Stuck For Ideas? Early Childhood Education STEM Resources

early childhood education quincy ma

While doors continue to remain closed at schools and daycares across the country, early childhood education in Quincy, MA, doesn’t have to come to a stop. As the weeks roll by and we become more accustomed to our new daily routines, you may find yourself becoming less creative with your little ones. As leaders in our industry, we want to take this moment to provide our parents (who are doing amazing) with a few STEM ideas to keep the learning following at home.

What is STEM

Chances are, you’ve heard of STEM by now. Science, technology, engineering, and math are the core focus areas for children of all ages and stages. The importance of STEM-related concepts and curriculums are based on real-life situations that encourage children to solve problems by asking the right questions and exploring the world around them.

Hands-on and minds-on learning engage children in both fun and interesting ways that help to gain knowledge and life skills. In the early childhood setting, STEM lays down the foundation for future academic success by teaching skills that will transfer with your child throughout their education.

Early childhood STEM learning

Research shows that having a strong foundation in early math can lead to higher achievements in both math and reading later in school. However, it’s important to keep in mind that each child is unique to STEM-based activities should be age and stage appropriate. Below is a list of ideas that are generally appropriate for the early childhood stage:

  • Nature walks

This is the perfect time of year to head outdoors with your child. Collect various objects such as stones, flowers, leaves, and anything else that grabs your child’s attention. When you return home, work with your child to categorize these objects by shape, size, color, etc., you can even begin by counting how many objects were collected along the walk. You’ll be using science and math skills.

  • Water play

We’ve yet to meet a child that says no to water activities! Water play is an excellent way to engage your child in age-appropriate science, math, and engineering activities. By providing them with several different tools, children can explore how objects work and interact with one another, count how long to fill and empty, count how many objects, and build amazing water towers! Great tools for water play include measuring cups, basters, waterproof toys, funnels, and squirting toys.

  • Chalk coding

We live in a digital world, so your child needs to understand technology. However, that doesn’t have to mean hours in front of screens. With a little fresh air, water squirter, and chalk, you can teach your child the basics of coding! Be sure to check out this article from Teach Your Kids Code for super easy instructions!

early childhood education

For all of your early childhood education needs in Quincy, MA, and surrounding towns, be sure to keep Wollaston Child Care in mind! During this time, our team at Wollaston Child Care may be contacted at (617) 771-7217 or email pwilson@wollastonshilcare.org.