Close Menu
  • Home
  • What’s On
    • Events
    • Add an Event
    • Major Event
    • School Holiday Guide
  • Things To Do
    • Free Activities
      • Coastal Activities
      • Outdoor Activities
      • Picnic Spots
      • Playgrounds
      • Pram Walks
      • Rainy Day Activities
      • Walks and Bike Rides
    • Places to Visit
      • Attractions
      • Day Trips Away From The Peninsula
      • Galleries & Libraries
      • Historical
      • Markets
      • Tourism Centres
    • Places to Eat
      • Cafes
      • Restaurants
      • Wineries
    • Places To Stay
      • Accommodation
    • Shopping
      • Baby Goods – Sale & Hire
      • Child Friendly Shops
      • Made on the Peninsula
      • Online
      • Retail
    • At Home
      • Craft
      • Games
      • Recipes
  • Classes & Groups
    • Creative
      • Art and Craft
    • Playgroups
      • Central and Northern Peninsula
      • Southern Peninsula
      • Western Port
    • Sports
      • Fitness
      • Pre School Sports
      • Sports Classes and Tuition
  • Services
    • Health & Wellbeing
      • Dental
      • Health Care Practitioners
      • Hospitals
      • Support Groups
    • Pregnancy & Baby
      • Prenatal
        • Pre Natal Care/Birth Support
        • Pre Natal Fitness & Wellbeing
        • Maternal Health Centres
        • Maternity Products
      • PostNatal
        • Maternal Health Centres
        • Post Natal Support & Wellbeing
    • Special Needs
      • Activities for Special Needs
      • Support for Special Needs
      • Therapists for Special Needs
    • Education & Childcare
      • Daycare
      • Kindergartens
      • Schools
    • Finance
      • Finance
    • Photography
      • Photography
    • Child Safety & Wellbeing
      • Child Safety/First Aid
      • Emergency Numbers
  • Articles
    • Education
    • Finances
    • Health
    • Parenting Articles
    • Places to Eat
    • Pregnancy & Baby
    • Reviews
    • Member Questions
  • Parties
    • Celebrate – Party Ideas
    • Entertainment
    • Suppliers
    • Venues
  • Giveaways
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Testimonials
  • Giveaways
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Friday, May 30
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Testimonials
  • Giveaways
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
Peninsula Kids
  • Home
  • What’s On
    • Events
    • Add an Event
    • Major Event
    • School Holiday Guide
  • Things To Do
    • Free Activities
      • Coastal Activities
      • Outdoor Activities
      • Picnic Spots
      • Playgrounds
      • Pram Walks
      • Rainy Day Activities
      • Walks and Bike Rides
    • Places to Visit
      • Attractions
      • Day Trips Away From The Peninsula
      • Galleries & Libraries
      • Historical
      • Markets
      • Tourism Centres
    • Places to Eat
      • Cafes
      • Restaurants
      • Wineries
    • Places To Stay
      • Accommodation
    • Shopping
      • Baby Goods – Sale & Hire
      • Child Friendly Shops
      • Made on the Peninsula
      • Online
      • Retail
    • At Home
      • Craft
      • Games
      • Recipes
  • Classes & Groups
    • Creative
      • Art and Craft
    • Playgroups
      • Central and Northern Peninsula
      • Southern Peninsula
      • Western Port
    • Sports
      • Fitness
      • Pre School Sports
      • Sports Classes and Tuition
  • Services
    • Health & Wellbeing
      • Dental
      • Health Care Practitioners
      • Hospitals
      • Support Groups
    • Pregnancy & Baby
      • Prenatal
        • Pre Natal Care/Birth Support
        • Pre Natal Fitness & Wellbeing
        • Maternal Health Centres
        • Maternity Products
      • PostNatal
        • Maternal Health Centres
        • Post Natal Support & Wellbeing
    • Special Needs
      • Activities for Special Needs
      • Support for Special Needs
      • Therapists for Special Needs
    • Education & Childcare
      • Daycare
      • Kindergartens
      • Schools
    • Finance
      • Finance
    • Photography
      • Photography
    • Child Safety & Wellbeing
      • Child Safety/First Aid
      • Emergency Numbers
  • Articles
    • Education
    • Finances
    • Health
    • Parenting Articles
    • Places to Eat
    • Pregnancy & Baby
    • Reviews
    • Member Questions
  • Parties
    • Celebrate – Party Ideas
    • Entertainment
    • Suppliers
    • Venues
  • Giveaways
Peninsula Kids
Home»Education»Why your child should learn STEM from early childhood
Education

Why your child should learn STEM from early childhood

5 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

By Melissa Schoorman

What is STEM?

