3 Easy Ways to Add STEAM to Your Kids Crafting Classes

How do we prepare children to succeed in a world that is rapidly changing? For future jobs that may not even exist yet!!  

STEAM skills (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) may be the most important skills that today’s children will need for the future.

In today's video I’m going to talk about 3 easy ways to add STEAM to your kids crafting classes.

Don’t worry, it's actually really easy to teach STEAM skills through creative crafting and you don't have to be a scientist or mathematician to do so!

Watch the video or read the written version below. 

Does the whole STEAM concept freak you out just a little bit? 

Don’t worry, you’re not alone!

When I was 11, I remember watching my brother turn our entire dining room into a marble run adventure. He used plastic tubes, recycled boxes, he built levers that turned and springs that shot the marbles into the air.

He was on his own creative journey, busy discovering, exploring and problem solving.

I was like, ‘nerd alert!’... But secretly I was wishing he would allow me to join in on the fun. 

My brother ended up becoming an entrepreneur and created a business with technology that didn't exist 10 years ago.

As an engineer and entrepreneur myself, I feel extremely passionate about the importance of STEAM learning. 

Kids need to be inspired to start exploring, discovering and asking questions from a young age. 

Because here’s the thing: We learn by failing.

This is how we innovate - we fail our way to the right answer. And engineers fail all the time, we just call it something else... We call it ‘data collecting’.

The focus and importance on STEAM is growing worldwide.

In today’s episode, we'll explain:

• What STEAM is
• Why it’s important for kids to practise STEAM skills and 
• We’ll give you 3 easy, practical ways for you to add STEAM elements to your crafting classes

According to a report published by Dell Technologies: 85% of the jobs that will exist in 2030 haven't even been invented yet.

Everywhere around us are new kinds of opportunities and careers that didn’t exist a decade ago. 

So how do you prepare kids for jobs that don't even exist yet? 

We recently asked a few of our crafty kids what they want to be when they grow up… here’s what they said:

• Gianluca, age 6, wants to be an inventor and make Youtube videos
• Sarah, age 8, wants to design video games
• Oliver, age 7, wants to work in artificial intelligence 

WHAT??!!

Can you remember what you wanted to be when you were a kid? Kids today already think differently.

It was less than 3 decades ago (in 1991) that the World Wide Web became publicly available. Think of all the new opportunities that the internet created. Where will we be and what will our kids be doing in the next few decades?

More importantly, how can we provide kids with learning experiences that will prepare them to become inventors, AI experts, designers and who knows what else??

Simply put, STEAM is an integrated approach to learning that develops critical thinking and encourages kids to think more broadly about real-world problems with a hands-on approach.

Introducing STEAM to kids from a young age cultivates collaborative exploration and problem solving.

Problem-based learning-through-play is hands down the best way to get your kids excited about STEAM.

Kids learn best if it’s through play. 

 So how do you add STEAM to your kids crafting classes? 

The good news is that you do not have to be an engineer, scientist or mathematician to develop STEAM skills in your students and kids.

You'll find that STEAM learning happens naturally when kids explore, experiment, play, and try new things. 

So here are a few practical ways that you can introduce STEAM-learning into your classes:

 1. Nurture curiosity by asking questions 

A creative crafting class is a wonder world playground for developing creativity and innovation, and the best part is that there’s not only 1 solution to problems - there are millions! 

Give your students the freedom to discover and learn. The best way for you to facilitate creativity and nurture curiosity is to ASK LOADS OF QUESTIONS.

Inspire your students by asking questions rather than just giving instructions or offering solutions. Give them some time to think about it and figure it out.

Problem solve together. If a student struggles with a task, don’t take over and do the step for them; ask lots of questions and try to figure out what the solution is together. 

 2. Let go! 

Learning through experimenting can get a bit messy sometimes and it can be hard for us as adults to not step in and say, "Look what you’ve done! Let’s clean up this mess".

Kids are natural STEAM learners.

For adults, it may look like they are just making a mess, splashing paint around and unpacking and repacking and sometimes even bending things until they break, but this is how they learn - by investigating, discovering and trying new things.

It’s important to let go and give kids a chance to explore and discover. 

 3. Celebrate the failures 

As we mentioned before, learning from failure is how we innovate. 

Therefore, if my calculations are correct, every mistake we make should be bringing us closer to success, right?

Now that sounds to me like something worth celebrating!

How often do you celebrate your students' learning?

Showcase your students' projects and creations! And don’t forget to showcase the process as well, as the process demonstrates that it takes a series of failures to get us to the eventual success. 

Success takes time.

 Let's do a quick recap on the 3 ways to add STEAM to your crafting classes: 

1. Nurture curiosity by asking questions. Remember to not take over; assist by asking questions instead.
2. Let go and let them make a mess (they're learning!)
3. Celebrate the failures
   
   

 Are you ready to start (and grow) your own kids crafting club? 

Our CCC Academy will provide you with all the training, resources and support you need to go from dreaming to thriving with your club.

Click here to join the waitlist and receive a free info pack.