Learning Science Alongside Your Child When You Never Liked It

Plenty of adults remember science as memorising words, copying diagrams and tests they did not enjoy. If that is you, and you are now the person helping a child with science, it is understandable to feel unsure. The good news is that you do not need to be a science expert to help a child enjoy it. You need to be curious, and willing to find out.

You are not behind

School science is not the whole of science. At home, science can be about noticing, asking questions and trying things. These are ordinary human skills, and you already have them. You work out why the bread did not rise, why the car will not start, why the plant is drooping. That is science thinking.

Say “I don’t know” out loud

This may be the most useful thing you can do.

“I don’t know. Let’s find out.”
“I’m not sure. What do you think?”
“I used to think that, and now I’m not sure.”

When a child sees an adult not knowing and then finding out, they learn that not knowing is normal and fixable. It is a better lesson than a memorised fact.

How to find answers together

Write the question down. It stops it being lost.
Guess first. Both of you.
Choose how to find out: try it, look it up, ask someone, or read a book.
Check more than one source when you look things up, especially online. If sources disagree, that is interesting too.
Say what you found. One sentence is enough.
Notice what is still unknown. There is nearly always another question.

Prepare lightly

Before an activity, spend five minutes:

Read the steps once, start to finish.
Gather the materials.
Try a small part yourself if you can.
Look at what the activity is meant to show, and one or two good questions to ask.
Decide what the adult must do for safety.

You do not need to learn the whole topic. Stay one step ahead and then explore together.

Questions that need no expert knowledge

You can use these on almost anything:

What do you notice?
What do you think will happen?
What makes you say that?
What did you expect? What happened?
What could we change?
How could we check?
What are you still wondering?

These keep the thinking with the child, and you do not need to know the answer.

Model curiosity in daily life

Wonder aloud: “I wonder why the puddle has gone.”
Point out small things: a frost pattern, a spider’s web, steam from a kettle.
Try small experiments on real problems: which sponge works best, which bag is strongest.
Admit when you change your mind.
Share what you are learning, even if it is small.

Handle the moments of doubt

If you do not understand the explanation, read it twice, draw it, or look for a simpler version.
If a child asks something you cannot answer, write it on a “to find out” list.
If an activity goes wrong, laugh and ask what you learned.
If you feel embarrassed, remember that children rarely mind. They enjoy learning with you.

Keep what is important

You do not need to cover everything. A few good activities done with real attention teach more than a big stack done in a hurry. A curious, relaxed adult is a good teacher.

Safety, simply

Read the steps first for anything involving heat, sharp tools, electricity or unfamiliar materials. If you are unsure whether something is safe, do not do it, and choose a different activity. Do not mix cleaning products, and do not taste experiment materials.

Where to go next

Start with our post on teaching science at home with no background, then browse the home education page. A good first unit is Kitchen Chemistry, which uses things you already own.