Play is at the heart of how young children grow, learn, socialize, and develop. Children’s need for play is so powerful that it emerges even when there are no toys, limited resources, and in situations where adults do not actively encourage it. Children are naturally driven to play, especially when it comes to science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM). Each of STEAM’s five subject domains focuses on exploring curiosities, asking questions, creating new artifacts, and solving problems. STEAM involves a process of inquiry, discovery, and creation that mirrors what happens in the play young children engage in every day. 

It’s very hard to overstate the importance of play for all areas of development. STEAM play is especially important for young girls or any children who identify with groups that have been historically excluded from science and technology fields. Beginning at an early age, stereotypes about the sciences and technology have the power to influence children’s interest, confidence, and identification with these fields. When it comes to play, children’s toys also have a long history of being gendered in the way they are packaged, marketed, and offered to young children, with many science, technology, engineering, and math products being heavily marketed to boys, subtly reinforcing stereotypes and inadvertently causing girls to miss out on important early playful learning experiences. 

The good news is that there are many ways for parents, educators, and caregivers of young children to counter these stereotypes and build young children’s confidence and interest in STEAM, all while having fun through authentic play! In our new book, Playful STEAM Learning in the Early Years: An Educator’s Guide to Screen-Free Explorations, we present the Playful STEAM Learning Framework, which encourages a variety of different kinds of child-led and adult-scaffolded play experiences that can support girls - and all young children - in playfully exploring STEAM practices, concepts, and habits of mind (learn more in this NGCP webinar).

Inspired by the framework, we break down 4 simple ways adults can foster meaningful STEAM play for young children:

1. Support children in persevering through hard fun - Play is fun, but play can also be hard - and that is a good thing when it comes to STEAM learning! Hard fun isn't about immediate gratification or avoiding effort. Instead, the enjoyment comes from the process of wrestling with a complex problem, pushing your boundaries, and ultimately achieving something that requires genuine effort. 

   Try this: The next time children encounter a frustrating task, give yourself a 10-second count before you intervene. You can also try directing their attention to other peers or adults who are struggling with their own projects and talk about their strategies for working through a problem. 

    

2. Listen to children’s ideas - Help children learn through personally meaningful play experiences by truly listening to their ideas. Young children have so few opportunities to be truly “in charge” of their day. Play is one area where children are authentically able to direct their own time and activity. You can keep learning playful by allowing children to choose what kind of STEAM questions and topics they wish to explore. 

   Try this: Value children’s interests and ideas by creating a “question wall” in your home or classroom. Use this space to celebrate their curiosity by tracking children’s questions as they come up. Provide materials or other opportunities to answer the questions when you are able. 

    

3. Actively support inclusion - Ensure that the STEAM opportunities you provide are inclusive, welcoming, and encouraging for all learners. This means providing different resources to accommodate learning and behavioral needs, as well as ensuring that all children have plenty of opportunities to share questions, ideas, and completed work in formats that resonate with them. This allows children with different strengths or comfort levels to participate meaningfully. 

   Try this: Ensure that all learners feel welcome and included in STEAM by introducing diverse role models. This can happen through reading diverse picture books, through media, or with in-person and online role model experiences. Diverse role model experiences can shift perceptions about who belongs in STEAM, dispelling stereotypes about STEAM people, skills, and careers (find role model and mentoring resources here). 

    

4. Say yes to open-ended sensory play - Playing with young children can be (and often is, whether we plan it or not) messy business. After all, there is no better way to learn about the world than by touching it, experiencing it, even breaking it, and shaping it. Messy, sensory play is part of children's need to closely investigate different substances and is required for creative experiments that involve learning through chaos–a foundation for creative risk-taking later in life. Sensory play is one of the most important types of play for young children to engage in for STEAM learning, so we encourage you to embrace the mess!

   Try this: Make slime following this simple recipe from our book!

    

For more ideas and resources, follow Playful STEAM on Instagram and explore the resources below.

More Resources:

• NGCP Webinar: Supporting Early Childhood STEAM Experiences through Play

• NGCP Webinar: Choosing Toys to Inspire Young Girls in STEM

• Genius of Play Blog Post: Using Play to Spark Girls’ Interest and Confidence in STEM

• NGCP Podcast: Inspiring Curiosity from Early Childhood to Break Gender Stereotypes