STEM at school and at home: what holds schools back, what parents can do and why it matters
Schools want more hands-on learning but run into limits of time, equipment and teacher training. Here is what you can do at home in a few minutes a day, and what European data says about the skills children will need.
In our previous article we explained what STEM is and why it pays to begin in the preschool years. This time we look at practice: why the approach is spreading through schools more slowly than many would like, what families can do about it, and why STEM gets so much attention at European Union level.
In this article
- Why it is not easy for schools
- STEM at home: five simple habits
- If you want to buy something: what to look for
- Why it matters for the future
- Summing up
Why it is not easy for schools
Most teachers agree with the idea of hands-on, connected learning. Between “I agree” and “I do it every week”, though, sit some very practical obstacles.
Time and the timetable
A project in which children design, build and test hardly fits into a 45-minute period. If it also spans maths and science, two teachers have to coordinate and find a shared slot.
Teacher preparation
Running a lesson where nobody knows the right answer in advance is harder than explaining ready-made material. The teacher has to handle unexpected questions, organise group work and sometimes admit not knowing the answer either. Without targeted training and support this cannot fairly be expected of teachers, and that applies at every level, including kindergarten, where exploring comes most naturally.
Equipment and class size
Kits, sensors and tablets cost money and need maintaining and replacing. In a full classroom, each child also gets hands-on time less often than they need.
How success is measured
Schools are often judged on test results. Yet the way a child works through a problem is much harder to capture in a test than a single correct answer.
The European Commission responds to these difficulties in its STEM Education Strategic Plan. Among other things it proposes STEM education centres to improve teaching in primary and secondary schools. It also notes that the share of EU students lacking basic maths skills rose from 22.4% in 2018 to 29.5% in 2022. Change across whole systems takes time, which is why what happens at home carries real weight.
STEM at home: five simple habits
You do not need a lab or a teaching degree for STEM at home. As a parent you have an advantage no teacher has: you know your child. You know what they enjoy, when they are tired and what sparks their enthusiasm. Here are five habits that fit easily into an ordinary week:
- A question instead of a ready answer. When your child asks why a boat floats, turn it around: “How could we find out?” Then test it together in the bath with different objects.
- The kitchen as a lab. Weighing flour, halving a recipe or watching dough rise is maths and chemistry you can eat afterwards.
- Building with a brief. Instead of “build something”, try “build a paper bridge that can hold a mug”. A clear goal turns play into a genuine engineering task.
- Coding without a screen first. Start with a game where your child gives instructions to a “robot”, namely you. Once they realise commands must be precise and in the right order, they are ready for block-based coding.
- A log of experiments. A few words or a quick sketch after each attempt: what we tried, what happened and what we will change next time. Your child learns that a mistake is data, not defeat.
How much time does it take?
Less than you might expect. Regularity counts for more than length: twenty focused minutes a few times a week achieve more than one long afternoon once a month. And if your child is not in the mood, do not push. Curiosity cannot be ordered.
The best STEM activity is the one where the child forgets they are learning, and the parent forgets to check their phone.
If you want to buy something: what to look for
Household items are plenty to begin with. If you are considering a building kit or a robotics set, though, a few questions are worth asking:
- Does it fit your child’s age and skills? A toy that is too simple soon gets boring; one that is too complex puts children off. Sets with several difficulty levels have the edge.
- Can your child create with it, not just assemble it once? The best value comes from sets that make several models and leave room for their own ideas.
- Can you see the result of the code? When a child changes a command and the model immediately moves differently, cause and effect become clearer than in a game that happens only on screen.
- Will it grow with your child? Ideally you start with picture commands and later move on to full block-based coding without buying everything again.
- Is it safe? Toys sold in the EU must carry the CE marking. Check the age warnings on the box too, especially where small parts are involved.
And finally, even the best kit does not replace time spent together. It is the start of a conversation, not a substitute for one.
Why it matters for the future
Nobody can say exactly which jobs will exist in twenty years. What is certain is that technology will be part of almost every kind of work, and that Europe is already looking for people with technical and digital skills. Official figures bear this out:
| Indicator | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ICT specialists employed in the EU (2023) | 9.8 million, or 4.8% of all workers | Eurostat |
| Share of women among ICT specialists (2023) | 19.4% | Eurostat |
| EU target for 2030 (Digital Decade) | 20 million ICT specialists | European Commission |
| Projection at the current pace (2030) | about 12 million | European Commission |
| Proposed target: share of university students in STEM (2030) | at least 32% | European Commission |
The table points to a simple conclusion: Europe needs more people who understand technology than it has, and on current estimates the gap will not close by 2030. The low share of women stands out as well, which is why the Commission’s Girls go STEM initiative aims to train one million young women by 2028.
None of this means every child should become a programmer. The skills STEM builds, such as breaking a problem into smaller parts, trying a solution, evaluating it and improving it, are just as useful in medicine, crafts, the arts or running a business. It matters equally that children do not merely use technology but understand it well enough to judge it critically.
Summing up
Schools are moving towards hands-on STEM step by step, but families can start right away. All it takes is curiosity, a few good questions and a willingness to let children try things and get them wrong.
If you would like to give home experiments a firmer structure, a kit your child builds and then programs in a Scratch-based app can help. The model that does not move the way your child intended on the first run is exactly the moment when real learning begins.