When you first held your baby it never occurred to you that you had a science mastermind in your arms. Those wild tufts of post-nap hair made your little one look like Einstein, but that was the only clue.
As a toddler, your little scientist experimented with gravity, as they pushed things over the edge of their high chair, and transformed into a researcher as they emptied your pantry to catalog its contents, and became a frenzied ornithologist while imitating the birds chirping nearby. Now at preschool age, your little genius is a seasoned science ace. Keep the fun going and help your child reach for the stars with these six ways to supercharge his science skills.
Let your child tinker
Most of the children have a tendency of tinkering and are willing to do it with anything that is lying around. As a parent, all you need to do is step back, be supportive and hide your disbelief as your child chooses to pair those vase fillers with his play dough to make a confusing creation.
Value their questions
Questions like “why is the moon following us?” may sound absurd at times, but you need to respond in ways that encourage their scientific thinking. Enjoy discussing the questions your child asks. Encourage them to share their observations and perspectives.
Explore and find answers together
You don’t always have to have an answer ready in hand, you can take your time and respond to their questions. Responding with “I don’t know but we can find out together” or “What do you think?” can stimulate more thought and additional questions. Explore and find the answers together.
Pouring and transferring
An easy and fun way to help your child learn about gravity and volume is to allow them to pour and transfer different materials. They can spoon cereal from one bowl to another, or can pour water from small containers to large ones. It is an enjoyable way to relish your little one’s hysterical giggling from spilling water. After helping them to practice pouring large volumes of water with plastic pitchers, you can allow them to pour everybody’s orange juice one morning.
Accept that explorations are often messy
Whether it’s an outdoor exploration with mud and sticks or indoors with water, children are likely to get dirty when they explore materials. Dress them up in old clothing and tell them it’s okay to get dirty.
Support further exploration
Intentional interactions with children can extend their science learning and curiosity. When the moment is right, offer a suggestion to extend their exploration. Guide your child by asking questions like, “What might happen if we try this?” Share some things you find while exploring. This will let your child know there is always something worthy of attention and investigation.
The imagination of children knows no boundaries and that is exactly what makes them the best scientists.
