Why STEAM Activities are Important in Daycares, Preschools, and After School Programs

Look For Childcare Where STEAM Is The Focus

 Dell Technologies, with the Institute For The Future (IFTF), published a report in 2017 which says experts “estimate that 85% of the jobs that today’s learners will be doing in 2030 haven’t been invented yet.” Although this number is surprising given the timeline of only 11 years in the future, the report makes us question the future of our workforce and the impact of education in the evolution process.

     The opportunity for early childhood education lays in the foundational work that will set the path for the future workforce who will need to show consistent analytical and fast problem-solving skills in an even greater competitive environment.

STEAM has become essential for some preschools and childcare facilities. STEAM is the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics.
​

• Science encourages investigation and answering questions, involving experimentation.
• Technology refers to using simple tools like for instance markers and rulers and more.
• Engineering refers to recognizing problems and testing solutions.
• Arts encourage creativity and allows children to illustrate the concepts they are learning.
• Mathematics deals with numbers, but also patterns, shapes, organizational skills and much more.

    STEAM is more than a buzzword in young children’s education. At Willowdale Children’s Academy, it is one of the core educational approaches to your child’s curriculum and learning. STEAM works as an access point to guide young children to explore, interact, discover, discuss and develop critical thinking.

Why is STEAM Essential to Your Child’s Development?

The cognitive abilities of young children should never be underestimated. Children can inquire, produce reasoning and are capable of conceptual learning. It does not take scientific observation to notice how fast a toddler can use a smartphone and find his/her way to navigate menus, engage in apps and even accidentally order online.

If toddlers are able to find their way on a mobile device, imagine what they can achieve if they are offered a sensory table activity, or gather around an organized learning center, or challenged to structure art based on their interpretation of what they have observed or the last story they heard.

As young children have cognitive abilities, STEAM offers a framework that teachers use to develop their everyday activities. These activities need to be appropriately challenging for different age groups. Hence, do not expect your young toddler to solve complex equations.

By integrating STEAM into activities, teachers promote hands-on problem-solving, and creative and analytical thinking belonging to the children’s age groups. As children learn better when they have fun, a play-based curriculum is perfectly compatible with STEAM.

How Do Infants and Toddlers Build STEAM Skills?

STEAM skills acquisition starts at an early age in a very natural manner through play and exploration. If infants drop their toys a few times on the floor, they learn cause and effect. They can learn textures, the difference between hot and cold, smooth and hard through exploration of these elements.

These learnings are made through experiments, trial and errors, observation of cause-and-effect and the experience of physical rules. Infants and toddlers are naturally curious and investigative. Therefore, exposing them to different materials and new environmental circumstances will spark their interest. STEAM helps build interaction opportunities with the environment and helps infants and toddlers gather evidence to solve problems and create knowledge.

The Role of Adults

STEAM is an essential approach that helps to determine the path, structure the environment, and link all pieces together in a cohesive manner. Of course, adults have a big part to play in guiding, questioning and triggering reflection. By taking an interest, observing, listening, and responding to children’s interests, adults support children’s curiosity. If your child demonstrates a new skill, take an interest in it, try to understand the process that led to the result. It will motivate him/her to learn more.


Are You Interested to Learn More about STEAM or Do STEAM Activities at Home?

If you are interested to learn more about the STEAM activities we develop at Willowdale Children’s Academy or want more recommendations about STEAM activities you can do at home, do not hesitate to contact us.