You can do this!
Inspire kids to learn about science.
Model Curiosity
- Let kids hear you wondering aloud—even grown-ups have a lot to learn!
- Kids ask a lot of questions. You don’t need to have all of the answers.
- Encourage their natural curiosity.
Ask Open-ended Questions
- “What do you see?” (hear, smell, feel, taste)
- “What do you think?”
- “Why is this important?”
- “What did you learn?”
- “What could we change?”
- Listen carefully to their answers.
Make Observations
- Observation is the basis of discovery!
- Show kids how by pointing out things you observe, and ask kids what they see.
- Use all five senses to make observations.
- Discuss what you see, smell, hear, feel, and sometimes taste!
Allow Exploration
- Resist the urge to explain “why” until AFTER you’ve asked what THEY think.
- Even if they want to experiment with something you know won’t work, allow kids to think and explore for themselves.
Encourage Boys and Girls Equally
- All children are curious and will engage in exploration.
- You are in a unique position to help dispel gender stereotypes by equally encouraging exploration and experimentation.
- Everyone’s abilities can be developed through hard work and practice!
Make a Mess in the Name of Science
- Sure, it's more stressful in the moment, but kids build confidence as they experiment, make a mess, and then clean up after themselves.
- It’s not your job to do it FOR them. Give kids space to take ownership of their work and care for their environment.
Celebrate Mistakes
- Mistakes are opportunities to learn new things!
- Praise hard work (not just successes) to encourage a growth mindset.
- Encourage kids to keep working to overcome setbacks.
- What did they learn? Encourage them to think through what they could do differently next time.
Follow the Scientific Method!
Need something a bit more advanced? You don't have to be a scientist to help a child learn about the scientific method.
