Do you think that your child will make a fantastic engineer? There are a lot of skills your child can exhibit from an early age that might show they are going to follow this career path. For example, they might like to assemble their toys or take things apart. They may have a passion for shapes and numbers. Today, we are going to explore how you can encourage your child to explore their engineer side.
Encouraging Your Child to Explore Engineering
So, you think that your child will make a good engineer when they grow up? Well, there are several ways you can encourage your little one to take this path in life and to build up the skills they are going to need to do well in this career. Let’s take a look at the way you can do this.
Talk About Engineering
If your child is at the age where they can speak and hold conversations, this is a good time to introduce the idea of engineering. Talk to them about this career and what an engineer is. You can be curious about this job role and being positive and excited about it is going to spread good energy.
One thing you should do is avoid using complicated words. There is a lot of engineering jargon out there and it is best to avoid it. Otherwise, your child might find this difficult to understand and the topic can lose its excitement. You want to ensure that you are having fun when you are talking about engineering so that they enjoy it and ask questions.
Show them Engineering
Do not forget that you are surrounded by engineering. We are talking about inside the home. It is easy to take for granted a lot of the things inside your house that were designed with engineering. But they are a great way to introduce the topic to your child in simple terms. For example, think about how doors work in your house. When you use the handle, the hinges help the door to move. Take a look around your house and you can show cool ways to your child how engineering helps everyday life. This is going to help them think about things differently and be interested in what they can achieve with engineering.
Choose Engineering Books
We all like to read to our children and it is a fantastic way for them to learn and stay engaged. So, why not buy some engineering books? There are a lot out there and they are going to help your child. Look out for STEM books, and you have the freedom to choose other stories that you think are going to be beneficial. Remember that even if your child does not grow up to be an engineer, these books are still useful for them developing soft skills, working on concentration and generally help with learning.
Start with Lego and Blocks
Let’s not forget that engineering is basically about building things. So, to get your child started with this, choose Lego or similar blocks. You can leave them to their own devices and see what type of structures they can build. Not only are they having fun and using their imagination and creativity, but they are also learning other engineering principles. For instance, this can include how to fit parts together, plus how to balance them and weight distribution.
Open Up the Toolbox
When your child is a little older, this is a good time to start exploring what is in the toolbox. They can get acquainted with tools that they might be using as an engineer and how they work. You can teach them how to use them, as well as their names and what they can do. This is something that does not happen at school all the time. So, getting a head start at home is going to be useful and spark curiosity.
Play Games with Maps
With technology, not a lot of children are looking at maps. But paper maps are a great thing to introduce to your child if you would like them to become an engineer. Make it like a game and choose places for them to find on the map, as well as the best routes to take. In addition, ask them if they are able to draw their own maps. Both of these activities are going to be good at improving their drawing skills and ability to visualise. You can make the activity harder by choosing maps from around the world to test their skills. Your child is going to love having a new challenge!
Get Out Jenga
Do you have a board game called Jenga? Of course, most think of this game as something that is fun and a good way to have a laugh with loved ones. But it is also a great way to teach your child about engineering principles. Think about the game for a moment. You are taking turns to remove blocks from a tower. The aim is not to break the structure and cause it to fall. At the same time, your child is learning about centre of mass, as well as the science of balancing. These are two things that are important for an engineer to know.
Choose iDocyke
If you are really looking for a toy that is going to help your child enjoy engineering, then you have to try iDocyke. We have amazing toys that your child can assemble and allow them to explore their skills. For example, we have different toys they can build depending on their age. This includes a scooter, go-kart and trike. Modular assembly means that your child can use their imagination and creativity to bring a toy to life. You can help them with the process and enjoy a teaching movement with them. It is going to make a great project for a rainy day, as well as a fun toy to ride at the end. Your child will have great satisfaction from building their own toy!