STEM Education: Developing Your Children’s Practical Skills and More

The significance of quality education can’t be exaggerated, and in today’s advancing and fast-paced world, the importance of education is at its peak. There is massive technological progress, the economy is shifting, industries are rising and falling, and no one knows what the future holds.

That’s where STEM education comes in, and it’s an excellent way of preparing kids for what’s to come by teaching them valuable skills they will be able to use regardless of their future.

Today’s article aims to teach you everything about STEM education by showing its importance, goal, and benefits and providing examples of implementing the STEM approach at home.

To comprehend how STEM education can benefit your child, we must first understand STEM’s definition in education. Namely, STEM is a relatively new approach to learning and teaching, and it’s an approach that focuses on four essential areas – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

By shifting the focus to these four areas, kids can learn various skills that will help them for the rest of their lives, regardless of the industry they go into.

Although most people have heard of STEM, few are familiar with the newer term – STEAM. So, what’s the difference between these two terms, and why was there a need for this new term?

When they hear the term STEAM, many people might think of a massive gaming platform developed by Valve. However, the word doesn’t have anything to do with that and is an upgrade to primary STEM education.

The difference in letters and the additional “A” stands for arts, but we’re not just talking about graphic art, which is likely the first thing that popped into your head. Instead, the letter “A” adds all kinds of art, including music, design, language, humanities, etc.

It’s an additional component that stands for anything art related, and it was a necessary addition because STEM is focused on mathematics, coding, tech, science, and engineering. At the same time, other areas that can vastly improve a child’s creativity, communication, and collaboration are often overlooked, and that’s where STEAM comes in.

Since STEM focuses on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, fields that will always be relevant regardless of what happens in the next few decades, it has a massive role in teaching children. Namely, it makes STEM a vital component in “future-proofing.”

STEM-educated children will also have sufficient knowledge in various fields and can apply science, tech, engineering, and math to contribute to society. These kids will be capable of handling current and future concerns and challenges, such as climate change, renewable energies, drinkable water shortages, housing, world hunger, etc.

Being a relatively new approach to learning, STEM has a specific goal that goes in pair with the world’s shifting economy and rising fields. Namely, STEM aims to teach children valuable skills, such as independent thinking, teamwork, logic and problem-solving, creativity, communication, collaboration, etc.

The goal of honing these skills is also to create an adaptable workforce that’ll be competitive once they start looking for jobs. Such skills will make STEM-educated kids more productive, innovative, and successful, and they will be what employers look for in the future.

Compared to traditional education methods and techniques, STEM education offers several benefits that have been proven to increase a child’s skills and prepare them for the real world. Below are some of those.

• Unlike traditional teaching, which often has lectures and tutorials, STEM education is based on a hands-on approach, where kids can try different learning styles and use various skills to solve issues.
• In that sense, STEM teaches kids to learn with all their senses, enhancing sensory development and making children more capable of using everything they have at their disposal. Such kids will likely be able to use multiple learning styles and customize their learning to fit the subjects they’re interested in.

• Compared to traditional education, primarily based on independent work and success, STEM emphasizes communication and collaboration since these are some of the most important aspects of working in many jobs.
• STEM aims to encourage idea sharing and incorporating lessons from one area into another, and that’s why children are encouraged to work on projects together and have discussions with their peers about the most effective and creative ways to solve the problem.

• STEM education also pushes children to think outside the box, teaching them the importance of creativity. In many STEM classes, the goal isn’t to get to the solution as soon as possible. Instead, it has much to do with being creative and implementing new ways to get from point A to point B.
• Experimentation is also highly encouraged, and even if it doesn’t lead to the solution, it can teach children valuable lessons about the process. That knowledge can serve as a stepping stone for the following problem and lead to better solutions.

• There’s a massive emphasis on critical thinking regarding STEM education, and children engaging in STEM can quickly develop their logical thinking and problem-solving abilities. These are skills that children can use for the rest of their lives in whatever area they end up interested in.
• STEM education also teaches children the importance of problem-solving processes. That includes trying and failing, and STEM emphasizes that getting to the solution can be much more vital than the solution to the problem itself.

• STEM encourages positive reactions towards trying and failing, and such kids will not only become better at solving problems but also gain confidence and become much more resilient when faced with failure.
• Nothing will discourage them, and they will keep trying alternative solutions until they find the right one, which can be a crucial component and a valuable skill in the future, regardless of the industry.

• If we’re being honest, not many of us can say that we loved school growing up. Teachers were not engaging, classes were boring, and much of our time was spent looking at the clock to hear the bell ring.
• In that sense, STEM education is vastly superior, encouraging kids to learn and increasing adaptability. It also promotes curiosity, encourages independent research, and introduces subjects that make kids develop a love for learning.

These are only a few advantages of STEM and STEAM education over traditional ways of teaching, and many more are available online if you’re interested in learning more.

STEAM education doesn’t have to happen in school – parents can also implement these modern ways at home. That way, even if schools near you don’t offer this modern approach, your child can still learn valuable lessons and hone practical skills. Here’s how to encourage kids at home:

As one of the significant aspects of STEM and STEAM education is building confidence in children, it’s essential to focus on it yourself. You can do so by complimenting your child’s work and projects and encouraging them to continue when needed.

You can also hang their art on a wall or a fridge, showing that you believe in them and giving them confidence, even if they’re not initially satisfied with how they’ve done something.

Of course, it’s also vital that you respect their wishes, so if they don’t want their projects showcased, there’s no need to show it to others or put it up anywhere.

Another way of introducing STEAM at home is by encouraging your children to play online and offline games. For example, building blocks, such as LEGO, puzzles, and even crosswords, are a few of many fantastic offline games you can use to improve your child’s skills incredibly efficiently.

Although most parents think smartphones and gadgets are harmful and use them out of necessity to keep children occupied, they can’t be further from the truth, as reality is quite different. There’s a vast sea of fantastic apps you can let kids use that will teach them valuable skills.

These interactive STEAM apps, which can be incredibly mentally stimulating, include Khan Academy, Assembly, NOVA, Kide Science, Britannica Kids, Google Science Journal, etc. Even Minecraft, a viral video game, can be a great source of engineering practice.

However, as you encourage interactive STEAM apps, you must also remember that the internet is full of other harmful apps and websites, and there’s a need to block these. You can do so with a parental control app, such as Wondershare FamiSafe, as it has various website and app block features and screen time settings.

Regardless of your child’s age, FamiSafe is a perfect solution to blocking harmful content, limiting screen time for various apps, and gaining insight into browser, YouTube, and TikTok history. You will have control over what your child does online and offline, and there are even geolocation features to let parents know where their children are.

As a parent, you’ll notice what your child is interested in, and you can help them hone their skill in certain areas by adding interactive activities into their daily routines. For example, if your child likes playing pretend chef, you can bring them to the kitchen and give them small tasks to help you.

That will encourage them to continue with what they’re interested in, and even if it doesn’t work out, they’ve tried and gained experience in a particular area. In this case, they might learn to appreciate your kitchen work and the food you make.

STEM education is a new approach to teaching, and it allows children to hone skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, which they will be able to use for the rest of their lives.

Such education helps kids improve their sensory abilities, develop communication skills and critical thinking, become more creative, and gain a love for learning, which will benefit them in whatever area they work in later in life.

Parents can also foster STEM education at home by encouraging their children and showcasing their work, adding interactive activities into the routine, and promoting offline games, play, and online apps that boost their skills. However, it’s also worth noting that other harmful apps should be restricted or blocked, which parents can do with the help of FamiSafe, a fantastic parental control app.