Parents
For the Love of Play: Nurturing Kids’ Learning Through Play
Benefits Of Encouraging Play
Black boys should be allowed to play and be kids to further nurture their math and science curiosities, learning, and identity.
Activities That Encourage Learning Through Play
- (De)construction (gadgets, Legos, robotics)
- Experiments (chemistry sets, volcano eruptions)
- Problem-solving (puzzles, crosswords, board games, design challenges)
- Content creation (video editing)
- Coding (websites, video games, programming)
Reflection Questions For Parents, Caregivers And Teachers
- What options of play exist in my home/classroom?
- To help discover my child’s/student’s interests, curiosities, and confidence, do I have a variety of games that require different skills to complete? If so, what games do my child/student already play?
- How can I connect my child’s/student’s games to STEM learning?
- What options of play exist in my community that can spark my child’s/student’s interests in math and science? Examples include: walks around the neighborhood counting streets and blocks, looking at the height of buildings and trees, counting the number of vehicles that pass, and identifying different plants and animals.
- How can I further spark joy in my child’s/student’s learning through play?
Printable Handout
Each handout includes general information about Black males along various STEM pathways, tips or recommended practices, and reflection questions. The reflective questions have been provided to support ongoing conversations toward the support of Black males in STEM. The questions can be used individually or as a group.
“Math and science are foundations for succeeding in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. But learning to become good at math and science doesn’t have to be boring.”
Associated Research Article
Burt, B. A., & Johnson, J. (2018). Origins of STEM interest for Black male graduate students in engineering. School Science and Mathematics, 118(6), 257-270.
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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. 2016440. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.