Introducing your child to STEM subjects (that’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) will help them develop many important skills while possibly instilling in them a passion for the subject. You can incorporate STEM learning into many everyday activities at home and in the great outdoors, which will nicely complement their classroom-based learning. Read on for some tips from an international school in the UK on exploring STEM subjects with your child.
The great outdoors
Nature provides ample opportunity to learn about STEM subjects. Take your child for a walk in the woods and talk about the different ecosystems and habitats you can see and how insects and other animals live in and contribute to them. You can also discuss how trees and plants grow and what they need to survive. Alternatively, go for a picnic and spend some time gazing at the clouds and talking about the weather and the seasons. While on a walk, challenge your child to spot different structures such as bridges and buildings so they can learn about engineering. They’ll soon realize that science is all around us and wherever we go.
Everyday activities
Make use of routine activities like shopping, cooking and DIY to teach your child STEM topics. Cooking can help children develop their reading, writing, science and math skills; they’ll learn to write a shopping list, read a recipe and follow the instructions, weigh and measure ingredients, and what happens when the cake mixture is put in the oven. You can also test your child’s math skills when you go shopping by challenging them to add up items in your shopping trolley before you get to the checkout. Get them involved in DIY so they learn about engineering principles and different materials, and how they can be joined together to make something.
Learning through play
Many play activities give children the chance to learn about STEM; for example, you could fill a bucket with water and prompt your child to test different objects to see which ones sink or float. This can also be done in the bath, and you could encourage them to mix different liquids together to make their own experiment. When building a model you can take the opportunity to talk about different shapes and how they fit together, and ask your child to count the number of bricks used to make a tower.
As you can see, STEM learning can take place anywhere and incorporating it into everyday activities will help your child see how important it is while they develop valuable skills for the future.
