Establishing a strong interest in science with kids starts early, maybe even earlier than parents might imagine. Children, as young as two and three, can grow their observational skills and cultivate an investigative nature through science-themed play. Here is a brief look into how simple experiments at home can nurture curiosity and encourage scientific exploration from a young age.
In the preschool and elementary-school years, exploratory play and other forms of active engagement take on a new degree of importance. It’s then that youngsters begin to investigate and strive to genuinely understand the world around them. To foster such discovery and build conceptual understanding, parents should emphasize the core ideas and practices of science through simple yet engaging experimentation.
One activity parents could do alongside their children is to plant seeds and observe the growth together. This long-standing research route has proven time and again to be a hit with kids. Plus, it’s great for instilling patience and increasing awareness of the natural world. It starts with planting active seeds — such as sunflower or pumpkin — in a pot with fresh, aerated soil. Then, the pot is moved to a warm area with indirect sunlight and watered carefully. As the seeds germinate and sprout, ask the budding scientist to record the growth in a journal with descriptions or even drawings. Studying in an informal setting such as this helps lay a solid foundation for scientific learning going forward.
As the capacity for conceptual learning exists early on, it’s up to parents to provide opportunities for kids to analyze the world around them and make thought-provoking discoveries they can build on in the years to come. For a full list of 10 easy science experiments for children, please see the accompanying resource.
Courtesy Of AGS Scientific
