Research has proven the importance of STEM (science, tech, engineering, and math) learning for kids of all ages, and we’ve written about some of the benefits before.
From developing teamwork and problem solving to building cognitive abilities and a familiarity with science and math, STEM helps kids today excel tomorrow in the classroom and beyond.
But what about STEM learning for the littlest kids? It’s never too early to help them develop those STEM skills, but it looks a little different for toddlers.
What Does STEM Education Look Like for Toddlers?
Kids aged one and a half to three years are generally not yet ready for the kinds of in-depth learning compared to their older counterparts. Structured experiments and the scientific method require skills that toddlers will develop later on. But their natural curiosity as they explore the world around them makes a STEAM (science, tech, engineering, art, and math) approach an excellent way to introduce concepts that kids will build on as they mature and grow.
Researchers have observed that infants and toddlers already exhibit developmental skills for STEAM activities. Young children show persistence, initiate interaction with materials, are flexible with their behaviors, understand cause and effect, use spatial awareness, and can recall information and apply it to new experiences.1 In other words, they are budding scientists!
STEAM Learning Activities for Toddlers
Hands-on, material-based activities that engage children’s senses are a wonderful gateway to the world of STEM. These early experiences foster kids’ interaction with the world around them, helping them explore and discover their surroundings and developing wonder, mental flexibility, and problem-solving skills, among other benefits.
Some examples of sensory play activities may include building and stacking of objects into structures, filling and dumping materials into and from containers, and seeing and touching interesting objects. Unstructured, open play has many benefits, but in toddler STEAM classes, such as STEMful’s offerings, these activities are led by professional educators who can guide children through these sensory-based activities, respond to kids’ individual interests, and help them interpret and learn. When kids are asked what they notice, what they feel, and what they think about what they experience, they begin to hone learning skills that will help them in the classroom and beyond.
Benefits of Starting STEM Learning in Toddlers
Early exposure to STEM-based learning can help set kids up for future professional success in STEM fields. As they become more comfortable with science and math, they may choose to pursue subjects that many Americans fear may be too challenging to study, and therefore many students avoid.2
Aside from the clear benefits of helping young children develop skills that will set the foundation for more advanced STEM learning later, some of the most crucial skill building is indirect. By answering open-ended questions about what they observe, children develop their language skills, expanding their vocabulary and learning to communicate with other children and their teachers. And because many STEAM activities may be done in groups, kids learn to collaborate with their fellow students, helping them develop soft skills that will serve them at every stage of life.3 The experiential nature of STEAM activities helps kids develop memory retention as well.
In a study, researchers found that toddlers who engaged in active instruction retained more of what they learned a year later than their counterparts who were taught via observed instruction only.4
STEAM Learning Opportunities for Toddlers
STEAM learning for young children can begin at home, and there are many resources for parents and caregivers to help them get started. Turning everyday occurrences into opportunities to develop STEM skills can help them build on those concepts for advanced learning later on. (This guide for teachers can help get you started.) From simple counting exercises to asking open-ended questions that help kids put into words what they see, feel, and think about what they observe, you can plant the seeds that will flourish as kids build on the basics throughout their educational journey.
The key ingredients, researchers have found, is tuning in to kids’ interests and being aware of their abilities in order to help guide children’s interactions with materials and projects to support their learning.5
For more structured play and opportunities for collaborative learning and community building, check out STEMful’s Toddler STEAM offerings. Parents can accompany their toddlers for weekly STEAM-based classes that explore age-appropriate topics including chemical reactions and glow-in-the-dark objects that will delight and engage kids’ senses. STEMful’s Toddler STEAM class provides children an opportunity to learn through guided play while nurturing their cognitive growth, and honing their problem-solving and fine motor skills. Find an upcoming class here!
- Eric Bucher and Stephanie Pindra, “Infant and Toddler STEAM: Supporting Interdisciplinary Experiences with Our Youngest Learners,” Young Children 75, no. 2 (May 2020): https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/may2020/infant-and-toddler-steam-supporting-interdisciplinary-experiences.
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Brian Kennedy, Meg Hefferon, and Cary Funk, “Half of Americans Think Young People Don’t Pursue STEM Because It Is Too Hard,” Pew Research, January 17, 2018, https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/01/17/half-of-americans-think-young-people-dont-pursue-stem-because-it-is-too-hard/.
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“STEM Benefits in Early Education,” Baker College, January 28, 2021, https://www.baker.edu/about/get-to-know-us/blog/stem-benefits-in-early-education/.
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Natalie Brezack, Sarah Pan, Jessica Chandler, and Amanda L. Woodward, “Toddlers’ Action Learning and Memory from Active and Observed Instructions,” Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 232 (August 2023): 105670, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105670.
- Bucher and Pindra, “Infant and Toddler STEAM.”