Did you know that you and your child can experiment with science projects around the house without spending a ton of money? In fact, if you look around your house and you can easily find a wide variety of items that you can use to teach your child about basic science concepts. I will share with you some fun ways that you can share and create your own science experiments for your toddlers that teach them about basic science concepts. I had personally found that children are eager to learn using play time activities. Just remember that most toddlers have a short attention span. Use their short attention span to your advantage and vary up the experiments that you want to try with your child. In fact if you find your child uninterested in a task, you can move on to something else.
Why is it Important to Teach Your Child about Science?
Science encompasses the world around your child and you can easily apply it to the things that your child is already doing on a daily basis. Your child is probably already learning a few science concepts without you even realizing it. Children are learning science concepts when they are experimenting and exploring the world around them. Scientific knowledge can help you explain the world around us, it helps use predict things that are going to happen, help us solve problems, and it guides us to make technological improvements. When you are teaching your toddler about science concepts, I highly suggest that you keep is simple and teach them the basics using the concepts that your child is exposed to on a daily basis. You can teach them the basic concepts so that they can learn how to apply science in their daily activities.
Try teaching them scientific inquiry using this method:
- Have them explore objects, materials, and events.
- Ask them questions and give them the opportunity to ask you questions as they are learning.
- Teach them how to make careful observations. (for example when ice melts it will turn into a water puddle)
- Engage them in simple investigations.
- Have them describe what you they see including (shape, size, color, number), compare things, sort, classify, and order the object, materials, and events.
- Teach them how to record what they saw using graphs, charts, words, or pictures. (Use this for older children, this concept is a bit harder for toddlers. If you try this with your toddler, have them attempt to draw a picture.)
- Use simple tools to help you extend the things you observed during the experiment. If you make use of any scientific equipment, make sure you clean them thoroughly using distilled water which you can buy from sources with a simple search for “distill water near me“.
- Point out any patterns and relationships.
- Help them develop tentative explanations and ideas. (Again this is for older children who can apply critical thinking skills.)
- Teach them how to work with others.
- Share and discuss new ideas and perspectives.
Use this method as a guide when you are showing your child new concepts or doing science experiments. This will teach them how to analyze and apply the concepts to the things around them. Plus it helps them develop critical thinking skills which will benefit your child in school.
Comments
2 responses to “32 Fun and Creative Ways to Teach Your Child About Science”
These are perfectly awesome creative ways to teach your kiddos about science.
I often find myself teaching my kids without even thinking about it, and then realize hey “that’s science or math… etc.”
XOXO
Thanks for the great tips! These will come in handy with my son. 🙂