Preschool engineering takes form though play and material exploration. Do you want to know how to raise an engineer? As parents, we can not rely solely on the school system or child care facilities to provide engineering opportunities our children.
We must work together WITH these entities to enrich the lives of our kids Here are 3 MUST READ parenting tips for how to raise an engineer.
What toys do YOU have in your house right now that encourage building?
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It’s the end of the day and you are tired. Bob the Builder DVD is calling your child’s name. It is screaming out for you to pop it into the player. That would be 30 minutes of time when your child is “entertained and learning.”
Sure in moderation, everything is OK. Bob the Builder (and many other shows geared for young children) have some awesome benefits. They introduce vocabulary words, encourage teamwork and helping others and YES, they do give parents much needed time to prepare dinner and clean house.
The reality is though, that children learn much more by actually BUILDING than watching a character in a show build.
How can you raise an engineer?
Raising an engineer takes more than just watching a show. It takes a LOT of hands-on, minds-on skill building. Never fear. It’s not as difficult as it may seem. With just 3 simple tips, you too can encourage your children to design and build every day.
1. Stock toys in your home that encourage building.
Blocks, building sets, construction sets, gears, and robots are all great toys to keep stocked. Children do not need ALL of these toys, rather one or two different materials to design and build with.
Some of my children and my past students favorites are:
- Wood Blocks
- LEGO Bricks
- K’NEX
- Lincoln Logs
- Goldie Blox
- Tinkertoys
- Gears! Gears! Gears!
- Picasso Tiles
- Construction Fort
Recyclables such as empty boxes, bottles, and cardboard tubes also make great toys to encourage design and building.
2. Provide opportunities for children to interact with these toys.
These toys have absolutely no benefit if they are not being used. Set one out in a kid friendly area and encourage them to explore the materials.
Make open ended building play a priority several days a week, if not every day. Build it into your schedule so that the kids expect it.
My 3 kids know that when I am cooking dinner they have 2 choices: read or build. They rotate between the two. I get dinner made. They get to build the foundation and understandings of how things fit together.
When the novelty of the toy set wears off, let the toy or set switch places with another toy in the closet. Rotate as needed to keep engagement and interest high. This practice is often referred to as toy rotation.
3. Interact with your child. Use your words to encourage and extend their learning.
If your child builds a really cool tower, let them know why you like it. Talk about how they built a strong foundation or used a great combination to solve a design problem. Notice the amazing things they are designing and creating.
Provide them with challenges.
Encourage them to build something higher than a foot. Set minute challenges. See if they can create new bridges to go from point a to point b.
Extend their learning by showing them them designs and blueprints for buildings. Point out the features and discuss what they see.
See – it’s that simple.
- Buy Building Toys
- Build With Them
- Talk About What They Built
For more Engineering Related Articles here at The Educators’ Spin On It, We recommend:
Newspaper Engineering Challenge
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What toys do YOU have in your house right now that encourage building?
I love the idea of using unpredictable materials for building toys. I must go digging through our recyclables for my little engineer!!!
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing.