SCIENCE
SCIENCE WITH YOUR PRESCHOOLER
Science is about discovery!
And it can be fun! It is not fun when we download information into our children. Think it this way; you’ll want to be more of a playmate so that your child does not feel like he is being schooled! Our pre-schoolers work best when they are exploring on their own. They are born to be naturally curious about the world around them. It is our job as adults to provide them a safe space to do so. Here are some tips to help facilitate science discovery with your child outside of school.
While these are tips provided by us, we know that every child is unique and works at different pace and styles. It is important to keep that in mind, and to also have fun with your children!
Observe together!
How did Jane Goodall become the world famous ethologist that she is today? Her observations of chimpanzee communities enabled her to first discover tool-use in chimpanzees, a novel finding at that time!
Be like Dr Jane Goodall! Children use their five senses to make sense of the world around them. Together, see what you can discover about the world through seeing, hearing, smelling, touching or tasting. Describing it for them will also help in building their vocabulary.
- “This leaf you took is very big! Bigger than this one that I found! How many leaves did we find today? Let’s count them together.”
- “Did you hear something? I think it’s the thunder! It is going to rain! Can you smell it? It is going to make the park very wet!”
- “Do you like the green apple or the red apple? I like the green apple because of its sour taste.”
Provide simple tools for exploration!
What would a scientist do without his or her tools? Providing tools for children to use helps them feel more engaged in the act of discovery. A magnifying glass or cheap binoculars is easily available in our big local bookshop. You can even make your own binoculars out of toilet rolls. Your child will be excited to use them to spot things around the house outdoors!
Our pre-schoolers work best when they are exploring on their own. They are born to be naturally curious about the world around them.
Ask open ended questions!
Open ended questions give opportunities for children to wonder about the world around them because you bring their attention to it. Some great sentence starters include “I wonder if…” or “Why do you think…”
- I wonder if this spoon will float in the sink like this plastic bowl.
- Why do you think the leaf did not stay on the tree?
Learn together!
So with all these questions and discoveries, how can your child make sense of it all? As a parent, it is okay to not have the answers to everything. However, we can provide the means to find out. This can be done through books and online resources. Navigate the platforms together to find the answers to the questions you have! Why do things float? Why does rain fall? Make a trip to the library! Or you can teach the older children to navigate kid friendly sites like kiddle.co.