What is STEAM, and why is it important?

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STEAM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.  21st century jobs will be innovation-based.  Skills acquired in the STEAM areas will be increasingly valuable due to the increasing importance of product design and technology in modern culture.  

1. Teamwork and Social Skills

Build It! play with parents, siblings or play dates allow children work collaboratively in a small group to create something together.  Collaboration on models encourages joint focus, sharing, reinforces positive behavior and social contact.  

2. Communication and Language skills

Working together with parents, carers or friends, children learn communication, turn-taking and language skills. Sharing ideas and explaining the vision of the model further instructs on negotiation and compromise.  For children playing individually, they may create stories, adding in characters and dialogue, which all helps to build a foundation of language understanding and development.

3. Problem Solving, Mathematics and Spatial Awareness

Following instructions, deciphering order, understanding quantity, symmetry, patterns and location of the bricks, helps children to develop their mathematical skills and spatial awareness and helps develop problem solving skills and come up with new ideas.

4. Creativity and Experimentation

Build It! models are a form of art and children can often adapt as they go, to create models and stories that are all their own! Creativity, imagination and self-expression emerge through the build and play of new models.

5. Physical Development

Building the models helps develop fine motor skills, dexterity and strength in the fingers. The different amounts of pressure used to assemble the models is a wonderful exercise for small fingers, supporting children in being able to hold a pencil and control the pressure applied when writing.

6. Perseverance and Management of Frustrations

Building new models can help children develop perseverance and learn to overcome frustration, knowing that their masterpieces can be built in different ways, and adapt to the pieces they are able to find. 

7. Self-Confidence

Building new models gives a child a sense of accomplishment, pride and helps build self-confidence and self-belief. This helps children try out more complex tasks later on.

8. Lowering Anxiety and Stress

Building models can be calming and relaxing, and can be helpful for children who may have anxiety or worries. Often described as meditative, Build It! can bring a feeling of order to a chaotic or stressful day and can have huge therapeutic benefits.

9. Patience

Building models requires time and patience, especially when that one important brick takes forever to find! In a world where children often want instant gratification, the building process can help children understand that in order to get good results, it can take time and hard work can pay off!

10. Focus and Concentration

Following instructions, planning what piece comes next, waiting for their turn and listening to others (when building in a group) all takes focus and can help children develop concentration skills.

The premise of the series is that children are more motivated to practice when they can play songs they already know quickly and easily.  This has knock-on effects in other areas of their education and development.

Playing piano regularly is associated with the following advantages:

1. Adds to neural connections
2. Improvement in academic performance, particularly mathematics
3. Larger vocabulary and better verbal sequencing
4. Aids in foreign language learning
5. Used to reduce stress / improved ability to handle stress
6. Fosters hand-eye coordination
7. Inspires creativity by requiring the player to use both sides of the brain
8. Helps develop aural awareness – recognition of pitches, melodies, patterns aurally    

 Playing chess is shown to develop the ‘21st-century thinking skills’ necessary to be competitive in future labor markets.  Playing chess uses both sides of the brain – both analytical skills and creativity are required.  Early interventions, where chess is introduced in primary schools, has the most significant impact on a child’s educational improvement.  Strategic thinking, problem solving, critical thinking, reading, mathematics, engagement in class, social skills and many more educational areas benefit from learning chess.