Exploring stem subjects with your child

When it comes to school, your child will be taught Science, technology, Engineering and Maths. These are all part of core subjects. Also known as STEM learning, these subjects help students develop a number of skills such as problem solving and investigative skills. These four subjects in particular are important as they will help your child to build a strong foundation of life skills that will benefit them in the future. Jobs will require the employees to have acquired stem-based qualifications. As parents, it is important to support your child’s stem learning as it will help them to get the most out of their school-based learning. Here is some advice from a prep School for Girls in Leatherhead on exploring stem subjects with your child at home.

Experiment with your child at home. Kids are born with curiosity and are always on the search to find out more. ‘Why is the sky blue? Why do we have five fingers on our hands? How can water be both a liquid and a solid?’ These are all questions you may find your child asking at some point in their life which is why it is important to show them and how and where they can get their answers. To help stimulate your child’s curiosity, start by trying some fun experiments at home. These can be done easily using ingredients and materials in your kitchen cupboards. Baking soda and vinegar is one of the most exciting ones and is used to show reactions between two elements. You can take it a step further by showing them how solids, liquids and gases work by freezing and boiling water.

Use the outdoors to your advantage. Nature can act as a classroom of its own which is why it should be used. Children learn best when they are able to use most of their senses which is why going outdoors to learn is perfect for them. Exploring nature can be fun and engaging way to teach a child. Children struggle to sit in a chair for hours upon end which is why they get fidgety and lose focus and interest easily in class. Take their activities outside. Reading, creative writing and painting are educational activities that can be move outdoors. You’ll find your child is more alert and relaxed too. Simply sitting on a blanket and having a wider space to learn in is beneficial for children when it comes to their learning.

Cook together. Cooking is a great way for children to develop their reading, writing and math skills. Once a week make it a habit to sit down and choose a recipe to cook together. Delegate different tasks to your child such as reading out the recipe, writing down notes, making a shopping list and then helping prepare for the meal. your child can also practise their math skills by measuring out different ingredients, cutting food into different shapes and counting the amount of food that goes into the recipe. This is also a great way to bond with your child and can be helpful to you in the kitchen.

Play games with them on a regular basis. Playing games will always be the best way for children to learn. children love to be stimulated through their senses which is why games are full of colour action and fun. Board games are a great way for children to build on the academic skills. Your child will start improving on both maths and English skills without even realising. Games such as snakes and ladders, monopoly and Scrabble are fun, entertaining and best of all educational.

take some time out of your day and allow your child to explore with water play. Water play is a perfect learning activity for young children. They are able to experiment with different materials and understand the concept of density. provide your child with different materials and allow them to see which one’s float and which ones sink or what happens to certain materials when they are added to water. This is an engaging way for children to understand more about science as well as learn in a fun way.

Taking part in stem learning at home will surely help your child in school.