STEAM Education: What It Is & How It Can Help Your Children

STEAM education, which focuses on building skills in the five disciplines of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, is a multifaceted approach to learning that offers a unique range of well-rounded programming to stimulate and strengthen young minds. 

Children are the future. In the age of the 21st century, there is a special, critical interest in the youth of our society - one that is dominated by a need for fresh talent and innovative skills. As our businesses boom and our economies grow, nurturing the minds of young people is now more important than ever, and our education systems reflect that. Everywhere around the world, children are taught problem-solving skills, creative thinking, and skills that apply their knowledge in a way that challenges and refreshes their minds. 

But how do you make sure your children are being taught all these skills properly and effectively? How should you, as a parent, encourage their unique interests while also motivating them to step out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves to learn new things?

The simplest, most all-inclusive answer is to engage them in STEAM education: a five-pointed approach to learning that offers children the opportunity to develop a broad range of scientific and artistic skills that set them up for a path towards success. 

What is STEAM education?

STEAM is an easy-to-remember abbreviation that sums up the five major subjects that have been identified as key in fostering a child's abilities and interests: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. 

In our technologically advanced, modern-day society, education in these subjects are critical towards fostering the skills and abilities that allow children to pursue the inspiring, ambition-packed careers they deserve. These five areas teach an endless variety of concepts through a hands-on approach that cultivates an environment of creativity and growth. From the "why"s and "how"s of science to the imaginative, vibrant world of the arts, the STEAM approach guides our youth through exploring the sweeping world of knowledge in the most engaging, passionate way our education systems can offer. 

If your child decides to participate in a program focusing on STEAM, they'll instantly be able to gain access to top-quality education in the five crucial subjects that build up this framework. Being taught in STEAM might mean creating a functioning model car one day and learning fractions through hands-on tools the next day. It might let your child's finger paint in their favorite colours for one class, then bring them through a virtual tour of the solar system in another.

Most importantly, though, a STEAM-focused education allows your child to gain all the skills they need through one comprehensive program that fosters their interests, strengthens their best talents, and eases them into an all-encompassing approach to education that combines the best of the five most relevant subjects in our career-driven society. 

STEM is the more common term - why include Art?

You've most likely heard of the more popular acronym "STEM", which includes the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math - but excludes the arts that are present in "STEAM". Unlike STEAM's multifaceted approach to learning, a STEM education solely focuses on preparing children for future careers in technology, leaning heavily towards the scientific side of things and skimming over the artistic. 

While STEM education has its own merits, we at Inspirely | STEAM Education believe in allowing ample room for creativity in children's worlds. Instead of restricting your child to only numbers and graphs, they should be able to explore colours, words, and music as well, and they should be encouraged to tap into their artistic side.

Education in the arts doesn't only allow your child to experience the freedom to create. It also teaches them the wonder of being inspired, lets them feel firsthand the self-accomplishment and pride in producing a work they are proud of, and gives them the opportunity to practice unique, innovative problem solving and a way of thinking that reaches well outside the box. 

As parents, we have a responsibility to not only look for the best education for our children, but also provide them with the type of guidance that will intellectually stimulate them and let them enjoy learning the subjects they love. The traditional STEM education system may function when it comes to setting children up for a stable career in their futures, but it often deprives them of the chance to truly explore every aspect of what makes up a quality education.

Leaving out the arts removes the imagination that motivates children's minds. It excludes the ingenuity that comes hand-in-hand with brilliant ideas and steadfast perseverance. It takes away the incorporation of skills that are crucial in the modern-day workplace - skills like communication, like innovation, like the ability to apply what you've learned in a hands-on, visual way.

That's why we believe in a STEAM-based approach instead: because we understand that what children want can't be sacrificed even when prioritizing what they need. At Inspirely | STEAM Education, we are of the opinion that while STEM may make up the body and brain, the A for arts is what shapes the soul. 

How is a STEAM education different from traditional education programs?

During your child's everyday schooling, they will likely be taught and guided through a large variety of subjects in separate, individual classes, often within short blocks of time and across the span of an intermittent or sporadic schedule. They may participate in after-school programs or extracurricular activities that focus on one specific area or another - team sports for athletics, band practice for music, or book clubs for reading comprehension and discussion.

