Over the recent years, education focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) has grown in popularity & for the right reasons! According to the US Department of Education (USDE), the crucial life skills to ensure a successful existence in the 21st century includes problem-solving, processing information, decision making, evaluating evidence, among others. And, with STEM education, all of these skills can be learned!
When we talk about STEM, a lot of people assume that it is only important in higher education. But in reality, it is equally important in early education stages. In fact, exposing your children to STEM education at an early age, can help them develop strong concepts of science, engineering, technology, and math. This puts them ahead of other children who didn’t take these previously mentioned educational areas during the early years of life.
In addition, even if we talk from the future perspective, the occupations related to STEM education are expected to grow by 13% from 2017 to 2027. Moreover, it generates a wide spectrum of learning tactics, in order to broaden your child’s scope of skills. So, even in the future, it is a good idea to let your child develop a strong grip in STEM education!
Why is STEM Important in Early Education?
Today, we will look at 6 reasons (benefits) why STEM education is crucial during early education stages.
Memory Retention
In STEM education, most of the learning can be classified as experiential learning, which results in an increase in memory retention. According to studies, experiential learning can boost the retention rate up to 90%! On the other hand, memory retention from the traditional education methods is only around 5%.
So, when a child is exposed to STEM education during the early years of life, it helps them not only learn, but also retain the knowledge. From this knowledge, they can build on more complex topics in science, math, tech., engineering, and more!
And, considering how the role of STEM is rapidly growing & gaining importance in professional development and even higher education, starting early with STEM education strategies and activities can give your child a head start!
Valuable Experience
STEM education during early childhood focuses a lot on teaching through hands-on experiences rather than relying on textbooks and written material. For example, some of the STEM activities suggested by NASA include building soda rockets, paper helicopters, and so on.
When a child learns about different science and mathematics subjects through actual experience rather than reading a textbook, they earn valuable experience which can help them throughout the rest of their lives!
Higher Education Success
Right now, there are not enough students who possess the required knowledge and skills for what’s needed to survive in this modern economy. And the reason is simple – They are not good at STEM subjects!
So when a child is exposed to STEM subjects at an early stage, they will be able to develop strong fundamentals of the STEM concepts. And when these children reach the age of higher education, they will be more willing to take the STEM subjects as they will appear easy & natural for them! That is why at Sparkles! Early Learning Academy, we concentrate in building tomorrow’s leaders.
If you look around, you will see that our world is heavily reliant on technology, engineering, and other STEM-related subjects. And based on these trends, it is only natural to assume that the importance of these subjects will also rise in higher education! So by opting for science, engineering, etc., in early education, you can set up your child for future academic and professional success!
Language Development
What is language? According to the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, it is a cultural resource, as well as a cognitive ability. From a very early age, children start to use it to engage and learn in their homes and communities.
As they reach the educational ages, opting for STEM can facilitate language development in children. This helps them to develop a strong vocabulary and even opens up the doors for a lot of exciting conversations. So, on one hand, it helps children learn about the subject while also developing language skills!
From a very early age till old age, one of the leading methods to communicate is through language. In fact, most of the learning is done by reading and viewing the language – In short, language plays a very vital role in our lives, and with STEM, your child can benefit greatly from language development.
Learning through Games
In STEM education, one of the prominent methods of teaching is through gamification, which is basically learning through games. In today’s world, gamification has become a very popular method for increasing productivity and motivation. In fact, up to 90% of employees were found to be more productive when they engaged in activities that classify as gamified.
So with STEM, a child can learn difficult-to-grasp concepts of science, math, and engineering through gamification. On the other hand, children are not usually motivated to learn through traditional methods of learning. In fact, STEM also helps children learn how to apply the concept of gamification in further educational pursuits and even in a professional manner!
Collaborative Reasoning & Learning
STEM can help a child develop problem-solving, decision-making, and information processing skills. And the reason behind all of these benefits is that STEM encourages children to engage in collaborative reasoning and learning.
For example, a lot of STEM activities are focused on collaboration, such as robotic competitions, science fairs, or even using tech tools. When a child learns how to work as a team to achieve long-term success at an early stage in life, they will be more willing and ready to use the same techniques in their personal and professional life to achieve success!
Even speaking from just an academic point of view, collaborative learning can help a child learn even the most difficult to grasp concepts with relative ease – And the best part is that it also makes the learning more fun and exciting!
Shape Your Child’s Future With Sparkles! Early Learning Academy Approach
If you want to learn more about STEM education, and the impact that these techniques will have in your child, contact SPARKLES! today and we will walk you through the whole process. Call 703-810-7792, or visit our website now!
