Infants, toddlers, and young children are naturally curious about the world around them.
Infants, toddlers, and young children are naturally curious about the world around them. They observe and actively explore their environment using their five senses, play with cause and effect relationships, and try to understand patterns. Experiences in science allow children to expand their understanding of the world and give them the vocabulary to talk about their discoveries. Families can use the activities in this section to help young children investigate and discuss science concepts, including living and nonliving things, position and motion of objects, simple measuring devices, earth materials, forms of energy, how the weather changes, and the importance of caring for our natural environment. Positive early experiences with science contribute to children’s ability to observe, focus their attention, formulate questions and explanations, understand sequential processes, and appreciate the natural world.