Towards STEM Integrated Education at Foundational Stage

According to the Online Learning College, in a rapidly changing world, STEM education is highly sought-after learning area and likely to increase in the future. "As technology develops and challenges, such as climate change, overpopulation, disease and famine, increase, we need more people entering STEM roles to think outside the box, innovate and develop new ideas. Preparing children for a STEM-focused future helps them understand their interests and place in the world. It can boost their confidence and self-esteem and also break gender stereotypes so they can be who they want to be and set and achieve their own goals," informs their blog post.

The blog post adds that Parents, caregivers and educators stimulating interest in these subjects in early childhood may encourage young people to study them at an advanced level and choose jobs within STEM-related fields. And, it does not take much to start and incorporate STEM subjects into everyday activities and life of kids in age-group 3-8 years.

"The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 outlines a Foundational Stage encompassing the first five years of schooling, from ages 3 to 8, including preschool and the first two years of primary school (Classes 1 and 2). This stage focuses on holistic development, emphasizing physical, cognitive, socio-emotional, and cultural development through play-based and activity-based learning," informs the Google AI Overview adding that the aim is implement a multidisciplinary approach, closely linked to developmental domains like physical, socio-emotional, cognitive, language, and aesthetic development with a pedagogy that emphasises play-based, experiential learning, inquiry-based and discovery-based learning, utilizing concrete materials like toys and puzzles to facilitate learning.

The following word cloud gives the ideas to start STEM education at the foundational education stage.