More and more providers are incorporating STEM activities into their child care provision. 

STEM is an acronym used to group Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics together. These subjects are highly valued in our ever-evolving world of work, but to what extent is STEM valuable for children? Within early years education, researchers have found that hands-on STEM activities lead to children being five times more likely to remember something. However, findings show that these activities are regularly under-valued in preschool classrooms, comprising just 5% of observed time in many daycare centers.

This guide explores the importance of STEM in pre-k classrooms and ways to include it in your own curriculum.

What does STEM at pre-k look like?

Walk into any preschool classroom and you’ll likely find children stacking blocks as high as they possibly can, mixing every single paint colour they can reach into one, or even (more rarely?) neatly lining up their toys in size order. The same story country-wide, but your children aren’t just messing around. This is science, cleverly disguised as play.

According to a growing body of research, those small moments of hands-on investigation matter more than you might think. Since one of the core goals is 

Why introduce STEM into your curriculum?

As children move through school, core skills in science and elements of technology and engineering become vital for academic success. In fact, recent research shows that sustained intervention to improve scientific knowledge and understanding across Grades 1-3 could eliminate nearly 15% of the reading and mathematics gap between low- and high-income students in Grade 4. These findings suggest that the earlier structured instruction begins, the better! 

However, incorporating STEM skills into early educational experiences can often feel forced and they are regularly under-emphasised in comparison to literacy skills. A 2024 study found that literacy activities comprised 45% of time observed in preschool classrooms, whereas mathematics activities comprised just 5%. This presents a significant concern, since U.S. children’s math performance is consistently poorer than most other economically advanced countries and still declining.

Some child care providers raise fair questions about the direct long-term pay-off for early math interventions without continued nurture of those skills. Designing new curricula needs to be worth your time, and some evidence suggests that broader socioeconomic factors and education quality later in life have stronger controls on success in mathematics than early instruction. If that is always the case, introducing STEM early may not have the seminal impact that other data supports, but would it hurt?

STEM in early childhood education could lead to improved academic performance later in life. If that’s not enough to tempt you, perhaps the push to incorporate STEM early should be rooted in something more fundamental: the way young brains actually work.

The brain case for STEM in childcare

Early years are perhaps the most transformative period in a young person’s educational life. A child’s brain is growing faster during this stage than it ever will again and as many as a million synapses are formed per second, making it the optimal time to introduce new concepts that aid cognitive development. 

According to leading STEM specialists at Accelerate Learning, STEM exploration specifically supports memory, spatial reasoning, sequencing and executive function. These are the core mental tools children need to navigate through life. Evidence shows that developmentally appropriate hands-on activities (like exploring weight, cause-effect, size ratios and torsion) made children five times more likely to remember something than if they just watched the task being done.

Though early exposure cannot guarantee academic success in the future, playing with those pre-school block towers begins bridging a gap – literally constructing neural connections – that kindergartners with limited exposure to STEM struggle to close. 

STEM is more than just ‘academic’ development

One of the most persistent myths about STEM education is that it’s narrowly academic, but in practice, early STEM exploration is inseparable from broader child development. 

When activities like mixing paint involve endless trial and error, children learn to adapt from their mistakes and begin to understand that failure isn’t the end, it’s just part of the process. That’s resilience.

When kids have to work with one another to find the right order for their toys they learn to listen, share, and respect different viewpoints. Successful collaboration boosts their self-esteem, nurturing confidence and motivation in challenging situations. That’s social development.

A tower that keeps collapsing teaches a child focus and self-control, it requires repetitive attempts at fine-tuned movements, an understanding of balance and increased behavioural regulation. That’s patience.

STEM in the early years clearly affects far more than academic aptitude - with limitless impact on important soft skills and basic motor skills, the range of activities STEM covers are all crucial for functional development.

Curiosity in the classroom

Finally, above all else children are innately curious. Doesn’t it make sense to foster that curiosity and tap into early problem-solving skills that keep children engaged, both physically and mentally?

As adults it’s easy to forget the joy of learning, of experiencing something for the first time. Our children on the other hand move through the world in awe, watching how each object moves, listening for the echo of particular sounds, pushing and pulling everything around them. Science, disguised as play. 

Maybe the rush to incorporate STEM early isn’t really a rush at all. Perhaps it’s just a growing recognition that a vital window - where learning comes most naturally, is the most joyful and has the greatest impact - is waiting to be opened.

Explore ideas for how to start using STEM in your curriculum. Plan lessons, track milestones, and share progress with Playground.