Soumi Pandey
STEM or Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics are subjects that every child needs to learn in this ever-changing world. Your child may not enjoy these topics if you only give them books to read from. However, hands-on STEM learning works differently. It involves your child with games and activities related to STEM to make learning fun.
What is a STEM app for children?
It is a software application designed to support education and learning STEM subjects. These apps aim to make learning more engaging, interactive, and accessible for students of various ages. They can include a wide range of features and functionalities that grow interest among children.
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What are the benefits of stem apps for children?
STEM apps enhance their learning experience and help them develop important skills. Some of the key benefits include
🔹 Engagement and Motivation: Interactive and gamified content in STEM apps makes learning fun and engaging, capturing children’s interest and motivating them to learn more about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
🔹 Hands-On Learning: Many STEM apps provide virtual labs and simulations, allowing children to conduct experiments and explore concepts hands-on without the need for physical materials. This practical approach helps deepen their understanding.
🔹 Problem-Solving Skills: The apps often include puzzles, challenges, and projects that require critical thinking and problem-solving, helping children develop these essential skills.
🔹 Creativity and Innovation: Apps that involve coding, robotics, and engineering projects encourage creativity and innovation, allowing children to design and build their creations.
🔹 Personalized Learning: Many STEM apps adapt to the child’s learning pace and style, providing personalized feedback and challenges tailored to their level of understanding.
🔹 Accessibility and Convenience: STEM apps make learning accessible anywhere and anytime, allowing children to explore STEM subjects outside the traditional classroom setting.
🔹 Collaboration and Communication: Some STEM apps offer collaborative features, enabling children to work together on projects, share ideas, and improve their teamwork and communication skills.
🔹 Real-World Application: STEM apps often connect theoretical knowledge to real-world applications, helping children understand the relevance and importance of STEM in everyday life.
🔹 Early Exposure to STEM Fields: Introducing children to STEM subjects at an early age can spark interest and curiosity, potentially guiding them toward future careers in these fields.
🔹 Improved Academic Performance: Regular use of STEM apps can reinforce school learning, provide additional practice, and help children perform better in STEM-related subjects.
Recommended Reading: 5 DIY STEM KITS FOR KIDS
If you are a parent looking for such a way of education, here we can discuss some apps that can help your child gain STEM knowledge.
1. The Robot Factory by Tinybop- Age 4+
You may have watched your child build a castle with Lego. Now, with this app, your kid can get more creative and build robots from scratch by combining various parts. They can not only build robots but also test and collect them. They can open their creative side and design robot dragons, robot Kung Fu warriors, robot doctors, and much more.
Indulging in the activity will foster problem-solving, creative thinking, designing, and even story-telling skills in children.
2. Hopscotch- Programming for Kids- Age 4+
If your kid wants to learn to code the fun way, then Hopscotch is the way forward. This app allows your kids to create games, animations, stories, art, and much more, through simple programming. They can use in-built building blocks to code and educate themselves. Your kid will be able to explore and be creative in designing programs that they can upload to the Hopscotch community and help others play and learn. Hopscotch also provides video tutorials for kids to learn more.
Recommended Reading: Mastering STEM with LEGO: Creative Coding Projects
3. Crazy Gears by Edoki Academy- Age 5+
This is a game of puzzles that teaches kids how a machine works. It allows children to use and change gears, pulleys, chains, rods, etc. to enter the next level by pulling themselves up. This app helps your kid develop critical thinking by understanding how different mechanisms affect each other when building a machine. It engages your child in acquiring the reasoning abilities required for understanding STEM.
4. Odd Bot Out by Martin Magni- Age 4+
This is an interesting game where children help Odd, the one-eyed bot, escape the recycling bin where Odd was sent after failing a standardized test. There are 100 levels, each with a new puzzle that requires a new skill to solve. Your child will be able to use physics, electricity, building blocks, and more to build cars, form bridges, etc.
5. Thinkrolls 2 by Avokiddo – Age 4+
Children can use science to solve puzzles and navigate across 270 levels with Thinkrolls 2. Kids need to use logic, fundamental physics, and properties of matter to make their Thinkrolls roll, float, glide, and even teleport to the next level. Your child will develop problem-solving abilities and deductive reasoning by doing trials and errors to play this game.
Conclusion
In the present era, everything is connected virtually to STEM in one way or another. STEM apps offer a clever and enjoyable means to help children grasp the fundamentals of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
As children become intrigued by STEM subjects, they acquire numerous skills that will prove highly advantageous for them in the present and the future.
Moreover, kids tend to learn more if they can understand the concepts through visuals and practical applications rather than just theory. These apps and many others focus on developing your child’s ability to problem-solve and think outside the box while educating themselves in STEM.
Moonpreneur is on a mission to disrupt traditional education and future-proof the next generation with holistic learning solutions. Its Innovator Program is building tomorrow’s workforce by training students in AI/ML, Robotics, Coding, IoT, and Apps, enabling entrepreneurship through experiential learning.
What are some important features to consider?
Age-appropriateness: Look for apps designed for your child’s developmental stage and skill level.Educational value: Ensure the app has clear learning objectives and connects to STEM concepts.Engagement: Games and interactive elements can keep kids motivated and learning.Safety: Choose apps with strong privacy policies and parental controls.
What are some STEM games for kids?
CodeSpark Academy, DragonBox, Math Blaster, Minecraft Edu, Toca Lab, and SpaceChem are some good games for kids to learn STEM