Toddlers are early learners and they are full of curiosity. But, does it sound too much when we say teach science for toddlers? Absolutely not!
These curious early learners will grab the science concepts faster than we imagine. However, don’t force or don’t panic yourself to teach science for toddlers. Use interesting and fun ways to teach the basic science concepts that they love.
Here are some interesting ways to teach science and concepts to little minds. They will enjoy each activity more than we do and it is a great way to teach basic concepts to early learners.
1. Get the benefit of outdoor activities
Outdoor activities are a great opportunity for toddlers to learn the basic concepts of science. You don’t have to worry about teaching plans or activities. Instead, spend a few hours outdoors with your little one and show the things around him.
Butterflies, birds and even small insects will create curiosity in your kid. Use the opportunity to show him differences between a butterfly and a bird or teach him how to identify insects. Differences between fallen leaves and fresh leaves, colour changes, sunny day or cloudy day — there are many things that you can talk with your little learner when you are outdoors.
All these activities are fun and they will love the time spent with you together while discovering and learning the new concepts!
2. Spend time for a night out
Instead of spending time outdoors during the day time, occasionally do it during night time. It can be at your home garden or a nearby park or a playground. Watch the sky with your toddler and show him the moon, stars and clouds. You can also go outdoors at night and show the phases of the moon changing from crescent to full. They will sure grab the concept! They will also learn the difference between day time and night time before you imagine!
3. Try simple science experiments
Simple science experiments are other good ways to teach the basic concepts for toddlers. If you think you have to prepare for experiments and this sounds difficult, no, it’s not!
There are many ways that you can do science experiments with little learners. Put some ice cubes into a bowl of water and watch the melting ice while the water is getting cold. Put some stones or coins into a glass filled with water and watch displacement happens.
Add some food colouring to a glass of water and see how the colour changes. There are many such simple experiments which you can do with a toddler and teach the basic science concepts while playing.
4. Use educational songs
Toddlers love songs. They learn a lot of concepts through music. YouTube is full of educational songs for kids and toddlers. Watch some songs which are related to science concepts. It can be a simple song such as ‘head, shoulders, knees and toes’ which teaches parts of the human body or even it can be a planet song which explains the solar system. Little learners will easily grab the scientific words for their vocabulary. If you are too concern about screen time, still you can select few songs and sing with your toddler while allowing him to grab the basic concept behind the songs.
5. Use science apps that are for young kids
With the advancement of technology, parents can easily find educational resources even as smartphone apps. Science apps which are suitable for toddlers are a good way to teach the basic concepts with a lot of fun. There are apps about planets, ocean, animals and many other science-related topics. Search for a few science apps and allow your smart learner to learn the basics while playing.
6. Read science-related books with your toddler
Well, we can’t forget the importance of books when we talk about teaching or learning. There are simple books for early readers which explain science concepts. Picture books or books with few words are always good for early learners. Select a few books that are about plants, animals or any other science concepts. There are books about lifecycles or you can also find books with beautiful pictures about basic concepts such as parts of the body, weather, planets or animals. Read with your toddler together and this will also cultivate the habit of reading from the early days!
7. Join subscription boxes
If you think you are busy with work or you don’t have time to plan science activities with your toddler, then you can join with any suitable Science subscription box service. Even if you do above activities with your kids, a subscription box is still a great way to engage your toddler with educational activities with fun. It is also a surprise each month which can easily motivate your toddler to learn. If you can’t find Science subscription boxes suitable for toddlers, you can still order craft activities and use the activities to explain the science concept behind it. If you think a bit, there are lots of opportunities to teach science concepts for toddlers!
8. Visit theme parks
While outdoor activities are a great way to teach science concepts, you can also take your toddler to theme parks where he or she can learn about one specific concept. It can be a butterfly garden or a dinosaur park, but the basic concepts you teach for your kid are priceless!
Above are some of the activities I use to teach the basic Science concepts for my toddler and he loves all these. Not only for toddlers, but these activities are also great for young kids including the preschoolers!
Do you have any more ideas to add to this list? Share them with us!