Parents looking to support their children’s learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) will find no shortage of branded STEM sets, subscription science boxes, private coding programs or educational toys for kids.
If the idea of STEM in early childhood is associated with these products and experiences — in conjunction with public discussion and media coverage around the need to amplify STEM learning — it could be easy to absorb a misleading message that children need these purchased items and paid programs to develop STEM competence.
Contrary to this assumption, our research has examined how some of the most foundational elements of STEM learning, related to behaviours like explaining how things are built or work and exploring mathematical ideas, may begin far more organically.
Such learning emerges, for example, when children stack cardboard tubes, balance objects, test what fits where or redesign a structure that collapses moments after it is built.
Why are children drawn to everyday objects
Researchers have found that certain toys or play materials (like LEGO, wooden blocks or sand) can support STEM learning and cognitive development. For instance, playing with blocks can increase mathematical knowledge and engineering behaviours.
However, some STEM-marketed toys are designed to function in specific ways. Instructions prescribe how to assemble the pieces step by step. While these toys can be enjoyable and engaging, they often limit how much children need to figure out for themselves. When a toy already demonstrates its purpose, there is less opportunity for problem-solving, experimentation or sustained exploration.
On the other hand, children constantly scan their environment to see what they can use in their play and how. Some objects they find in their environment may not have been designed as toys but can be repurposed during play.
Items like cardboard, buttons, fabric scraps, tubes, containers or pieces of wood do not dictate to children what to do with them — as some toys do. Instead, children must decide how to use them, what they might represent and how they can be combined. This versatility is important because it requires children to actively think, plan, test ideas, evaluate the results and revise their actions.
Time and space to explore
Our research team examined how children use everyday objects in their play when they are given time and space to explore independently. We focused on children’s free play with materials drawn from their immediate environment that could be used in multiple ways, such as string, rocks, fabric, spools and cork coasters.
We observed 60 pre-school-aged children engaged in solitary play in two sessions: one with everyday objects and another with toys designed for a single, specific use — toy percussion instruments, which we called limited-purpose toys. This approach allowed us to directly compare how the same child engaged with different types of play materials.
The differences were striking. Children played significantly longer with everyday objects. They also engaged in more STEM-related behaviours — frequently constructing structures, explaining how things were built or worked, exploring mathematical ideas and communicating their goals frequently — than when they played with limited-purpose toys.
Children in the study were more likely to engage in STEM thinking during play with everyday materials if their parents valued play and regularly engaged in playful activities. We asked parents of children who participated to fill out a detailed survey about their home learning environment, and to what extent they thought certain activities and their frequency was important, including play.
Ambiguity invites curiosity
When other researchers explored how children’s causal thinking is affected by toys they found that even very young children collect data by observing, and were more likely to explore toys that offered ambiguous causal relationships than the ones that provided expected results. They concluded that this ambiguity creates motivation in children for thoughtful and targeted exploration.
From a young age, children observe and interact with their surroundings that leads to testing ideas, learning from outcomes, and refining their understanding of how the world works through everyday experience.
When play is treated as meaningful rather than as a break from learning, children may be more comfortable exploring, persisting through challenges and taking ownership of their ideas.
These attitudes align closely with dispositions that support STEM learning, such as curiosity, persistence and willingness to revise one’s thinking.
How adults respond to children’s play
A key insight from our work is that children do not need explicit instruction to engage in meaningful STEM thinking and learning.
Preparing children for STEM success begins when children are trusted to explore, experiment and construct meaning from the materials around them. Encouraging STEM success does not require expensive materials or highly structured activities.
Providing children with time, space and access to everyday objects that can be used in many ways creates opportunities for rich experiences.
Equally important is how adults respond to children’s play. Children’s time spent playing with adults such as grandparents, parents and teachers, can be a time to learn new skills, practice existing abilities and build interests.
Read more: How caregivers can help build children’s emerging language skills
Building blocks of STEM
Children who are better able to hold ideas in mind, plan steps and adjust strategies are more likely to engage deeply in activities. Asking children to explain what they are building, inviting them to think about why something worked or did not work, or simply allowing them time to explore without interruption can deepen the STEM learning embedded in play.
The building blocks of STEM are in recycling bins, kitchen drawers, backyards and classrooms, waiting to be noticed. When we shift our focus from buying the right materials to creating the right conditions for play, we move STEM learning out of the marketplace and back into children’s lives.
If we want children who are curious, resilient problem-solvers, the answer may be simpler than we think. Trust their play. Make room for it. And recognize that long before children ever write code or build robots, they are already doing STEM, one cardboard tube, loose part and bold idea at a time.
Ozlem Cankaya receives funding from MacEwan University (grant number RES0000756) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (grant number 430-2023-00267). She is affiliated with the Council for Early Learning and Care, Terra Centre, and the International Toy Research Association.
Natalia Rohatyn-Martin receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (grant numbers 430-2023-00267 and 435-2025-1131).
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
