STEM:
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math are the foundations of our society.
Teaching children about these building blocks in their early years helps them explore the world around them in a more fundamental way. Making connections between nature, building, shapes and numbers inspire children from a very young age to feel confident and curious. Skill building tools can be found all around us. Our first simple skills of grip, hand coordination and sorting and stacking can help toddlers and preschoolers to experience engineering and how to connect items in the environment. Puzzles, sorting materials for art, counting block towers, learning smallest to largest, all build these skills.
Science kits can inspire Imaginations and sharing items can teach simple math to toddlers too. There all kinds of project kits you can get at your local hobby store or most all types can be found online. Some have monthly subscription boxes where you can get a new project each month.
Anytime your child builds something or puts objects together they are learning spatially. When they use items in a designated in a play center they are learning context. Context clues are important in the later years for science and word problem math. These type skills help them future connections between themselves, others and roles we all can play in the environment around us.
Games you can play with young children that encourage these concepts and helps them learn are tic-tac-toe, connect the dots, Simon says with counting what they are asked to do…like, take three giant steps.
We have included some links you may find helpful in helping your child with the concepts and science boxes.
Some of the toys we use in the Montessori classrooms are:
Dominos, toy gears, scales, magnifying lens, hands-on science projects, abacus, shape blocks, shape art, number puzzle building, sorting containers, songs and games.