The Conversation, Feburary 12, 2026
Excerpt: "Parents looking to support their children’s learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) will find no shortage of branded STEM sets, subscription science boxes, private coding programs or educational toys for kids.
If the idea of STEM in early childhood is associated with these products and experiences — in conjunction with public discussion and media coverage around the need to amplify STEM learning — it could be easy to absorb a misleading message that children need these purchased items and paid programs to develop STEM competence.
Contrary to this assumption, our research has examined how some of the most foundational elements of STEM learning, related to behaviours like explaining how things are built or work and exploring mathematical ideas, may begin far more organically.
Such learning emerges, for example, when children stack cardboard tubes, balance objects, test what fits where or redesign a structure that collapses moments after it is built."
