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Helping Your Child Learn Science

Why is the sky blue?
Why do things fall to the ground?
How do seeds grow?
What makes the sound and music?
Where do mountains come from?

Young children ask their parents hundreds of questions like these. As a parent, you do not have to be a scientist yourself or have a college degree to help your child learn science. What's far more important than being able to give technical explanations is your willingness to nurture your child's natural curiosity by taking the time to observe and learn together.

In search of answers, we use science to both enlighten and delight.

Being "scientific" involves being curious, observing, asking how things happen, and learning how to find the answers.
Curiosity is natural to children, but they need help understanding how to make sense of what they see and to relate their observations to their existing ideas and understandings.
This is why parental involvement is so important in children's science education.
When we encourage children to ask questions, make predictions, offer explanations and explore in a safe environment, we lend them the kind of support that they need to become successful science students and scientific thinkers.

As a parent, you are preparing your child for a world vastly different from the one in which you grew up.

Our increasingly technological society will need citizens who have received far more advanced instruction in science and technology than most of us received when we were in school.
Even children who don't want to become physicists, chemists, engineers, or computer technicians will need some knowledge of science and technology just to conduct their everyday lives.
Every citizen needs to be scientifically literate in order to make informed decisions about health, safety, and citizenship.
Our children need our help and guidance to prepare for the world that awaits them.

Science "happens" all around us every day.

You have endless opportunities to invite your child into the wonders of science.
Without expensive chemistry sets, equipment or kits, you can easily introduce your child to the natural world and encourage him to observe what goes on in that world.
When you least expect it, a moment for learning will occur:
- A bit of ice cream drops on the sidewalk and ants appear;
- Some cups float and some sink when you're washing dishes;
- Static electricity makes your hair stand on end when you put on a sweater.

Introducing Your Child to Science

Scientific knowledge is cumulative: To learn new things, you must build on what you already know. This makes it important that your child start learning early—and at home.

A good way for you to begin the learning process is by sharing your own interest in science.
How you view and talk about science can influence your child's attitudes toward science—and how she approaches learning science.
It's easy to undermine a child's interest and attitudes by saying things such as, "I was lousy in science, and I've done OK," or "I always hated science when I was in school. It's boring."
Although you can't make your child like science, you can encourage her to do so, and you can help her to appreciate its value both in her everyday life and in preparing for her future.

In everyday interactions with your child, you can do many things—and do them without lecturing or applying pressure—to help her learn science. Here are a few ideas:

See how long it takes for a dandelion or a rose to burst into full bloom.
Watch the moon as it appears to change shape over the course of a month, and record the changes.
Look for constellations in the night sky.
Bake a cake.
Solve the problem of a drooping plant.
Figure out how the spin cycle of the washing machine gets the water out of the clothes.
Take apart an old clock or mechanical toy—you don't need to put it back together!
Watch icicles melt.
Observe pigeons, squirrels, butterflies, ants or spider webs.
Go for a walk and talk about how the dogs (or birds or cats) that you see are alike and different.
Discover what materials the buildings in your community are made of. Wood? Concrete? Adobe? Brick? Granite? Sandstone? Steel? Glass? Talk about the reasons for using these materials.

Learning to observe carefully is an important step leading to scientific explanations.
Experiencing the world with your child and exchanging information with him about what you see are important, too.

Finally, encourage your child to ask questions. Keep in mind the following:

If you can't answer all of her questions, that's all right—no one has all the answers, not even scientists.
For example, point out that there's no known cure for a cold, but that we do know how diseases are passed from person to person—through germs.
Some of the best answers you can give are, "What do you think?" and "Let's find out together."
Together, you and your child can propose possible answers, test them out and check them by using reference books, the Internet, or by asking someone who is likely to know the correct answers.

The Basics

What Is Science?

Science is not just a collection of facts. Of course, facts are an important part of science: Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (or 0 degrees Celsius), and the earth moves around the sun. But science is much, much more. Science involves:

observing what's happening;
classifying or organizing information;
predicting what will happen;
testing predictions under controlled conditions to see if they are correct; and
drawing conclusions.

