug is called?" How do we know it's an insect? Where do you think it's going? "What's going on?" If your child doesn't know the answer, tell them. You don't have to be scientifically savvy to name the simple facts about popular notions. If the kid stopped caring about the ant and started watching the bird, you should do the same.
- Continue exploration at home. When you get home from your walk, ask the child if they want to read a short book or watch a documentary about the bug. Do not be surprised, but even very young children can watch documentaries. There are a lot of great videos out there about living things, so you can always find the one you need. Just google. In the meantime, you can watch with your child and act like a sportscaster by calling out the names and actions.
- Make something with the hands. As the last bit of unplanned and informal learning, do a craft with the child that has something to do with what they are learning. It could be anything! Drawing, sculpting with Play-Doh, making art with stickers, coloring pages, and just about anything else your kids can do. Let your kids use their imaginations, and don't correct them or keep an eye on them. Let them color the ant pink if they want to. The last step helps your child turn factual knowledge (semantic knowledge) into mnemonic knowledge (muscle memory). This helps the new information stick.
- Rest and repeat! Let your child forget about the ant for a while after they have done something with their hands. But you can talk about it once more during dinner and ask the young scientist to tell daddy everything he knows about ants. See how a youngster retrieves knowledge randomly. You might think he memorized one thing, but when the kids start talking, they might say something completely different from what you thought he knew. My daughter always did it! I was always impressed by her ability to transform incoming info into something totally unexpected. For example, the ant can become the queen of all ants and lead them in a fight against spiders. Anyway, it is normal. This is how children build their knowledge. When you go over old information, it helps the child remember it better.
Let me know if you have your own tips on how to get your kids interested in STEM.
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