Talking about STEM usually brings to mind images of scientists conducting experiments in lab coats, engineers constructing bridges and physicists building satellites to explore the depths of space. But what about preschoolers and elementary students?

STEM education can start at a very early age – long before kids can imagine what their futures might be. Introducing STEM concepts to young children teaches them about the invisible laws that govern the universe and adds a sense of continuity to their education.

Many artists, writers and educators have been inspired by STEM in their fields of work. Learning about STEM at an early age can enrich the lives of every student, regardless of their future career path. Here are seven ways early STEM education can benefit your kids.

1.  Fosters Connection

From an early age, kids are learning how the world works. When they drop a toy, it falls to the ground. After they build a block tower, they learn how to knock it over. An important part of preschool development is engaging with the natural environment and learning to interact safely within the laws of the universe.

Formal instruction in STEM at a young age can supplement the experiential knowledge kids gain through playtime. As children grow, they naturally reach a stage where they want to know, “why?” STEM education can offer answers for their experiences and help them see the connection between learning and life.

2.  Cultivates Curiosity

STEM education also fuels kids’ curiosity. Students who study STEM learn that there are invisible laws guiding every aspect of the world around them – from the way trees bloom in the spring to the fall of snow in the winter. Giving students access to answers will drive them to question other aspects of the surrounding environment.

Educators can help students develop productive curiosity by teaching them to ask good questions. Curiosity is an essential part of learning but is all too often squashed in a classroom setting. Through STEM education, kids can learn that their questions are valuable and the answers meaningful.

3.  Develops Motor Skills

Young children are developing motor and coordination skills that will accompany them throughout life. Play, movement and exploration during these early years create a foundation for later learning. Early STEM education can easily be incorporated into activities that build these skills.

For example, educators can talk about gravity with preschoolers on the playground. Students discover basic architectural principles like keystones and foundations by playing with blocks. Nature field trips teach students about the life cycle of frogs. Encouraging young students to engage with the world around them builds the foundation for STEM concepts they’ll need to know later.

4.  Teaches Love of Learning

Students who see a connection between their schooling and the real world will have a sustained love of learning later in life. Education is an exploration of how people interact with the world around them – both what they know and what they’re still trying to discover.

Introducing STEM concepts to students at a young age can spice up their learning journey by making it feel like an adventure. To help your kids connect with STEM and foster a love of learning, consider taking them on extracurricular field trips and buying them themed planners and other school supplies.

5.  Builds a Foundation

As students get older, they’ll start to learn about complicated concepts like chemistry, geometry and molecular biology. Students with an early foundation in STEM will be better equipped to understand these concepts and actively use them to solve problems and ask new questions.

Throughout a typical education, STEM concepts like gravity, wavelengths of light and physics will be repeated several times. The earlier a student starts building a foundation for these concepts, the more fully they’ll be able to grasp material later. As students’ brains mature, they’ll be equipped to make connections based on what they already know.

6.  Inspires Innovation

Students who learn about how the world works from a young age are more willing to challenge what they know. Innovation comes through this combination of understanding and accepting reality while questioning what is possible within that realm.

Students who study STEM material from an early age learn that there’s more to the world than meets the eye. Thinking intentionally about their experience of reality causes them to ask new questions and think critically about the world around them. In this way, early STEM education can train students to become innovators as they grow.

7.  Encourages Resilience

Without failure, learning is impossible. Unfortunately, the school grading system often villanizes mistakes and encourages perfectionism in students. When students are primarily concerned with meeting standards and pleasing their teachers, they miss opportunities for deep learning and personal growth.

Early STEM education pushes back on perfectionism by showing students that failure is an important part of learning. Experiments always hold valuable lessons, even if they don’t bring the results students were hoping for. By modeling an exploratory approach to learning early on with STEM projects, teachers can equip students with resilience to face challenges in school and life.

STEM for Early Education

Teaching students about STEM concepts from a young age equips them with learning tools that benefit them for the rest of their lives. STEM offers a connection to the physical world, trains students’ curiosity about the world around them and develops foundational motor skills.

STEM education also stimulates a love of learning, builds a foundation for understanding future concepts, inspires innovation and teaches students to be resilient during the learning process. With so many benefits for young students, it makes sense to incorporate STEM principles into the classroom from an early age.

Have your children experienced early STEM education?

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