Children are naturally curious, they ask many questions about the world around them and have an intense desire to know everything there is behind the science. During the first years of life they tend to develop a certain inclination towards certain subjects, which is why it is so important to take advantage of that curiosity and channel their interest.
However, the latest data from the
Social Perceptions of Science and Technology 2020
showed a clear decline in interest in science and technology, it went from being at 16.3% in 2018 to 14.2% in 2020. The difference is even more evident if we analyze it by gender: men achieve 18.8% more interest and women 9.9%.
These are some of the reasons why it is important to encourage interest in science:
Science, a source of knowledge
Science provides children with a broader understanding of how things work, gives them a different view of reality and provides them with a wide range of information, from the functioning of the human body to the mechanics of automobiles or renewable energies. Understanding the mechanism that governs most of the things that surround us allows us to have a broad vision of reality.
Promotes respect for nature
Knowing how the Earth works and how it is formed is a very effective way to create awareness in children. If we make them aware of the delicate balance that exists between living beings, they will be able to develop a more involved attitude to take care of the planet, so that when they are older they will want to make an adequate use of natural resources.
Stimulates their curiosity
Children have developed an innate curiosity to know how the world around them works, but it is necessary to work on this curiosity so that it is not lost over time. Science experiments, outdoor activities or discoveries about natural phenomena can keep children interested in science and provide them with a way to explore everything around them. Awakening this curiosity will make them find explanations for many things and this will become the best method of learning.
How to encourage children’s interest in science?
Now that we know the enormous benefits of science in children’s education, infant and primary classrooms are ideal places to implement it. Teachers will have to look for attractive ways to encourage scientific activity either through interactive activities or through experiments in which everyone can actively participate and put into practice the theoretical knowledge seen in class. Here are some tips you can apply to work on science in the classroom:
Interactive games
The little ones learn best by playing and that is something we must take advantage of. Digital platforms such as Smile and Learn can be a great option to capture the attention of young children and also be a technological solution that adapts to the individual needs of each student. There is a wide range of games catalog and activities that are adapted to different levels of difficulty (beginner, intermediate and advanced) so that students can test everything they know about science. Teachers can dedicate time in their subject to reinforce learning in a fun way.
Stories
Using stories to complement the teaching of natural sciences is a good way to capture students’ attention and facilitate their understanding. There are a myriad of stories and audiobooks on Smile and Learn that address topics that can help spark their interest in science-related topics.
Videos
What is the origin of the earth? How many species are there in the sea? How does electricity work? are some of the questions that arise in natural science classes and that the teacher can answer through interactive videos. On our platform we have a huge
catalog of videos
videos that can be used as support.
If you haven’t tried our educational platform yet, you can do it for free by filling out this form
this form.