What sets STEAM programs apart from these more traditional methods of education lies in their all-inclusive and interconnected quality. Classes that take on a STEAM-based approach consistently aim to teach children skills and concepts that not only challenge them but also uniquely build upon each other to deliver a standard of education that prioritizes range above all else.

Instead of hyper-focusing on one specific area, the goal of STEAM classes is to provide a comprehensive foundation for your child that draws on five different, distinct subjects, then successfully intertwines them into a single mode of programming with the purpose of engaging its students in the most complete and flexible way possible. 

Programs that focus on STEAM-oriented education also place a hefty focus on a practical, hands-on approach to learning. Instead of simply feeding children chunks of information that may be too difficult for them to digest at once, STEAM programs center themselves around helping children understand the concept at its core - whether that be through an exciting science experiment, a craft kit with a build-it-yourself model, or a session of painting that teaches the basics of shape and colour theory.

Through this type of dedication to direct and interactive teaching, STEAM education aims to challenge young minds in a way that prevents classes from ever-growing stale or repetitive. Instead, they keep curiosity fresh, make content inspiring, and do their parts to transform learning into an exhilarating experience for your children. 

How can a STEAM-oriented education help your children?

First and foremost, STEAM education is committed to cultivating a love for learning among youth. The abilities, skills, and general knowledge that are so crucial for ensuring children's futures come hand-in-hand with that love - and programs focused on delivering a STEAM-based approach to learning are undeniably the best at teaching them. 

Here are a few ways that STEAM can help guide your child on a healthy path towards success:

1.) STEAM education challenges children.

The hands-on, interactive approach that STEAM classes take to learning is designed to stimulate your child's mind and enhance their natural curiosity. By encouraging your child to not only consider the "what" but also the "why" through engaging in activities such as building handmade models and creating DIY experiments, STEAM offers a bold, energetic experience that inspires your child to push their intellectual limits. 

2.) STEAM education makes learning fun.

Gone are the dreary classes with nothing but reading and regurgitating blocks of information. Through one unique package, STEAM delivers top-quality education that turns to learn into an engaging game of push and pulls. Children are not only willing to learn - they're motivated into learning.  

3.) STEAM education encompasses an endless range of knowledge.

The five vital subjects that STEAM teaches offers your child the ability to exercise and practice a never-ending array of skills. Critical and creative thinking, innovative problem solving, perseverance, and the development of an active growth mindset are just some of the things children will master in a STEAM-oriented environment. 

4.) STEAM education encourages children to explore their interests.

Because of the wide variety of subjects that STEAM teaches youth, there is virtually no limit to the scientific and artistic disciplines your child will gain access to. Through participating in STEAM programs, children are given the crucial resources they need to expand and diversify the types of learning they enjoy, no matter how big or small they are. 

5.) STEAM education prepares children for the future.

The subjects that STEAM programs teach and the skills that are developed and ingrained in their students transform them into individuals who are well-equipped and ready for entering higher-level education and, in the future, the workforce. Taking advantage of STEAM's action-oriented, collaborative environments, children are offered the guidance they need to be set up for success. 

So you're in! What can you do to get your child started in STEAM education?

It's been proven - not only through scientific studies but also in real-life experiences - that STEAM  programs are a surefire way of intellectually stimulating your child and challenging them through the interactive, hands-on quality that characterizes only the best systems of learning. These programs are not only educational. They're invigorating. They're inspiring. They activate your child's mind and drive them towards success. 

At Inspirely | STEAM Education, our mission is to empower young minds through top-quality, well-structured programs led by highly trained educators who are experienced in guiding children. Through our interactive online courses, events, and summer camps, we save our clients the hassle of arranging busy schedules and commuting to faraway classes.

We offer your child the experience of learning from the comfort of their home while also teaching them the digital skills that are necessary to thrive in our technology-oriented world. 

Inspirely | STEAM Education is dedicated to building a foundation for the future of children ages 6 - 14 through expertly designed STEAM programs. Your child can learn scratch coding basics through a class that also promotes creative expression. They can transform into young astronauts through an interactive, flexibly designed summer camp.

They can try out hands-on graphic design in a workshop that imaginatively intertwines art and technology. The possibilities are limitless, and each class is designed to work with your child every step of the way so that they can learn at their own pace.

STEAM education in the package that Inspirely offers dedicates itself every day to preparing children for success in our modern, 21st-century society- a society that is driven by technology, characterized by progress, and, most of all, built up from the talents and ambitions of our youth.