Our future will demand workers to fill STEM-related jobs in order to withstand the powerful digital movement. STEM refers to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, but the term does not refer to these subjects specifically. The term refers to what STEM encompasses: Medicine, Marine Biology, Astrophysics, Environmental Science, Technology and so much more. STEM also refers to the soft skills that students develop such as critical thinking, problem-solving, communication and creativity. These skills can be introduced in the early years of education to ensure maximum academic growth. Initially, students of STEM need to identify a problem and then create possible solutions to that problem, which can be tested. The skills are inquiry-based approaches to teaching and learning.

Why do children, particularly females, need to identify with STEM?

How many children say they want to be working in the STEM fields when they are older? How many of those are female? We do hear some children say that they want to be doctors, scientists or astronauts when they grow up, but rarely do we hear them say they want to be tech-wizzes, mathematicians, website developers or engineers. Research states that half the jobs for our next generation have not even been invented yet. The future depends on how fast technology can advance, which in turn relies on the number of people wishing to work in the fields of STEM.

Unfortunately, creating a STEM identity is becoming harder as current pop culture rarely promotes such characters who are STEM enthusiasts, particularly female characters. Toddlers and young children can easily attach themselves to certain characters they look up to and associate themselves with. The Little Mr and Miss series, which includes famous animated characters such as Little Miss Sunshine and Little Miss Chatterbox, has recently launched a new character, Little Miss Inventor. The book blurb says she is a female engineer and “her brain is full of ideas, which she turns into extraordinary inventions in a shed at the bottom of her garden.” This small action can make a life-changing difference to young girls across the globe by being a positive role model in pop culture. Females in STEM are still substantially under-represented, which means it is more important than ever to build STEM identities from the early years.

Why implement STEM in the early years?

As young children are natural investigators of the world, STEM happens every day within Early Learning education; whether it is building castles and working out the engineering behind the structures built, cooking cakes and observing the chemical changes that occur during the baking process or a group of children filming a short series of videos to create a story. The focus in Early Childhood Education is on the whole child. STEM is about the integration of a number of disciplines promoting a range of learning dispositions. Educators in the Early Childhood and Primary sectors understand that learning does not occur in isolation; it is a far more integrated and collaborative way of learning that teaches students to be team-oriented and critical thinkers. Hands-on learning in STEM is vital in order to develop a practical sense of problem-solving skills. For example, a student in a traditional classroom may be tasked with providing a theoretical solution to an environmental issue by creating a poster, yet in a STEM-based classroom, the student would be tasked to design, build, test and redesign if necessary to ensure the student grasps the foundations of engineering. Opportunities to construct knowledge through hands-on STEM experiences are what supports children to further cement positive learning dispositions such as questioning, problem-solving, hypothesising, metacognition and persistence.

Funding for STEM

STEM has only started to rise to the surface in the last five years.

The Australian Government allocated $64 million to fund Early Learning and school STEM initiatives under the ‘Inspiring all Australians in Digital Literacy and STEM’ measure. This includes two measures: ‘Embracing the Digital Age’ (school initiatives – $51 million) and ‘Inspiring STEM Literacy’ (Early Learning initiatives – $14 million). It is critical that we have experienced and highly-skilled teachers who will confidently encourage and implement a rich STEM program both in a spontaneous, emerging approach and also through an explicit approach. Teachers need to pose deep questions to extend children’s inquiry and critical thinking. Many teachers are now becoming skilled in technology by becoming Google Certified Innovators or by undergoing regular professional development. By having skilled STEM teachers at the epicentre of a child’s academic journey, the doors can truly open in any direction for our next generations to come.

STEM exists in our everyday life whether we notice it or not. By having our future generations deeply engage with science and technology, our worldly advancements will continue to grow at a steady pace and females will more likely to be empowered to pursue these areas if they have a sense of familiarity with STEM.


Miss Melissa Schoorman is the Head of Wardle House, Deputy Principal of Toorak College

Peninsula Kids – Winter 2019

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Comments are closed.

