Kids are natural investigators and are always curious to find out the answers to some inexplicable questions like why the sky is blue, where does the sun go at night, where do stars come from etc. Parents often wonder how to answer these questions in the simplest way so that the child can understand. However, this curiosity to learn and know more about things can be channelized towards developing scientific skills in kids. Learning about science help kids gather more knowledge about the world and improve their understanding of it. There are some ways with which science skills can be developed in kids and their understanding about cause and effect can be developed.

• Explanations don’t always help: Parents should not always explain complex things to their kids. They should spend more time demonstrating the fun part of science- go on walks, mix up things, test different materials, then observe things carefully, wonder what would happen to them. This will increase the curiosity of the child to know more.
• Help kids think like scientists:  Parents should allow their kids to think independently and not force ideas on them. When kids start to think like scientists and question everything, understand the working of simple objects, relate more to things, it can help develop scientific skills in them.
• Listen to kids: Parents and teachers should ask kids about activities they are doing. By using this approach, kids can share with adults what they hear, see, think, observe and notice. This develops their thinking and the way they reflect upon things.
• Encourage kids:  Kids should be encouraged more to question and wonder why a certain thing works the way it does.
• Use information to build interest: To build kids’ interest in the physical world and in living things, books, field trips, experiments and other ways to explore science should be used.
• Engage kids in science experiences:  Kids should be engaged more in various science and math experiences by forming hypotheses, making guesses, collecting data, drawing conclusions etc.
• Incorporate science projects: Science projects can be incorporated into activities performed by kids when they play with blocks, water and sand or when they engage in dramatic plays, cooking, art and music, stories or outdoor activities.
• Engage kids in study of animals and plants: Our planet has a huge variety of animals and plants. Kids can be engaged in their study and increase knowledge about the environment around them.

These tips can provide many opportunities for kids to put up questions and build an inclination towards learning new things. They should be motivated to enquire and understand the things around them so that they start developing scientific skills from a young age. We, at Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Texas organize various activities that focus of developing science skills in kids. For more information about the programs, you can call at (254) 699-5808.