STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities are a great way to engage your child’s curiosity while developing their appetite for scientific discovery and problem-solving. Kids aged 9+ will particularly love LEGO® Technic™ sets which allow them to learn about engineering as well as other topics like AR technology.
What’s more, it’s never too early for a child to start developing their skills in these areas. For example, preschoolers can get to grips with coding concepts, such as sequencing, looping and conditional coding, while developing problem-solving skills, critical thinking, collaboration, and social and emotional skills.
6. Show Your Kids the World and Do Activities as a Family
Kids of all ages love to explore, but they love exploring, even more, when it’s a shared experience! Taking children on family trips can be a great way to inspire them and spark their curiosity while creating valuable memories.
A trip to a museum, zoo, community center, LEGOLAND®, LEGOLAND Discovery Centre, or even camping in the great outdoors are all wonderful ways to explore with your child and get their brains thinking about the world around them.
7. Provide Kids with Basic Discovery Tools
Whether they’re exploring the world with you or on their own, having the right tools and toys at their disposal can help them develop key skills while learning about their environment.
For example, a magnifying glass, magnet, bucket & spade, bug catcher, or even a measuring tape are all ways for kids to take their curiosity a step further than just observing as they can interact and investigate the things around them.
As well as learning about the world around them, you can help your older kids 9 to 12 years old hone in on their problem-solving skills while introducing them to the world of computer science with the LEGO® MINDSTORMS®.
With LEGO® Creator 3-in-1 kids can choose between 3 different builds across several different interests - meaning there are several possibilities to discover new things!
8. Get Involved in Your Local Community
By seeking out new experiences within your local community, you can stimulate your kid’s curiosity. This can include taking them with you on simple errands such as grocery shopping or on more exciting events such as communal celebrations such as parades and festivals.
You can even take your child to an event that benefits the community with volunteering activities such as beach and/or park clean-ups.
9. Encourage Collecting
Many of our adult builders started out collecting when they were kids. As kids explore the world, they’ll enjoy collecting things along the way such as pebbles, shells, stickers and even toys, all of which can act as trophies to mark each journey of discovery.
As well as engaging their creativity, kids that collect things learn the value of responsibility and patience as they grow and care for their treasured collections.
Kids can also grow a collection of characters with LEGO® Minifigures, which can be played with or put on display. As each Minifigure comes sealed in a ‘mystery’ bag, growing a collection becomes super exciting, which helps kids develop their passion for collecting.
10. Use Minimal Restriction as Safely as Possible and Let Kids be Kids
Of all the ways to help nurture your kid’s curiosity, perhaps the most important (and the simplest) is to let them explore, discover, learn and satisfy their curiosity in their own way.
As well as letting them fully appreciate the joys of solving and discovering things on their own, by allowing them to play with minimal restrictions kids can build confidence and develop a greater appreciation for learning.
With our LEGO® Education sets and all of the activities we mentioned earlier, kids can safely learn to problem solve and build their critical thinking skills while engaging their curiosity for STEM topics.