When children plan, build and rebuild structures, they develop math skills and learn to focus on solving problems needed all their lives. They learn to think like engineers.

National scientists encourage families to use materials around the home to reinforce the STEM — science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

On blocks

When young children use large blocks or small boxes to build towers, forts, space stations or castles for their action figures, they are learning early geometry and engineering skills.

Also, many preschool children can build a structure against a wall and then a family member can outline it using blue painter’s tape. This becomes a blueprint outline for them to follow and rebuild the structure. It doesn’t matter if they use the same blocks or different ones. Outlines can also be done with a piece of paper on the floor.

Here is another STEM idea: With your supervision, encourage children to explore, match, and screw assorted large nuts and bolts together once you are sure no one in the house will swallow them. They’ll like taking them apart and putting them back together. They can sort nails and screws with an adult to help organize a workshop.

With an adult’s help children can push or pound golf tees into Styrofoam packing material or boxes to make geometric shapes or designs

Toothpicks and gum drops

Once you know it’s safe, provide a few bags of gumdrops or miniature marshmallows and boxes of toothpicks that are excellent cheap building materials. Show children how to poke a toothpick through a gumdrop and repeat the process to build. Help them construct triangles and squares and move to other flat and 3 D structures. Since art is also part of STEM, you can first design and then build space stations and animals like giraffes and dogs. They can make furniture like tables and chairs for dolls, spaceships, and playground equipment. Let them play and explore with a pile of gumdrops and toothpicks. You might want to play a game of “Make what I make.”

Show children that triangles are stronger than rectangles. Experienced children might make a bridge to connect two books. How long can it be before it breaks? How many cars can it hold? Can you make a family Eiffel Tower? How high can a tower or skyscraper be?

Will a tower be taller if the base is a larger square and the rest are small squares? Give children an opportunity to experiment and question. Let them know it is ok if a structure breaks and they need to figure out a better way to build and redo.

There are also many commercial snap-together block variations such as Legos, Tinker Toys, train tracks, and Lincoln Logs for young engineers. For more, see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/learning through the seasons.