Simple ways to spark your child’s interest in STEM

By Stacie Gaetz

STEM is more than just a buzz word. The acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

Although it is not a new concept (it is one we have all learned in school from a young age) the related skills are becoming something more and more employers of all kinds are looking for in future employees.

It is easy to see why. STEM activities teach many valuable skills including:

• Curiosity
• Problem solving
• Persistence
• Teamwork
• Critical thinking
• Creativity
• Improved memory
• Social skills
• Language development
• Increased self-esteem
• Hand-eye coordination

With an intro like that, it can be intimidating as a parent to think that helping teach our children these concepts is another thing added to our lengthy to-do list.

The good news is, you are probably already doing activities that teach STEM skills and the ones you are not doing yet can be easy and fun to engage in with your kids!

Here are eight ways to introduce STEM to your children.

Go outside

You don’t have to spend a dime and need nothing other than some boots and a jacket to implement STEM skills. Just step outside.

Try talking to your child about the way a snow shovel works (using a lever to lift more weight than you normally could) or why snow and ice melt at 0C.

You can also bring the outdoors inside in the winter and plant a small seed in a Styrofoam cup to watch it grow for a lesson in biology.

Build

Many toys are specifically designed to teach children STEM skills. Common ones include magnet tiles, LEGO, robots, kinetic sand, and playdough.

However, you don’t need expensive toys to get your little builder creating. Make something out of a cardboard box. Whether it’s a fort, car, shield or pretend guitar, cardboard and other recyclables can lead to hours of fun (and secret learning).

Experiment

It doesn’t have to be a lot of work to take part in science experiments in your home.

We all know the tried-and-true baking soda and vinegar volcano but there are many other projects you can do with household items you already have.

Try looking up how to make crystals with sugar or work together to figure out how to make a structure that will keep an egg safe when you drop it from counter height.

Try to determine what is the most soundproof item in your house by putting your cell phone in several different containers and then calling it. Can you hear it ring?

Visit a museum

We are so lucky to be close to several museums that teach children a plethora of STEM lessons. TELUS Spark Science Centre and the Royal Tyrell Museum are two that come to mind. Fort Calgary, Studio Bell, The Hangar Flight Museum and Heritage Park also incorporate many valuable science and technology related lessons. Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump is another great option.

Cook or bake

It might be strange to think about but cooking and baking involves many STEM skills such as measurement and chemistry.

Other examples of the science involved in cooking and baking include fermentation, physical science (the change from solid to liquid to gas), plant life, the scientific method, and simple machines (the appliances used for cooking).

Play games

Cooperative board and card games offer tons of opportunities to learn STEM skills. They can involve building skills, flexible thinking, problem solving, teamwork and more.

Other toys like Rubik’s cubes and 3D puzzles can stimulate parts of the brain that children don’t regularly use for other tasks.

Get creative

Although it may not seem obvious, physical art requires problem solving skills, spacial awareness, and other STEM related topics. Whether you have a painter, sculpture, writer, or musician, there are a number of ways to use “the arts” to teach valuable lessons.

Use technology

Screen time doesn’t have to be the enemy. Many children’s games and apps teach important STEM concepts like coding, chemistry, strategy, problem solving, cooperation and more.

As we all know, the technology itself doesn’t always work as it should and troubleshooting these problems teaches a valuable lesson as well.

As a last thought, one of the keys for our children to learn the long list of skills at the top of this article is for us as parents to try not to intervene right away when children face a problem. Let them try to find solutions and strategies first (you can help young children come up with ideas) and see where that takes them. The sense of pride when they figure out how to do it themselves will far outweigh any frustration they had during the complications and set them up for future success.

When you help your child discover and explore STEM-related activities, you’re starting them on an adventure of problem-solving that will empower them for the rest of their life.