If you’re a parent at one of our day nurseries you will already know that we’re keen on science at our settings. From our coke / Mentos experiments to some of the sensory play activities we instigate, it’s all about scientific discovery even when it’s fun!

Science is often seen as an academic interest, but it’s all around us and shapes everything we do. Therefore encouraging your child to be interested in scientific experiments and discovery is really about giving them the tools to understand the world around them, and to be curious.

Science For Pre-Schoolers

It’s never too early to introduce pre-schoolers to science; here are a few things you can try at home:

1. Activity Toys: Scientific discovery can start from the comfort of a baby’s cot with activity toys that teach them about cause and effect – “when I press this, this happens.” As they grow older there are all sorts of stimulating toys that they can interact with, from basic building blocks and water toys, to Lego, marble runs and electronics.

2. Point Out Things Around Them: Whether you’re at home or out and about, point out things as you go about your daily routines. For example, when you pull the plug in the bath, let your child watch the water swirling down the plughole; point out what happens when you push a toy car along, “look how the wheels turn, look what happens if you push it fast and let go”.

3. Encourage Their Interests: If you child shows an interest in a particular area of science; dinosaurs, nature, space, etc., provide them with toys, books and activities to allow them to explore further. Share their interests too; even better learn about the subject with them. Don’t project your own difficulties with science on them; no one gets born “bad at science”, but often parents inadvertently send the wrong messages to their children about subjects like science by saying “I’m not good at it.”

4. Get Cooking! Cooking with your child is a great way of showing them how science influences everything we do. Every time we heat a liquid, science is at work. When we make a sauce or jelly a reaction takes place that you can talk about in basic scientific terms. You can also let your child experiment with food stuffs to see what happens when they add water, or mix them together.

5. Get A Science Kit: We all like the exciting experiments like the Coke and Mentos one, and fun activities are what will capture your child’s imagination. There are lots of science kits available for children, if your child is a little too young to do the experiments themselves they may still get a lot out of watching you entertain them.

It’s all about encouraging curiosity about the things around us, and encouraging your child to ask “why”. Just look at the children’s faces in this video clip when we did the Coke / Mentos experiment!

If you have any tips such as scientific experiments you can do with young children, or want to share your own experience of teaching science to pre-schoolers, please leave a comment below.