As a parent, we want the best for our kids in life, and education is one of our primary responsibilities. While it’s never a good idea to push your kids into a specific career, it is valuable to expose them to as many different possible careers as you can. Many of the most important and futureproof fields in our modern world involves the use of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – also known as STEM, and exposing kids and getting them excited about the sciences early on in their education is important.
Why STEM?
STEM education is becoming increasingly important as technology and innovation continue to play a major role in our daily lives and in the global economy. Jobs in STEM fields are expected to grow at a faster rate than in other fields, and they tend to have higher salaries and better job security. Additionally, STEM education is usually comprised of many different disciplines and subjects like physics, biology, computer science and mathematics, to create an integrated and holistic learning experience that promotes and develops important skills like creativity, lateral thinking, and teamwork, which are transferrable skills no matter the career.
Explore Their Dream Careers
As kids we all had grand ambitions of growing up to be astronauts or firefighters and using these dreams to create excitement around STEM is a great way of getting kids interested in the sciences. Organizations like the Space Foundation are creating elementary STEM videos, programs, and activities that can help increase this excitement. You can also plan field trips to museums, planetariums, and other places of learning on weekends where kids can see first-hand what a career in STEM might mean to them.
Making the Connection to Everyday Life
Kids learn best when they can relate to things and demonstrating and showing them practical examples of STEM in our everyday lives can help them understand the importance of it and increase their interest. The concepts used in STEM are all around us daily. This might be something simple, like helping you bake where you make use of measurements and ratios, or it might be introducing them to concepts like weather forecasts and teaching them how they work. The next time you go over a bridge or past a large building, tell them about the concepts of physics and engineering that are used to design and build them.
The Hands-On Approach
Kids love experiments and projects, and the hands-on approach to introducing them to some of the concepts of STEM couldn’t be easier. There is a plethora of resources available online with projects you can do with your kids. Why not try building a bottle rocket and launching it as high as you can, or building a boat and taking it to the local lake or river to see how it floats? Get creative with a project to build a birdhouse or musical instrument too, taking them through the steps of designing, planning, and building their creation like a real engineer would do.
There are also some great subscription boxes and kits that can be fun to do as a family and increase your kids’ interest in the concepts of STEM, like the ones offered by the likes of KiwiCo.
Introducing Them to Some Role Models
Your kid’s school curriculum will no doubt teach kids about the great scientists of the past that helped shape our understanding of STEM, like Benjamin Franklin and Nikola Tesla, but they might not relate to that as much as meeting and interacting with real people working in the sciences. If you or people you know have careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, ask them if your kids can come and visit them at work and see what they do. This will help your kids better understand the impact a career in STEM might have on the world and get them excited about it.
If your kids spend time on platforms like YouTube, show them channels run by personalities and influencers like Mark Rober who creates content that is entertaining and fun to watch with a strong foundation in STEM.
Not all kids will find their passion and aptitude in the sciences, but the concepts, lessons, and skills that they’ll learn while being introduced to STEM subjects are important for many different aspects of life, even outside of their future careers. By encouraging your kids to explore many different areas of interest, you’re giving them the best chance of finding the one that they love and are good at.
