You've probably noticed it without naming it. A comment that slips out — “I’m just not a math person” — or a toy who’s packaging quietly suggests that engineering is for someone else's kid. These messages are small. They're also everywhere. And over time, they add up.
The good news: you have more power to counter them than you might think. Not through grand gestures, but through the small, consistent moments that tell your child they belong in this space — and that figuring things out is exactly what they were made to do.
Here are five ways to build STEM connections that actually stick.
The most common thing I hear from parents is some version of "I wouldn't even know where to begin." And then I ask what's in their kitchen junk drawer. Cardboard. Tape. String. A few rubber bands. That's enough to get started.
Have your child design a small bridge with craft sticks and tape. Build a zip line for a toy figurine using string and a paper clip. Make a bug catcher from a paper cup and an index card. None of these require a kit or instructions. They require your child to think, try, and try again — which is the whole point.
STEM isn't something that lives in a lab. It's in the kitchen when you're measuring ingredients, in the bathtub when you're testing what floats, in the garden when you're figuring out why one plant is struggling and another isn't. The more your child sees STEM as part of ordinary life, the less intimidating it becomes — and the more naturally they reach for it.
Follow their lead. If they're obsessed with animals, explore biology. If they love building, talk through the physics of what makes a structure stand. Interest is the best curriculum there is.
STEM topics can feel intimidating — especially if you didn't grow up feeling confident in math or science. Here's the thing: you don't need to have the answers. You need to show your child that asking questions is valuable in itself.
When your child wonders about something and you don't know the answer, say so — and then figure it out together. "That's a great question. How could we find out?" is one of the most powerful things a parent can say. It signals that curiosity isn't a problem to be solved. It's the starting point of everything.
There's a difference between a child who knows how to solve a specific type of problem and a child who believes they can figure things out — even when they haven't done it before. The second child is the one who carries STEM thinking into every part of their life.
When something isn't working, resist the urge to fix it for them. Ask instead: "What do you think is going wrong?" