Science is an amazing subject that covers so many areas of life. It helps to stimulate a child’s curiosity by getting them to ask questions about the world around them, and it also helps children to develop important life-skills, such as problem-solving, communication and research.
If you would like to raise a science lover, here is some great advice from an independent day school in London…
Encourage questions
Turn your child’s curiosity into a science lesson. For example, if they ask questions about night and day, you could demonstrate the various positions of the sun and moon using a globe. If they ask how rainbows are made, you can demonstrate refraction by shining light through a glass of water.
There are many ways to teach your child science at home, simply by exploring their own questions and ideas.
Experiment together
Kids are naturally curious and love to experiment and see how things work. Help to stimulate your child’s curiosity by setting up some safe science experiments at home. Don’t worry you don’t need any fancy science equipment; you can set up fun experiments in minutes, using simple items you have in your kitchen cupboards – For example, baking soda and vinegar can create quite an interesting eruption!
Build and play
Building blocks and Play Doh are a great way to develop important STEM skills with younger children. As children get older, you can introduce them to more advanced construction toys, such as Lego or K’nex. These toys encourage children to be creative and problem-solve, which are both great skills that will benefit your child’s education. Puzzles are another great toy to encourage older children to problem-solve, plus you can enjoy them together as a family.
Play with water
Water play is great way to explore science with younger children. You can experiment with different materials and see which ones sink and which ones float. You can also experiment with different materials to see what happens when they are added to water.
Explore Nature
You don’t need to stay at home to explore science; you could head out and explore nature instead. Of course, this depends on the weather, but it’s a good opportunity to encourage your child to think about what happens during the different seasons and what kinds of plants and animals they can see. Discuss the weather and talk about where rain and snow comes from, or the importance of the sun. Think about the trees and how they produce oxygen for us to breathe.
Collaborate Post
