Valrico Preschool Recognized for Excellent STEAM Curriculum
Pre-K programs in Valrico continue to progress and evolve, and teachers are constantly learning different, effective ways of teaching. For a more well-rounded education, it is becoming increasingly evident that there is a need to incorporate lessons and activities that use a STEAM methodology or curriculum. STEAM activities (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) are best utilized from a young age. These activities have a multi-layered approach to helping students, but what are the specific benefits for pre-k age children in the classroom?
1. Early Exposure to Concepts That Build a Strong Foundation
Starting children early with a STEAM education helps them to build a strong foundation in the areas that have been identified as vital for future development. A solid base in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics makes it a natural learning process, ensuring that further down the line, more complicated concepts will be less intimidating. Building on this foundation means that children are more likely to pick up advanced concepts and will continue to study the subjects later on in school and life.
2. Fun and Self-Learning is at the Heart of a STEAM-Focused Education
Educators that teach pre-school children will want to keep the lesson fun to make the material itself less intimidating. When children feel comfortable and confident, they’re more likely to try new things, which is the basis for learning. Active participation in the learning experience makes them more likely to enjoy the process, engage with the lesson and internalize the new things that they have discovered. Self-learning is where teachers give children the space to learn new things for themselves at their own pace by interacting with the material, rather than rote learning or other more traditional methods of communicating new information.
3. Build On Their Innate Curiosity
Kids are, by nature, curious. They’re constantly asking questions, wanting to know how things work and why things are the way they are. This is vital for stimulating their ability to learn and problem-solve creatively. Through STEAM activity in the preschool environment, young children will form hypotheses, ask questions and offer observations. By providing the right environment, kids become analytical thinkers, and are actively, personally involved in directing their own education.
4. Learn Skills Over And Above STEAM
STEAM projects offer the opportunity for meaningful collaboration. Activities will usually need teamwork and involve thoughtful dialogue, necessitating the exchange of ideas and collaborative problem-solving. Pre-schoolers are therefore encouraged to organically compromise, listen to each other, and celebrate victories – whether their own or others. Children who are more naturally timid or apprehensive about new tasks will be encouraged and drawn in by those who approach STEAM with curiosity or excitement. Here, teachers have the opportunity to place kids in groups that combine a mix of abilities and personalities so that they can learn how to help each other to achieve the task’s objective.
5. Both Girls and Boys Are Encouraged to Explore STEAM Thinking
Women are still under-represented in the fields of science, technology, engineering, art and math, and it’s thought that by exposing girls at a young age, they will become more familiar with the fields at an early age. STEAM tasks are completely inclusive, so neither boys nor girls will be excluded during the learning process.
Kids 'R' Kids Learning Academy of Valrico places an emphasis on a STEAM curriculum that is designed for children between the ages of 3 and 5. It incorporates science, technology, engineering, art, and math into learning through inquiry, exploration, and play. The learning academy believes that through offering these activities, they are helping children develop so that, in time, they can enter the 21st-century workforce and thrive.
