To support STEM in the early years, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Education have partnered with Too Small to Fail to create a set of early STEM resources for families and educators. The “Let’s Talk, Read and Sing About STEM!” tip sheets build on the successful “Talk, Read, and Sing Together Every Day!” tip sheets and aim to transform small moments into big opportunities for our littlest innovators. These new tip sheets are filled with ideas for STEM conversations that can take place during everyday routines.
- Tip sheet for families (PDF) (Spanish version (PDF))
- Tip sheet for (PDF)infant/toddler teachers (PDF) (Spanish version (PDF))
- Tip sheet for preschool teachers (PDF)(Spanish version (PDF))
- “Let’s Talk About the World” poster (Spanish version (PDF))
Children learn STEM skills through exploration, play, asking questions, about the world and the way things work, and interacting with adults and other children. Many of the tips include activities that parents and teachers already do with young children, but they help adults use the language of STEM to understand that even a simple game of peek-a-boo teaches spatial awareness! We hope the resources encourage parents and caregivers to keep engaging with their children, and find some new ways to integrate STEM into every day routines.
STEM learning is a critical part of child development and can happen anytime, anywhere. The real-life skills that children learn when exploring STEM help make them better problem-solvers and thinkers. Today’s block builder is tomorrow’s engineer.