Calendar
Today
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
28
29
30
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
7:00 PM - Carnivale Party at Sk8house
10
11
11:00 AM - Mother's Day at Sk8house - MUM SKATES FOR FREE!!
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
4:00 PM - Sk8house Sensory Sessions
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
6:00 PM - FLURO NIGHT at Sk8house – Let’s Glow!
1
Carnivale Party at Sk8house
09 May
May 9, 2025    
7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Sk8house
  • Family Activity
Get ready to roll into a fabulous night full of colour, music and non-stop fun! The Sk8house Carnivale Party will be a magical night of vibrant vibes, [...]
More Info
Mother's Day at Sk8house - MUM SKATES FOR FREE!!
11 May
May 11, 2025    
11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sk8house
  • Family Activity
  • Mother's Day
💐 Celebrate Mum on Wheels this Mother’s Day at Sk8house! 💖 This Sunday, 11th May, we’re rolling out the love for all the amazing mums, [...]
More Info
Sk8house Sensory Sessions
Sk8house Sensory Sessions
May 20, 2025    
4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Sk8house
  • Workshop/Class
The Sk8house Sensory Sessions aim to be a calm, welcoming space for skaters of all abilities to roll their way — with reduced noise, gentle [...]
More Info
FLURO NIGHT at Sk8house – Let’s Glow!
31 May
May 31, 2025    
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Sk8house
Get ready for a night of neon, music and non-stop fun at Sk8house’s FLURO NIGHT! We’re turning down the lights and turning up the fluro [...]
More Info
Events on May 9, 2025
09 May
Carnivale Party at Sk8house
9 May 25
Carrum Downs
Events on May 11, 2025
11 May
Mother's Day at Sk8house - MUM SKATES FOR FREE!!
11 May 25
Carrum Downs
Events on May 20, 2025
Sk8house Sensory Sessions
Sk8house Sensory Sessions
20 May 25
Carrum Downs
Events on May 31, 2025
31 May
FLURO NIGHT at Sk8house – Let’s Glow!
31 May 25
Carrum Downs
Visit Our Advertisers
ABOUT

Established in 2006, Mornington Peninsula News Group (MPNG) is a locally owned and operated, independent media company.

MPNG publishes two glossy magazines: Peninsula Essence and Peninsula Kids.

MPNG also publishes five weekly community newspapers: the Western Port News, Mornington News, Southern Peninsula News, Frankston Times and Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News.

ADVERTISE WITH US

Instagram
#thinkingofyou
mornpenkids
mornpenkids
•
Follow
#thinkingofyou
3 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
1/9
Grab your cameras and hot choccies! Neon Fields returns to glow up Frankston!
When the sun goes down it is time to gather family and friends and venture into Neon Fields. Beauty Park will once again be transformed into a colourful fantasy world where you’re invited to interact and play among the lights during this free event!
——————————————————————————
#southsidefestival #neonfields #frankston #beautypark #visitfrankston #whatson #whatsonthisweekend #thingstodo #freeevent #photoops #lovepeninsulakids 
@southsidefestivalfrankston
mornpenkids
mornpenkids
•
Follow
Grab your cameras and hot choccies! Neon Fields returns to glow up Frankston! When the sun goes down it is time to gather family and friends and venture into Neon Fields. Beauty Park will once again be transformed into a colourful fantasy world where you’re invited to interact and play among the lights during this free event! —————————————————————————— #southsidefestival #neonfields #frankston #beautypark #visitfrankston #whatson #whatsonthisweekend #thingstodo #freeevent #photoops #lovepeninsulakids @southsidefestivalfrankston
3 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
2/9
In July, Associate Professor Andrew Kornberg, Senior Neurologist at The RCH Foundation, will embark on a remarkable solo flight around Australia to raise $4.5 million for life-changing treatments for children with rare and complex conditions.

Called Fly for the Kids, this one-of-a-kind fundraiser will help establish dedicated spaces, resources, and specialist staff at the RCH, making advanced therapies — including revolutionary gene therapy — more accessible to sick children across Australia.

Andrew’s journey will see him revisit patients whose lives have been transformed by advanced therapies, putting real faces and stories to the incredible impact of this innovation in paediatric healthcare.

You can learn more about the campaign here: https://flyforthekids.org.au 

@rch.foundation
mornpenkids
mornpenkids
•
Follow
In July, Associate Professor Andrew Kornberg, Senior Neurologist at The RCH Foundation, will embark on a remarkable solo flight around Australia to raise $4.5 million for life-changing treatments for children with rare and complex conditions. Called Fly for the Kids, this one-of-a-kind fundraiser will help establish dedicated spaces, resources, and specialist staff at the RCH, making advanced therapies — including revolutionary gene therapy — more accessible to sick children across Australia. Andrew’s journey will see him revisit patients whose lives have been transformed by advanced therapies, putting real faces and stories to the incredible impact of this innovation in paediatric healthcare. You can learn more about the campaign here: https://flyforthekids.org.au @rch.foundation
3 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
3/9
Breast Cancer Trials, ANZ’s largest oncology research group, is holding a ‘matched giving day’ on Thursday, 8th May where – for 24 hours only, donations from the public will be matched dollar for dollar by a group of generous supporters. Every dollar raised will be doubled to help fund clinical breast cancer research.

