5 Ways to Get Your Child Interested in Chemistry

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Young children often have a hard time with Science subjects. When they are young and full of energy, they have difficulty focusing on basic concepts in Chemistry which are a completely new subject to them. Parents often wonder how they could help their children develop an interest in such a dry subject.

Not only do young students find the subject uninspiring, but they also build it up in their heads and seem daunted by the prospect of working on it.

Here are some innovative ways in which you can make Chemistry both interesting and accessible to your children:

  1. Talk about Chemistry:

Chemistry can be a dry subject if children are introduced to it theoretically. They will find it very difficult to understand and grasp theoretical concepts without anecdotes and illustrative examples.However, if they associate Chemistry with a difficult subject at school, they may resist your attempts to study it. Instead, try another approach.

Children are curious about the world around them so try to get them talking and thinking about the interesting chemical phenomenon they see taking place around them. Ask them about things they have noticed in their daily lives, like a cut apple that browns upon contact with air or the fact that water takes the shape of any vessel that it is poured into and yet can be frozen into ice cubes.

Once you get the conversation flowing, their curiosity will take over, and soon they will be asking you questions which you can answer with factual detail in a manner that gets them interested in chemistry and its processes.

  1. Do not force children to take an interest in the subject:

Children don’t like being pushed into anything. If you want them to take an interest in Chemistry, you have to be subtle, or they will instinctively reject your attempts. Teach them new concepts, and that are interesting and relevant to them.

Don’t focus on an exam or the chapter they are being taught in class. Take an interest in their preferences.  If they have a small plant, get them thinking about why leaves are green. Ask them if they think plants are alive. Get them curious about how plans live and breathe. If they are particularly fond of a nail polish that changes colour, try to get them thinking about why it does so.

Pay attention to their interests so that you can utilize their pet projects to pique their curiosity about the subjects. If your children need help with their online essays, show them 7 tricks to help you write the best online essay.

  1. Focus on progress:

Don’t focus on grades. Instead encourage children on aspects of progress, interest and initiative. You don’t just want your children to be good at Chemistry; you want them to develop a love for it. You must create a nurturing environment to help them develop an interest in learning about Chemistry.

Research shows that children praises for attributes like intelligence and ability feel more pressurized that students encouraged for displaying interest and initiative. These children displayed a growth mind-set that helped them achieve further, later in life. While a little competition is healthy, do not focus too much on grades as it can pressurize your children and put them off the subject completely.

Further, you don’t want to encourage young children to be too competitive. If your child is having trouble keeping up with his class, find ways to acknowledge his efforts when he takes an interest in anything related to Chemistry. Some children just need a little encouragement to help them out of their shells.

  1. Introduce your children to Food Science:

Food Science is the best way to get children hooked to Chemistry. Food is an aspect of their life that they cannot avoid. So encourage them to spend time with you when you are cooking in the kitchen. Read up on chemical reactions during cooking so that you are prepared to answer their questions.

If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you could cook up some delicious experiments that children are bound to enjoy a Cola float lave experiment or a Menthol and Cola experiment or something and delicious as a Choco lava cake Chemistry lesson. Children will always enjoy learning about things that they enjoy.

Introduce them to popping candy and try to get them curious about why the candy pops in their mouth but not in the packet. Your options are endless so take the pressure off and just have fun with it.

  1. Do some realistic experiments at home:

If you need to convince the most reticent child to take an interest in Chemistry, get creative and turn this into a bonding opportunity. There are a number of interesting home experiments you could try that are sure to pique your child’s interest.

Keep his interests in mind when you design the experiments to maximize their impact. For instance, if your child takes an interest in cool magic tricks, you can surprise him with a glittering bath bomb or some homemade mess free slime! You can teach your children with interesting experiments at home. Just look up the internet for fun ideas but remember to try it yourself first. Read all the safety instructions carefully so that you don’t have to rush to the ER for chemical burns.

Finally, if you want to ensure that you are not just mucking around and actually making tangible progress, find ways to link your experiments to things that your child is learning at school.With these innovative tips in mind, you should have no trouble getting your children interested in Chemistry.

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