Inspiring Your Child Through STEAM

Education
 Why STEAM education is so critical
STEAM programs encourage preschoolers to use all of their senses to
explore the world around them. Learning to use their sense of seeing,
touch, hearing, smell and speech naturally lead to boosting fine motor
skills, and developing language to communicate about what children
observe.

Furthermore, the safe learning environment of the home allows

children to push themselves to try new ideas and gain the confidence
needed to use new tools and experiment with unfamiliar items.
Young children who embrace STEAM skills in their infancy are shown
to have a better chance of transitioning into the rigours of school life
with ease. High comfort levels and increased self-confidence translate
to better performances.

So if you have a child aged 1 to 4, now is the time to give careful

consideration to begin participating in STEAM activities for
preschoolers and learn about how they can be incorporated into your
child’s life for the best possible outcomes
Exploring STEAM
Science is centred on our capacity to wonder about things that are
tangible and intangible. It is always driven by our desire to explore. It’s
about ourselves, others, the natural world and our interdependence –
as a matter of fact, it is the basis of our very reason to be. We engage
with science through a growth mindset and the effective use of our
senses.
Only a scientific approach to this urge will be able to sustain and nurture
our children. Propelling their desire to learn to investigate, observe, test,
predict, evaluate and gather evidence. Its absence will forever undermine
and relegate our children to leading a life without beauty, and wonder and
suppress the desire to know more.

The truth is children are born curious and inquisitive. The interconnection
of all life on Earth is an essential core and leads young children to stimulate
their natural curiosity and nurture the desire to connect. Our future
depends on a child’s understanding of this fact.
Technology is about being able to put our thoughts and
ideas into action and creating things that work for the
general well-being of mankind.
There are images of, and literature about mechanical
vehicles through the ages – from the penny-farthings to the
steam engine to flying machines – all provoking conceptual
analysis of how technological skills have developed over
time.
Buildings and structures are also the keys, they tell and introduce our
children to inspiring examples from across the world, including the
Great Pyramids, the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal. By studying these
wonders, children get to see and understand how human thinking and
skill have changed the world.

Children need to see and be inspired to have real solutions to real

problems and apply their skills to effect positive change.
Engineering is design thinking and innovation working together. Children
need the time to explore and come up with a solution to an identified
problem and have the opportunity to design and redesign based on their
observations and findings. This is when children will be able to explore
how to problem-solve in all aspects of their life.

Thinking about engineering, children learn to deconstruct. That is

understanding the validity of being able to break a complex concept down
into smaller and more manageable parts.
Through abstraction, children learn how to eliminate unnecessary and
unhelpful detail so that they can achieve clarity when pursuing an outcome.

And finally, through collaboration children get a handle on the value of

teamwork, understanding working together with others is sometimes more
successful than working alone.

Engineering in other words is about taking all of our skills and our
wonderings to create something the world may have never seen before.
Sometimes invent something truly amazing!
Art is at the core of STEAM education and is the spark that motivates
children to engage. For that to happen, it will be essential that we allow
children to explore their creativity and as parents and adults, we need to
understand and respect a child’s need to develop her creative thinking
abilities.

Every child’s potential needs to be seen as a window through which they can
see their world. And to help a child express her creativity, we need to provide
stimulating opportunities and environments on a daily basis. Empower
children to think, wonder, question, explore and express themselves.
Celebrate the freedom of expression, and allow the uniqueness of
creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving and innovative processes
to take centre stage in everyone’s lives.

Art plays a central role in aiding and developing the creative process.
Creativity becomes a reality only when adults become more attentive
to facilitating the cognitive processes of young children, rather than
being concerned with the end results they achieve in various fields of
doing and understanding.
Maths is so much more than recognizing shapes and counting numbers! Maths
is when everything is seen from a mathematical perspective and success in it is
achieved through a mindset which is open, analytical and curious.

Maths is seen as both a rigid and creative subject. It is both serious and fun.
Maths is for everyone, including young children. Every child can be taught to
believe in their abilities to master maths.
 Learning to think differently

STEAM activities for preschoolers touch upon every sphere of their

lives. And since they are already digital natives, the more relevant the
STEAM phenomenon becomes. For instance, more and more children
will benefit from a networked system of learning that shows them how
mathematics isn’t an isolated disciplinary universe, but an effective tool
with which they can approach and solve problems in other disciplines
— most importantly, doing so in a way that imitates real-life conditions.
 Learning to think differently

STEAM programs accelerate not only the development of crucial cognitive

skills but also benefit rapid progress in acquiring social and communication
skills to enable active collaboration – the perfect combination for success in
the digital age.
Steam activities for preschoolers close a gap that earlier generations may
have experienced when in school. Education is now closer to establishing
itself as a natural process of social interaction in which the focus is always on
the process and development of the learner, and not so much on the final
result of a specific standardized test.
 Practising soft skills

When engaged and working with STEAM projects in their infancy, young
children practice a whole range of developing soft skills in real time. They
learn to be effective and collaborative and highly adaptable. The work they do
requires a large portion of creativity, listening skills, task management, and
problem-solving skills, and develops empathy towards finding an effective
solution and coming up with multiple variations of the solution.
 Practising soft skills
There are numerous ways to start a child’s journey in STEAM enrichment programs.
However, the most essential component of any educational technique needs to be
driven by engaging activities. Enabling children to comprehend how and why things
happen the way they do. Shows them that when hands-on learning is actually
applied in a fun, safe environment, learning can be engaging and enjoyable.

Children can indeed become way better in their own areas of interest and reach
their full potential. Enjoying not only their learning process but also developing a
genuine hunger for new knowledge.
Conclusion

Process Art learning experiences inspire toddlers and young children

to think different, be innovative, and devise ways to learn about
interesting things found in the real world. Changing the way a child
discovers and imagines. Igniting her mind to think, play and learn like
never before.

If you like to enrol your child in drawing classes for kids or participate
in cognitive learning activities, give Abrakadoodle a call. Or better still,
make an appointment with the head of a centre near you.

Get hands-on exposure to an experience that will make you see art in
a way that adds value to your child’s life.

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8668 6457
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120, Singapore 247933
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Thank You