Top STEM Skills Kids Should Learn Before Middle School

When you visualize Educación STEM at your child’s school, what comes to mind? Perhaps you might picture youngsters sitting at a computer station designing a game or working on robotic parts at a large table.

However, there’s more to it. In fact, the core STEM skills involve a combination of soft skills, mathematical and scientific concepts, and technical abilities. So, whether you have a kindergartener starting his/her elementary journey or a tween who is wrapping up fifth grade, the time is always right to explore STEM for kids to ensure your junior scholar is prepared for the next stage.

And luckily, we have done our homework to pass this information on to you. Keep reading to learn more about what your child needs to know about this area before he or she starts middle school.

Soft Skills Relevant to STEM for Kids 

While computing and coding might be the first practices that you would associate with STEM, its instructional setting also serves well in passing on important soft skills to students. For the most part, working in a collaborative environment is part of any job besides those in science or tech. Therefore, learning to apply the following skills will benefit your child in and out of the classroom.

Comunicación

Kids learn the importance of communication early on. So, by the time they get to elementary school, they already have the motivation for expressing themselves and asking questions about the world around them. The STEM classroom provides just one more vehicle through which they learn to hone their abilities to convey and receive information as they work with their peers to solve problems.

Moreover, practicing constructive communication builds their confidence and helps them to become more active listeners. Consequently, these qualities can lead to a positive middle school experience.

Critical Thinking

The next important STEM skill is pensamiento crítico. Going beyond just rote memory, critical thinking proves to be crucial when inventing something new or figuring out the next step to a project. Making tough judgement calls, evaluating evidence, and analyzing data are skills that are also necessary for middle school-level STEM courses (and all other classes for that matter).

Problem Solving

Chances are that when your child is toiling away on a project, the invention might not work well the first time. That’s where problem-solving comes in. By defining a specific problem and the solutions to overcome the obstacle, your child will learn to have the patience that comes with the process of “trial and error,” and how to take on complex tasks.

Creatividad

All aspects of the STEM-related fields also involve creativity. Thus, your child should be taking advantage of the many opportunities to stretch his/her imagination throughout the elementary years. Such activity ideally spans across the curriculum in the same way as science, math, and technology, which is why you see a lot of cross-curricular units at the elementary level.

Time Management

Another important STEM skill is time management. If your child’s classroom instruction involves project-based learning, then time management naturally fits in. For instance, when explaining the scope and criteria for a project, teachers also provide short and long-term deadlines, thus promoting the practice of taking responsibility for one’s schedule.

Technical and Specialty STEM Skills

Along with the necessary soft skills, getting a solid foundation in the following practices and concepts proves to be helpful as your child enters the middle school years. Ideally, each grade level builds on the previous one, thus ensuring that your child excels in each skill one step at a time.

Lab Procedures and Safety Rules

From the proper handling of equipment to the safety rules, lab procedures are vital to STEM education at all levels. By sixth grade, students are already familiar with general lab procedures and lab safety, but many secondary STEM teachers review this information and then go on to instruct students about their specific classroom labs and the safe handling of equipment. Having that familiarity makes this part of the school year go more smoothly for everyone involved.

Likewise, students should already have a firm grasp on computer lab procedures as well. Aside from basic computer skills, they should also receive instruction in the areas on online safety and ethical usage. Included with the best practices of cyber safety, students will get a head start on learning digital literacy, which will come in handy in middle school and beyond.

Mathematical Reasoning

In addition to the basic mathematical operations, your child’s teachers would include practice in measuring, geometry (foundational as opposed to secondary level), data analysis, ratios, and some pre-algebraic concepts.

Scientific Method

Going along with lab procedures and regs, elementary STEM education involves learning and practicing the scientific method for research and innovation. This includes:

• Making observations, recording the findings, and asking questions
• Hypothesizing 
• Experimenting (which also includes design, construction, and innovation)
• Analyzing results and drawing conclusions
• Sharing the findings and/or the invention

Gaining proficiency in this process ensures success with STEM-related projects in middle school and fosters a lifelong passion for learning and exploration.

Engineering Design

Considered to be the “fun-part” of STEM classes, design skills offer another means of gaining success in middle school. These hands-on projects incorporate all the soft skills plus mathematical and scientific concepts. In fact, students often apply the scientific method to these types of tasks along with calculating, recording, and reporting their conclusions to the class. From egg-drop contests to elementary level robotics, your student will likely participate in many of these activities in the classroom as part of a thematic unit or outside of class as part of a club or after-school program.

Coding and Programming

And we can’t forget the technological aspects of STEM, particularly coding and programming. Fortunately, many school districts have recognized the importance of teaching these tech skills since digital literacy and computing have become a major part of various industries. Therefore, your child may have worked with block-based coding or started learning programming languages like Python by the time they’ve reached fifth grade.

Why STEM Skills Matter

Science and technology have been a part of everyday life for quite some time. So, it’s not surprising that many careers require employees to have some abilities related to mathematical computations and some knowledge of computers. Hence, students are undergoing preparation for the world of tech as early as the elementary grades.

