How can parents develop their children’s science skills at home? We all know scientific thinking is important for helping children understand the world around them. Science isn’t all lab coats and experiments. It’s actually much simpler than that. Here are 5 ways parents can help their children and support science skills at home.

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5 Ways Parents Can Help Their Kids Think Like Scientists

1. Let them help in the kitchen

Cooking and baking are the perfect ways to help children think like scientists. After all, cooking and baking are all about measuring, following directions, and creating chemical reactions! Although it can be messy, it’s also a great learning and bonding experience. If you are uncomfortable with the idea of letting your kids help in the kitchen, you can start small. You can add ingredients and they can mix, or they can read the directions to you. However, the more you let your child work in the kitchen first hand, the more scientific skills they’ll develop. Plus, they’re learning important life skills as well!

2. Let them as questions

The average 6 year old asks 73 questions a day. That’s a whole lot of questions, and while it’s probably not possible to answer all of them thoughtfully, asking questions is a huge part of developing a scientific brain. Encourage your child to ask questions, even if they can’t always be answered. You can also model this by asking questions out loud when there’s something you don’t know. This shows children that it’s okay to ask questions, that not everyone knows everything, and that the world is full of new things to learn.

3. Encourage students to build and create

Building and designing is all part of the scientific process. When children use toys such as legos, blocks, magnetic tiles, and other building toys, they’re learning about trial and error. They’re also learning a lot about physics, gravity, balance, and other scientific principals. Letting your child create is a big step into helping develop their scientific thinking skills.

4. Get outside and explore

The world is the best science lab a child could “work” in. Give your child the opportunity to get outside and look at nature close up. Observing plants, animals, and insects is a valuable use of time. If possible, take your children to local parks, forests, or other natural areas. You can give them a magnifying glass, sketchbook, and pencil, and then them draw what they see. This will probably encourage a lot of great thoughts and questions.

5. Learn how it’s made

Lastly, kids naturally tend to wonder how things work. A very easy way to help them understand how things work is to watch How It’s Made which is available on YouTube. This program encourages curiosity and teaches children how a variety of things are manufactured or created. It’s a great way to give students science support at home.

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