Benefits of STEM-based learning for children

Posted by sparkclub on January 2nd, 2021

STEM elongated as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics is a world in itself and these are the 4 most essential pillars of knowledge and skill on which humanity exists and prospers.

The term STEM was first coined back in 2001 by the US National Science Foundation and it has been growing ever since. They understood the importance of these 4 pillars through various researches and figured out the need for imparting the idea of STEM in the coming generations.

Let's demystify the exact purpose of STEM, how it can be used, and when it can be used. This approach of learning is way more different from the traditional way of learning which is not only profitable for your child but is even a lot easier than the other forms of education which don’t support the practical learning approach! 

Benefits of STEM-based learning

Are you wondering what benefits does STEM bring into your child’s life? It is a no-brainer that the world has been competitive each growing day and for your child to stay alive in this world a practical approach to their learning methodologies has to be implemented.

This is where STEM education can be of great help. Research has shown that kids age ranging from 4-12 are in a phase where they learn and experience most of their things and it is crucial that a strong base has to be developed so that they can grow in a manner where they are needed in this world. STEM-based learning has a straightforward approach of providing these above-mentioned practical experiences through live experiments and just imagine what wonders would this bring into your child while they are still in the curiosity phase. 

Let me phrase the other added benefits that are targeted in your children with STEM education 

• Positive attitude towards the field of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics at a very early age say 8years.

• Incomparable problem-solving capabilities.

• Develop attributes of asking questions when kindergartners.

• Critical thinking and analysis.

• Digital Literacy.

• Art of independent thinking.

• Strong decision-making ability.

• Introduces children to science through fun activities instead of boring textbooks.

Keeping the above points in mind, in the present world there have been a lot of intrinsic and verifiable studies that have been carried out. Only after these detailed studies, it was found that be it an early stage of child i.e when they are in toddler state and up until they reach a stage of adolescence, children possess marvelous learning capabilities. During this stage, it is mandatory for a grown-up or an adult to provide step by step guide to their children and provide a boost to their understanding.

How is STEM education applied?

While we have understood the introduction and benefits of STEM education, let's spare enough time to understand how these methods can be applied to your children for learning purposes. We will not just follow the holistic approach but try to implement real-life activities in them. These activities when performed together with your children, will do the trick. STEM education can include various innovative techniques that invoke a child’s interest and make them curious to understand and learn more about the topic being discussed. Some of the most common and highly affecting methods are stated below. 

• Help them experience things even before they start learning about them. For instance, why things fall when thrown or how things look like moving along with you when you are on a vehicle.

• Perform role plays with them.

• Play mind-boggling puzzles with them. 

• Create a habit in them to ask  “why,” “what” and “how”!

• Introduce them to complex and accurate vocabulary words in day to day sentences, even with babies.

• Make them do experiments, hands-on activities

• Tell them stories, which develops the habit of asking questions

• Play science board games with them.

STEM now has become a part of our lives and it is around us. These types of activities trick your child in a way where they can develop a habit of learning and at the same time get practical experience about things. While we look at it as just simple methodologies, however, your child then is not looking at it the same way.

These curated techniques would invoke in them a part of their brain wherein they would want to do more experiments with you and in the due course learn more with you.