Did you like science classes when you were younger? For many young kids, science is a thrilling class where they get to put their natural curiosity to work and discover all sorts of cool things! But for others, they just don’t “get it,” or it’s boring. If your kid falls into the latter group, don’t worry, there are several ways to show them that science is actually a really interesting subject! Take a look at these tips on How to Get Your Child Interested in Science!
How to Get Your Child Interested in Science
1. Watch Science Movies
An easy way to get your child interested in science is to show them movies where science plays a critical role. Pretty much any sci-fi movie has this, meaning you can turn Meet the Robinsons or Jurassic Park into a learning experience! Also pretty much any SyFy channel original can work, despite how low-budget and ridiculous they may seem, and how suspect the actual validity of the science behind the films is. But the point isn’t to necessarily show your kid something accurate, just something interesting!
2. Read Science Books
In the same vein as #1, reading fiction books based on science can also help spark your kid’s interest in the subject. Non-fiction books can also be a good choice, as long as the material is presented in a fun, kid-friendly way. In particular, kids seem to really like books of trivia and fun facts.
3. Share Science News
Another way to get your child interested in science is to help them keep up to date on science’s latest discoveries and breakthroughs. This helps show kids how science is relevant to their world. Also, they might be impressed by things like medical breakthroughs, and realize just how much science can help people! That could be the first step of them changing from disliking science to deciding to pursue science as a career!
4. Let Them Learn with Their Hands
Rather than just sitting your kid down in front of some science textbooks, let them discover science with their hands through hands-on activities! You can find inexpensive science kits at the store, or find free printable science activities on Pinterest!
5. Emphasize the Importance of Trying
One of the problems with science is that sometimes things don’t go exactly to plan. The smallest change or inaccuracy can upset the whole end result of an experiment. This may discourage many kids. That’s why it’s so important that you emphasize to them that with science, the most important thing is trying. And if they fail, to keep trying. Tell them the struggles of famous scientists, like Edison, who supposedly took 10,000 attempts to create the light bulb! That will help them get past the idea that they have to totally understand science ideas right away, and will encourage them to do what science is really all about- problem solve.
6. Don’t Answer Questions with “I Don’t Know”
If you want to get your child interested in science, then you also want to watch how you answer their questions about the world. When asked, “Why is the sky blue?” don’t just say, “Huh, I don’t know!” and leave it at that. Instead, say “I don’t know, but let’s find out!” Nowadays, thanks to smartphones, it’s easy to answer your kid’s questions no matter where you are. And by answering their curious questions with scientific facts, you will encourage their curiosity, promote fact finding, and add a bit of science into their everyday life!
Did you like your science classes as a kid?
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