The Importance Of Teaching Science To Preschoolers (INCLUDES 5 SCIENCE ACTIVITIES)
While I want my son to stay little and innocent for as long as possible, I also love to watch him grow and learn – it’s just one of those conflicting matters that all parents experience. Introducing him to the “magic” of the world is one of my favourite parts of being a mother, there’s just something so thrilling seeing the universe through a child’s eyes and it’s almost as though you were learning or seeing something for the first time too. This is why I love to potter around with my kid and often we find our afternoons filled with science activities and the likes – kids are never too young to be introduced to science!
Science is not just for high school students and biology boffins. Oh no! Preschoolers, like their much older counterparts, are quite competent to understand scientific concepts and develop scientific thinking. As important as this topic may be to the advanced student, early science experiences are equally as vital to the young child's educational growth and development. Science in the early years sets a foundation for learning and understanding, it helps to develop literacy and communication and it instils a sense of curiosity and a passion for exploration and discovery.
And then there’s the bonding. My feisty three-year-old son likes to keep moving and downtime activities where we need to sit and focus are not on his To Do List, unless I place them there. So, when I plan an activity that gets him curios and promises to be messy (to his delight), then I know I can grab a moment of time to sit with him and play along as we learn together (while we learn more about each other too).
If you have a preschooler or a toddler, perhaps it’s time to rustle up your own laboratory and start experimenting with your kiddos too! To help get you stated, I have put together a list below of some of the more recent activities my son and I have gotten up to, my hope is that you can draw inspiration from them. The experiments are quite adaptable and you can add or omit things depending on the age and capabilities of your child (or you can replace certain ingredients and items with others).
5 Science Experiments For Preschoolers
- Science For The Little Guys: Surface Tension And Colours - Learn about surface tension using colors (includes a video).
- Science For The Little Guys: Bubbling Paint - Make your own bubbling paint and learn about chemical reactions.
- Science For The Little Guys: SINK OR FLOAT - a simple game of sink or float (why do some things float and others sink)?
- What A Slimy Experiment! SlimeBy @sweetpea, And Kiddo - learn how to mix dry, wet and sticky ingredients to make the gloopiest slime!
- Toddler Science: Colour Laboratory - set up a laboratory for your little ones where they can mix, pour and squirt coloured water.
My kiddo and I get up to all sorts of exploring very often and I love to share our adventures with my fellow Steemit community. If you have kids, grandkids or perhaps you are one of those super-hero teacher types, then please do follow my blog for inspiration, tips and just plain old ideas. While I have many passions and hobbies, parenting is by far my favourite pass-time!
Much love - @sweetpea
Ahhhh... I so loved teaching my kids when they were little. It made learning so much fun, even for me! :) You brought back wonderful memories!
I feel so bad for not having a kid, but hey..I can be one..right?
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These moments are so precious... 😊
This is so cute! ❤️
I couldn't agree more. The earlier we get kids interested in science, the more they'll take an interest in the world around them. Teaching preschoolers about science gets them engaged early on. Even if they don't make science a career, they'll have much more of an appreciation for scientific knowledge and the scientific process when they grow up.
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I completely agree, @sweetpea! We did many similar experiments when our kidlets were young (fyi, if you ever find a closed Tupperware container of Ooze, and you can't remember how long ago you made it, DO NOT OPEN IT! I can still smell the smell...LOL), and I can say that they are now all passionate and curious adults. Excellent suggestions for activities, and congrats on the #steemitbloggers Daily Member Boost! 😊
I think the most important issue here is to use such activities to try to teach the scientific method. That is also one of the hardest things to do. There are a number of studies examining why having kids walk through the method on one experiment does NOT transfer to a new experiment or situation. For some reason, the scientific method is just not a natural way that we think, even though it is absolutely essential for discovery and explanation. Some of my favorite examples of this are in Richard Feynman's autobiographical "Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman. Adventures of a Curious Character." One of my favorites from the book is in the chapter called "The Amatuer Scientist" where Feynman talks about a series of experiments on ants that had invaded his dorm room. His experiments seem brilliant, yet after the fact you realize that anyone could come up to them if they were thinking scientifically. The hard part is to think scientifically.
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