Small Hands, Big Ideas: Exploring STEM Through Tinkering, Making, and Engineering

When teachers actively engage in fostering children’s curiosity, exploration, content knowledge, and problem solving, they’re implementing developmentally appropriate practice.

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• Small Hands, Big Ideas: Exploring STEM Through Tinkering, Making, and Engineering | NAEYC

Ms. Garcia finds a battery-operated plush dog at a garage sale and decides to use it in a take-apart activity with her kindergartners. In small groups, the children closely observe the dog. As Ms. Garcia takes notes, the children dictate everything they notice. They learn that they can make the dog bark by pushing its head back and forth. They feel the dog, guess what they might find inside, and draw their predictions.

During their investigations, one child feels a spring in the tail. Another child thinks there might be a battery in the leg. The children use scissors to remove the dog’s fur. There are squeals of excitement as they confirm their predictions: “Look, I was right! There is a spring in the tail!” After they remove the fur, they turn on the switch to watch the dog move again. 

At the base of the dog’s head, the children discover a small, wedge-shaped part that is covered with tissue paper and has a small cone attached to it. It’s the piece that causes the dog to bark. The children cut the tissue paper covering the wedge and discover that the dog no longer barks when they push its head. Much time is spent investigating this tiny piece, and the children decide that the air pushed out of the cone made the barking sound. To test their hypothesis, they cover the piece with some tissue paper and tape, and the dog barks again! The children continue using small screwdrivers to remove the plastic from the dog and discover a small motor and gears.

Children use their senses to explore the physical properties of materials. They tinker as they take things apart, put things together, figure out how things work, and attempt to build and make creations using tools. When faced with a problem, children ask questions, make plans, work together, test their ideas, solve problems, improve their ideas to make them better, and share their ideas and creations with others. These are the thinking processes and actions that scientists and engineers use.

Tinkering, making, and engineering are valuable experiences in early science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. (See “What Are Tinkering, Making, and Engineering?” below for further definitions.) When children tinker, they learn about the properties of materials and the capabilities of tools. The skills and dispositions they learn and acquire during tinkering and making become an important part of the engineering design process.

As we start on this special, two-issue journey exploring STEM education for preschool and kindergarten learners, we’ll explore the world of tinkering, making, and engineering. Leveraging my background as a former preschool and kindergarten teacher, author of curriculum and assessment materials, and author of NAEYC’s Making and Tinkering with STEM: Solving Design Challenges with Young Children, I will share practical insights and strategies to enhance your teaching practice. You will learn about the fundamentals of STEM education, innovative teaching strategies, and actionable ideas you can implement in your early learning setting right away.

Article: "Small Hands, Big Ideas: Exploring STEM Through Tinkering, Making, and Engineering", by Cate Heroman, published October 1st, 2024