Science also involves trial and error—trying, failing and trying again.
Science doesn't provide all the answers.
It requires us to be skeptical so that our scientific "conclusions" can be modified or changed altogether as we make new discoveries.

Children Have Their Own "Scientific Concepts"

Very young children can come up with many interesting explanations to make sense of the world around them:

When asked about the shape of the earth, for example, some will explain that the earth has to be flat because, if it were round like a ball, people and things would fall off it.
Presented with a globe and told that this is the true shape of the earth, these children may adapt their explanation by saying that the earth is hollow and that people live on flat ground inside it.

Even older children can come up with unique "scientific" explanations, as in the following examples provided by middle-school students:

"Fossils are bones that animals are through wearing."
"Some people can tell what time it is by looking at the sun, but I've never been able to make out the numbers."
"Gravity is stronger on the earth than on the moon because here on earth we have a bigger mess."
"A blizzard is when it snows sideways."

Asking Questions

As mentioned earlier, it's important to encourage your child to ask questions. It's also important to ask your child questions that will get him talking about his ideas and to listen carefully to his answers.

Keep in mind that children's experiences help them form their ideas—ideas that may, or may not, match current scientific interpretations.
Help your child to look at things in new ways. For instance, in regard to the blizzard, you could ask,

"Have you ever seen it snow sideways?" or
"What do you think causes it to snow sideways sometimes?

Such conversation can be an important form of inquiry or learning.

Encourage your child by letting him know that it's OK to make mistakes or admit he doesn't know something.
Rather than saying, "No, that's wrong," when he gives an incorrect explanation, give him accurate information or help him to find it.
Going back to the blizzard, you could ask your child,

"How could you check your definition?"
"How does the dictionary's definition of blizzard fit with what you said about snow moving sideways?"

Knowing that you are willing to listen will help your child to gain confidence in his own thinking and encourage his interest in science.
Listening to what he says will help him to figure out what he knows and how he knows it.

Hands-On Works Well

Investigating and experimenting are great ways for children to learn science and increase their understanding of scientific ideas.

Hands-on science can also help children think critically and gain confidence in their own ability to solve problems.
Young children especially are engaged by things they can touch, manipulate and change; and by situations that allow them to figure out what happens—in short, events and puzzles that they can investigate, which is at the very heart of scientific study.
While hands-on science works well, it can also be messy and time consuming. So, before you get started, see what is involved in an activity—including how long it will take.

Less Is More

It's tempting to try to teach children just a little about many different subjects.

Although children can't possibly learn everything about science, they do need, and will want, to learn many facts.
The best way to help them learn to think scientifically is to introduce them to just a few topics in depth.

Finding the Right Activity for Your Child

Different children have different interests and will respond differently to science activities.

For example, a sand-and-rock collection that was a big hit with an 8-year-old daughter may not be a big hit with a 6-year-old son.
Fortunately, children whose interests vary greatly can find plenty of science activities that are fun. For example, if your son loves to cook, let him observe how tea changes color when lemon is added or how vinegar curdles milk.

Knowing your child is the best way to find suitable activities for him. Here are some tips:

Encourage activities that are neither too difficult nor too easy for your child. If in doubt, err on the easy side, because something too difficult may give him the idea that science itself is too hard. Adults often assume that children need spectacular demonstrations to learn science, but this isn't true.
Consider your child's personality and social habits. Some projects are best done alone, others in a group; some require help, others require little or no adult supervision. Solitary activities may bore some children, while group projects may not appeal to others.
Select activities that are appropriate for where you live. Clearly, a brightly lighted city isn't the best place for stargazing.
Allow your child to help select the activities. If you don't know whether she would rather collect shells or plant daffodils, ask her. When she picks something she wants to do, she'll learn more and have a better time doing it.

For science activities to try with your child at home and in your community, see Home-Based Science Activities and Community-Based Science Activities.

Reprinted, with permission, from a booklet:

U.S. Department of Education
Office of Communications and Outreach
Helping Your Child Learn Science
Washington, D.C., 2005

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