Most children entering kindergarten will have jobs that don’t currently exist, and studies also show that most of these jobs will require STEAM skills.
This evolving landscape means STEAM learning is important every day of the year, but on November 8, we get to celebrate National STEAM Day and the critical role it plays in preparing children for the future workforce with the 21st century skills they need.
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LEGO Education put together a few ideas to help you plan your celebration. Here are some ways you can help get your kids excited about STEAM:
1. Get hands-on: A recent survey shows that parents and teachers agree hands-on learning is the No. 1 way to build confidence in STEAM subjects. Trade in the worksheets for hands-on activities. There are hundreds of free lesson plans to choose from – or create your own.
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2. Try, fail, and try again: When kids face a roadblock, it’s natural to want to jump in and find a solution. Instead, make it a point to let your students try it for themselves first, which helps them develop real-world skills like problem solving and resilience. This will help ready your students for a future career in STEAM.
3. Find what sparks their interest: Ask questions and see what your students get excited to talk about. Switch roles for the day and empower them to be your teacher. Not only will it help reinforce the subject matter, but also boost their confidence by being an expert in something that interests them.
4. Make it into a project: Ask the age-old question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Use National STEAM Day as an opportunity to explore STEAM careers – it might not be what they (or you) expect! Have your students research a STEAM career and share what they learn with the class. They can look up job descriptions or find examples of companies in that field. Here are a few careers to explore: app developer, forensic psychologist, graphic designer, architect, astrophysicist, medical illustrator, civil engineer, archaeologist, product designer, sports announcer and many more.
5. Host a STEAM career day: Reach out to people in your community who are in STEAM careers to participate in a career day at your school. Or set up a video chat with professionals in your area to share their experiences with your class. Meeting people in these careers helps kids see the connection between what they’re learning in school and the real world.
Share your own ideas and plans using #NationalSTEAMDay #LEGOconfidence.
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