How can people get involved:
Donate online at breastcancertrials.org.au/givingday (this will go live On Thursday 8th May)
Donate by calling 1800 423 444
Follow Breast Cancer Trials on socials and share their own stories, thanks and memories of their mums and mother-figures.

@breastcancertrials
mornpenkids
mornpenkids
•
Follow
Breast Cancer Trials, ANZ’s largest oncology research group, is holding a ‘matched giving day’ on Thursday, 8th May where – for 24 hours only, donations from the public will be matched dollar for dollar by a group of generous supporters. Every dollar raised will be doubled to help fund clinical breast cancer research. How can people get involved: Donate online at breastcancertrials.org.au/givingday (this will go live On Thursday 8th May) Donate by calling 1800 423 444 Follow Breast Cancer Trials on socials and share their own stories, thanks and memories of their mums and mother-figures. @breastcancertrials
3 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
4/9
Cute Mother's Day craft to do with the kids for mum!

https://peninsulakids.com.au/spiral-paper-flowers/

#mothersday #crat #craftingwithkids #kidslovecraft #homemadegifts
mornpenkids
mornpenkids
•
Follow
Cute Mother's Day craft to do with the kids for mum! https://peninsulakids.com.au/spiral-paper-flowers/ #mothersday #crat #craftingwithkids #kidslovecraft #homemadegifts
4 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
5/9
One of my fave parts of Mother's Day, (other than the at-home day spa), is receiving these questionnaires full of funny answers, (and sometimes some hard truths), from my kids.

https://peninsulakids.com.au/craft-whats-the-best-thing-about-your-mum/
mornpenkids
mornpenkids
•
Follow
One of my fave parts of Mother's Day, (other than the at-home day spa), is receiving these questionnaires full of funny answers, (and sometimes some hard truths), from my kids. https://peninsulakids.com.au/craft-whats-the-best-thing-about-your-mum/
4 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
6/9
Today we received a gorgeous entry for our colouring in competition from a 75 year-old reader of Peninsula Kids magazine in the actual MAIL! 💌

This has made my day so much that I may have to pay the entrant a visit with a special prize for all their effort and for giving me a huge smile on a Monday!

How’s that artwork?!?!?! 🤩

Have you sent your entry in? 
IG: Use Linktree in bio to download a copy.
FB: check out pinned/featured post. 🧑‍🎨 
@chocolate.grove 
——————————————————————————
#peninsulakids #peninsulakidsmagazine #colouringin #colouringincompetition #chocolate #chocolatehamper
mornpenkids
mornpenkids
•
Follow
Today we received a gorgeous entry for our colouring in competition from a 75 year-old reader of Peninsula Kids magazine in the actual MAIL! 💌 This has made my day so much that I may have to pay the entrant a visit with a special prize for all their effort and for giving me a huge smile on a Monday! How’s that artwork?!?!?! 🤩 Have you sent your entry in? IG: Use Linktree in bio to download a copy. FB: check out pinned/featured post. 🧑‍🎨 @chocolate.grove —————————————————————————— #peninsulakids #peninsulakidsmagazine #colouringin #colouringincompetition #chocolate #chocolatehamper
1 month ago
View on Instagram |
7/9
#anzacday #lestweforget
mornpenkids
mornpenkids
•
Follow
#anzacday #lestweforget
1 month ago
View on Instagram |
8/9
The piggest news is about to drop! 🐷
Be among the first to hear the squeal-worthy scoop, in just a few days time!
Knock! Knock! Who’s there?

Do you think Peppa and George will have a baby brother or sister? Drop your guess in the comments below!

#expectingPigChanges #PeppaPigNewBaby #BigSister #BigBrother 

@officialpeppapig
mornpenkids
mornpenkids
•
Follow
The piggest news is about to drop! 🐷 Be among the first to hear the squeal-worthy scoop, in just a few days time! Knock! Knock! Who’s there? Do you think Peppa and George will have a baby brother or sister? Drop your guess in the comments below! #expectingPigChanges #PeppaPigNewBaby #BigSister #BigBrother @officialpeppapig
1 month ago
View on Instagram |
9/9
View on Instagram
Subscribe to our Newsletter

Stay In The Know

Sign up to our free newsletter and receive weekly updates on events and things to do with kids on the Mornington Peninsula.

Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
© 2025 All Rights Reserved.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.