As a matter of fact, STEM careers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, will increase by 10% by 2033. Consequently, as your child enters the job market as an adult, the demand for STEM skills will increase. For this reason, developing these foundational skills in middle school paves the way to future success. On that note, let’s take a closer look at more reasons why these skills matter.

Success at the Next Grade Levels

Starting at kindergarten or at some point in elementary school experience with math and science applications increases our child’s successful completion of STEM courses in middle school. Furthermore, he/she can have a better chance of enrolling in advanced courses in high school, like AP Computer Science Principles for instance.

Preparing for Post Secondary Success

Moreover, building on those foundational STEM skills at the elementary level and in middle school forges a path toward success even beyond high school. Such opportunities can open doors to the next phase of a student’s educational aspirations.

In other words, at the secondary level, your child will have developed enough skills through taking STEM courses and participating in science or engineering competitions to be able to gain entrance into almost any college. Moreover, your child would have that extra edge when applying for scholarships.

Acquisition of Transferrable Skills

Elementary STEM education also carves a pathway for kids to learn skills that transfer to a vast number of other industries that aren’t necessarily science or math related. For instance, marketing involves creativity and data analysis. Mathematical skills apply to finance and real estate. Project management includes collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving. Plus, in today’s world, technology is interwoven into many careers. Thus, comprehensive preparation in STEM will give your child that added advantage in middle school and eventually in the job market.

How Elementary STEM Education Fills the Gap

Whether your child attends public or private school or is homeschooled, a well-rounded curriculum that includes STEM skills proves to be beneficial in the long-term. Fortunately, any of these school settings have the potential to fill a gap and provide solid STEM instruction for your student through the following pathways.

Providing a Well-Rounded Curriculum

In a situation of homeschooling, you can provide many opportunities for integrating STEM into all content areas. For example, your child can take on a project where he/she builds simple robots or machines from connecting blocks and mechanical parts.

Another activity to consider entails planting a garden or designing a small greenhouse to house the plants. In this case, your child would study botany, meteorology (for planning purposes), architecture and other areas involving research and problem-solving.

Likewise, STEM can also be integrated into the arts. From composing simple musical scores through programming to studying the color spectrum for artistic purposes, activities related to STEM provide valuable experience while allowing for excellent preparation for middle school.

Integrating Project-based Learning and Thematic Units

Going along with integrating STEM into different subject areas, your child’s teacher (or you as the homeschool teacher) can plan project-based assignments that focus on a particular theme.

As an illustration of this, a teacher could center projects around the theme of solar energy. The projects themselves would include constructing a solar oven out of a shoebox and designing and building a model that simulates the connection between solar panels and a light source just to name a few.

Offering After-school Programs

And because elementary schools, anymore, offer after-school programs, you might expect to see STEM-related games and pastimes included in the weekly repertoire of activities. Plus, many schools also sponsor an after-school STEM or science club which also gives students a chance to participate in educational projects, take short field trips, or learn about a specific niche in STEM field from a guest presenter.

How Parents Can Support STEM Learning for Their Kids

Plus, you can seize many opportunities to support and/or supplement elementary STEM education. With some research and creativity, you can promote your child’s interest and provide more gateways for honing their STEM skills. Here are just a few suggestions.

Participating with Your Child

When you find an excellent STEM app or online program, you can take it for a test run and then invite your child to work with you on a project or game. Furthermore, when you find an interesting STEM activity to do at home, run the idea past your children, obtain the necessary supplies, and then have fun innovating. Basically, the sky is the limit (unless you have a telescope) when it comes to getting the family involved with STEM.

Providing Opportunities to Participate in STEM Activities

Also, you can sign your children up for STEM camps or library presentations that might interest them. While summer camps might provide a great review right before they start middle school, STEM-related events at a local library, museum, observatory, or recreation center offer excellent practice and reinforcement throughout the school year.

Moreover, any screen time that’s allowed can take on a more constructive role by involving an online STEM platform. The extra practice is not only educational but also fun.

Pointing Out Real-World Applications of STEM Skills

And always remember that witnessing daily applications of STEM skills makes an enormous difference in your child’s learning. Not only does this knowledge become more meaningful but also easier to retain.

Examples include visiting museums that highlight science and the evolution of industry, agriculture, and space exploration. Also, look for exhibits that feature STEM-related subjects. Young children and tweens absorb information more quickly when they see how computing, coding, and designing play a role in the real world.

Conclusión

Preparing for mid-school level STEM may seem like a daunting task, but when you start as early as possible, your child can easily progress to the next level. Most likely, your child’s elementary school setting offers many learning opportunities regarding STEM. However, open communication with your child’s teacher(s) would answer all your questions about their curriculum. On the other hand, if you homeschool your children, you’ll have more flexibility with scheduling to where you can take field trips or incorporate a collaborative STEM project if you belong to a co-op. And of course, you can also provide supplemental activities at home that are both educational and engaging.