tips for putting your baby in child care

How can early child education services help your preschooler to develop STEM skills? Take a look at what parents need to know about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) skills, preschool, and child development.

What Is STEM Education?

STEM is an acronym that stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. Even though some of these areas (or even all of them) may seem too mature or complex for three- to five-year-olds to tackle, the early learning center environment is the perfect place for your child to build a STEM foundation. 

What Does STEM Look Like In the Early Childhood Setting?

Unlike older children, preschoolers won't sit through lectures on complicated calculus problems or learn how to program computers. But they will develop the basic skills they need to eventually learn about these subjects—and much more. 

In the early childhood classroom, STEM:

• Is hands-on. Instead of sitting passively and listening, young children can learn STEM concepts by doing. Hands-on explorations and experiments give preschoolers the chance to make their own discoveries and meanings.

• Includes a variety of subjects. These may include biology, chemistry, physics, Earth sciences, geometry, number identification, addition/subtraction, measurements, computers, and design.

• Helps to build cognitive skills. Not only do preschoolers build STEM subject-specific skills, but they can also improve problem-solving, critical thinking, and memory or recall abilities through these activities.

Along with cognitive skill-building, STEM can help preschoolers to develop physical (both fine and gross motor), social, and emotional abilities. STEM subjects also often extend into other areas or classroom content, such as early literacy and the arts.

What STEM Activities Will Your Child Try In Preschool?

The answer to this question depends on the learning center, the overall curriculum, and the individual teacher's choices. STEM activities may look very different from one center to another. But many may include:

• Science explorations. Children get the chance to hypothesize, experiment, and discuss their discoveries.

• Math manipulatives. These math materials provide young children with a way to learn through actively engaging in a hands-on way.

• Tech time. Computer and other technology time may come with screen-time limits in the preschool classroom. But this doesn't mean the children won't engage with technology. They will discover appropriate and educational ways to engage with computers/devices.

Other STEM activities could include building structures with blocks, counting objects in the classroom, or going on nature walks outdoors. To learn more about what STEM activities your child will try, talk to their classroom teacher.

To learn more, reach out to a local organization, like Northern Lights Preschool & Child Care.