How Parents Can Bring STEM Learning to Life

Parents and educators know that kids grow to be confident creators and persistent problem solvers when they are provided encouragement and support from the important adults in their lives. However, it can be challenging for families to determine the most impactful ways to play an active role in children’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) learning.

Thankfully, there are many avenues for you to spark your child’s curiosity, support their academic journey and set them up for success!

The Positive Impact of Parent Involvement

Why take strides to become more involved in your child’s STEM learning? Because family involvement has been shown to provide many benefits to children.

The Ohio Department of Education explains that parent involvement not only supports learning and inspires future success, but it also helps to strengthen school attendance, improve the number of passed classes, raise GPA and increase test scores. The CDC also suggests that children are likely to have better social skills and make healthier decisions when a parent or guardian is active in their learning at school.

A family member’s involvement can even contribute to kids developing friendships and improving their classroom behavior. With a multitude of short- and long-term benefits, participation in children’s education is an important consideration for even the busiest families.

Powerful Ways to Get Involved

There are many ways to encourage your child’s STEM learning, in and out of the classroom. Below are a few ideas to get you started!

Collaborate With Other Parents and Teachers

Many schools have a PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) where parents and teachers work together to meet school goals, plan ways to support the school and advocate for students’ needs. While each school can vary in its objectives, if you want to impact a child’s education without direct classroom involvement, this might be the right opportunity!

Volunteer at School Events

If your schedule is already packed, you might try volunteering at school events, field trips or fundraisers a few times a year. As a volunteer, you’ll have a front row seat for meaningful school milestones while encouraging your child to fully embrace each enriching experience. This could mean boosting their science knowledge at the zoo, building their entrepreneurial skills as they raise money for a class trip or chaperoning an event to celebrate their achievements!

Encourage Extracurriculars

Not all learning is done inside a classroom. You can encourage your child to build their skills in any environment! Try getting your child’s creativity flowing by tackling awesome STEM activities, taking a trip to a local museum, exploring nature at a park or meeting some new friends at an aquarium. Encourage your child’s natural curiosity about the world around them and embrace opportunities to allow them to question the ways things work. Soon, they’ll be learning without even realizing it!

Become a Camp Parent for Camp Invention

Camp Invention^® is a hands-on STEM summer camp for children in grades K-6! By volunteering to spread the word about camp as a Camp Parent, you receive a discount for your child to attend camp and you get to promote creativity and innovation in your community! Even simple tactics like sending emails or posting on social media make a huge difference – and increasing camp enrollment gives your child more opportunities for collaboration, group problem solving and building friendships while they hone their STEM skills. If you want more information on this awesome opportunity, we encourage you to email [email protected]!

Learn More

For more ways you can help bring STEM learning to life for your child, we encourage you to stay tuned to our blog!