Most kids are natural-born scientists. Guess why? They are full of questions and love to explore how things work, and are enraptured by watching a tiny ant nibbling at a tiny morsel of food. However, the cloister of classrooms and the pressure to score is changing their outlook towards learning.
But as parents, it is important to raise the interest of your children. And you have to ensure that they have a solid grasp of scientific principles to help them get the best knowledge.
Teach Them To Be Curious
At least three out of four Nobel Prize winners in science discovered the passion for Science outside the realm of the school environment. So, you can seek out extracurricular activities which have a focus on scientific exploration. Many elementary schools offer the perfect afterschool opportunities to discover more about the subjects such as robotics and forensics.
If your child’s school does not present your kid with all the information on chemistry, robotics, or coding club, you can start with a PTA or find a program outside the school to get your child enrolled. Hands-on science is fun and educational for children. Also, this stops your kid from falling into the trap of making your children think science is anything less than fun.
Kids Hooked to Video Games, Teach Them the Right Ones
Video games are the ultimate games that can pique the interest of a child in Science. Angry Birds may not help a kid win a prize in a future science fair, but Minecraft certainly may help your kid reach there.
The only reason that this wildly popular game is catching on and sparks the grade-schoolers interest in the science of coding. Minecraft helps customize the complex worlds using tropes such as virtual building blocks and educational add-ons such as mods, which helps them get an idea of the programming basics.
Together You Can Explore
If you don’t know anything about Biology, don’t worry. Science isn’t all about finding the answers as they go about the journey. The first and foremost thing to do is to be as curious and childlike as them. Ask them questions, wonder out loud what kind of bird is in there in the tree, why the light is bouncing off the water, and then learn about them.
The other way of piquing their interest in subscribing to magazines such as National Geographic Kids and Ranger Rick Jr. You could also make them watch various science-themed TV shows such as SciGirls, Design Squad, Sid the Science Kid, and more. Find out what interests your child the most, whether it is animals or the weather. If she is afraid of something, pursue that fear and pique her interest to find out the reason for her fear.
Field Trips, The New Norm
Sometime back, a group of Google Science Fair finalists was asked what hooked them the most about Science? What most influenced their interest in the subject was making trips to the local science museum as a kid. We think it is true nothing is more mesmerizing and interesting than watching those wonderful experiments or the skeletons of dead animals as your kids imbibe them all in the museum, trying to get it all in with wide-eyed wonder. You can follow their lead and take your kids to visit one in the summer vacation. You can add others to the list, right from aquariums, zoos, botanical gardens, and state or national parks that bring life to all the scientific principles they ever heard of life.
Ensure you invest your time wisely. Instead of just moving from one place to another, spend time understanding the nuances of one thing. This will help them get in-depth knowledge of something than just skimming through the surface. Also, slow down and go at the pace of your kid. Don’t push your child. They have their own pace. They need to ask the questions first instead of answering all of them before they bombard you with questions.
Nurture their natural curiosity, and don’t ever snub them. Remember, it’s upon you to make them understand no question is small or stupid. Also, you get to relive your growing years through them and rediscover science in all its powerful and amazing connotations.