It can be hard to explain science or pretty much any other concept if you don’t have a solid understanding. However, by working with your children, you can all explore some of the biggest questions you and they have together. Here are some tips to get you started on an adventure.
Be Careful About the Words You Use
Albert Einstein once said something like, “if you cannot explain something in simple terms, then you don’t understand it.” This can be taken in a number of ways. But there is some truth to it. When explaining something to a young mind, such as the movement of the solar system (more info), you need to pick your words wisely. Kids often don’t have an issue understanding a concept. It’s more often the bigger words or “jargon” that they usually have a hard time with.
Try Not to Simplify Too Much
It doesn’t help to oversimplify science to children. Of course, as mentioned, there are better ways to explain. But it’s the final conclusion that a child needs to grasp to understand what they are learning. It’s hard to balance these things. But you can gradually help them as you go along by checking their work. This will help you identify their learning age and level of understanding.
Explain Science by Exploring Together
It’s a great thing to explore new concepts with your kids. And on many occasions, you will find you learn more yourself. However, you don’t need to think of yourself as your child’s “go-to” font of knowledge, especially if you don’t fully understand something yourself. You can both learn by doing some experiments and looking up answers online. Or even taking a trip to the local library. Any of these makes learning a bit more fun. And kids are more open when engaged.
Use Tech to Record and Analyze
Encouraging your kids to record things can help them remember and analyze scientific facts later on. If like 25% of other children, your kids have a mobile phone, you can teach them to use it for findings. For example, you can use video to record clouds, use the built-in mic to record bird sounds, or even use specialist apps, such as SmartPlant, for identifying plant life. And if some of these are well done, you can even edit images and print them to hang in their bedroom.
Invite Questions from the Kids
Curiosity is what makes us good at understanding. Without it, we would just let everything pass without question. So you must encourage asking questions from your kids. It’s a good idea to deliberately hold facts back, so they pick up on what is missing. Then gently nudge them into asking about something. You can even use everyday events as an example. For instance, you can explain buoyancy when your kids are playing with a rubber duck in the bath.
Summary
It can be a challenge to know where to start when you wish to explain science to your children. You must choose words wisely, explore together, and encourage kids to ask lots of questions.
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