Why Science Is Important to Children
If it weren’t for science, perhaps today we wouldn’t be able to enjoy many factors that favor our well-being. For example, the connectivity that helps us so much during the pandemic or the treatments that managed to cure complex diseases. Therefore, science is important to children, and humanity in general, in all respects.
In addition, thanks to the knowledge we have today, we can develop new learning. Science advances and grows day by day, just like the brain of our children, which is curious by nature.
Fortunately, bringing the scientific world closer to the child’s mind today is easier (and more necessary) than ever. In fact, a study carried out at the University of Ulster has determined that with only five years of age, children already handle certain notions about various sciences and that, at seven, they develop a subjective image of them. So, why not make it positive in all cases?
If we take advantage of this infantile predisposition to learn, it’s possible to educate children that are more informed and that have more developed critical and logical thinking. Below, we’ll tell you more about why science is important to children, as well as attractive, and how to promote this learning in a more entertaining way.
Why is science important to children?
Science is considered to be a capital element in the formation of infants. If we encourage them to explore, they can learn much more than just mundane theories.
By way of synthesis, below we’ll list the benefits that science offers to children’s learning. Take note!
Allows them to obtain a greater knowledge of the world
Science gives children a very broad picture of how the world works. Both something artificial (like a computer) and something natural (like the growth of a tree) can be explained thanks to current scientific knowledge. And this, without a doubt, is a great tool to get through the “why” stage.
Improves problem-solving skills
Through science, children gain tools to face challenges and solve problems creatively, but with a clear understanding of what they’re doing.
Scientific concepts provide skills for analysis, synthesis, and critical and logical thinking. All this allows little ones to investigate more and better, think on their own, and reach their own conclusions.
Develop vital skills
Science explains life. For this reason, developing scientific skills and competencies from childhood allows children to better understand the environment around them.
Therefore, science becomes the basis for observation and experimentation. And there’s no doubt that children, while discovering their world, experiment and observe during every second of the day.
Stimulates creativity
Science is also creativity because only from an innovative approach can one move forward in the field of science.
So, learning this discipline allows children to find new answers to their questions and to pose new challenges with more elaborate hypotheses. Also, it allows them to make use of concepts they already know, ingenuity, and originality to focus on new horizons of knowledge.
Instills respect for nature
Through science, we work on knowledge and respect for nature, as the Earth is our only natural means to survive and we must take care of it.
It’s key that little ones discover how human activity changes ecosystems and causes environmental variations. This way, we’ll generate in them an environmental awareness that fosters respect and love for the plant and animal world that surrounds them.
Science, a field with a future for children
Having said all this, we can establish various strategies so that the smallest of children can become fond of science, as learning doesn’t necessarily have to be done in a formal way. In fact, if you think of it as a hobby, the results can be even better.
As adults, we can accompany them on their explorations in everyday contexts–we don’t need to go on sophisticated expeditions. In a pond, for example, there’s a lot of life to observe. Therefore, we have the possibility to explain everything we find there, from the importance of the life of microorganisms to the need for water for subsistence in this world.
Science is important to children because it enables them to understand everything that’s going on around them. Why are the leaves of the trees green? How does a car move? How do birds fly? All this has been discovered thanks to the scientific method. So, let’s keep investing in science-based teaching and learning.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Fernández-Vidal, S. (2015). El Universo En Tus Manos. Barcelona: Editorial La Galera.
- Silver, A. & Rushton, B. S. (2008). Primary-school children’s attitudes towards science, engineering and technology and their images of scientists and engineers. International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education; 36(1): 51-67
- Moreno, J. La importancia de fomentar la ciencia en niñas y niños. Universidad de Costa Rica. [Internet] Disponible en: http://epm.iip.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/post=680/