About Early Science

Children’s Scientific Thinking

What is Early Science?
Children’s Scientific Thinking
Communicating Discoveries
Early Science Experiences

Young children think differently than adults. Their understanding of the physical phenomena they encounter often doesn’t seem logical to us. They believe everything is alive and have yet to learn much about cause and effect. For example, children may think “shadows grow out of the dirty ground.” Allowing them the chance to use flashlights gives them the opportunity to construct new theories and organize ideas and information.

As children explore and interact with adults and each other, they try to make sense of what they see and do. They develop theories about why things are the way they are and how they relate to each other. As their experience broadens and their thinking deepens, with the help of adults who ask open-ended questions and encourage them to follow through on explorations, their ideas and theories become more plausible and closer to current understandings in science.