Every education specialist that I met and every educational magazine I came across never fails to advocate reading from a young age. Prenatal education also encourages mums-to-be to read as much as possible to their unborn babies.

If language is so important, what about Science then?

Why is Science only taught from Primary 3 onwards in Singapore? Why is it not taught right at the start (Pri 1) like English and Mathematics?

In my opinion as a Science Educational Specialist, a good grasp of the language skill is necessary to understand science questions and answer science questions logically and coherently. Hence, the first 2 years of formal schooling help build up a child’s language ability before Science Education is introduced.

By introducing Science later, does that mean Science is less important? Definitely not!

In my personal capacity as a parent, it is vital to introduce Science as early as possible to a child. The two key reasons are:
Academic Progression
In primary school, science is one of the 4 subjects studied. But in Secondary school, science can become as many as 3 subjects (pure chemistry, pure biology and pure physics) of 7-9 subjects. Even if a secondary school student takes combined science, it is basically 2 science subjects rolled into one. If a strong foundation in science is not established in the early years, the child will struggle as he/she moves up the educational ladder as science subjects will only seem to become more and more complex and abstract, and difficult to master.

Future of the child
Academic grades aside, having a good knowledge and passion in science will open up many career paths for the child. The careers paths for science students are very diverse and varied. They ranged from hardcore science careers such as research scientists to medical/pharmaceutical science to food science to engineering/architectural science. Given the abundance of career opportunities science provides, it is definitely a good idea to start nurturing a love for science since young. Even if ultimately, a career in science is not pursue, a good science knowledge will also help a person know the biochemistry to good health.

Given that Science is an integral part of our lives, how do we introduce Science to young kids through our daily activities?

Stay tune for my future posts as I will write in-depth on how to introduce science and explain scientific concepts to our children.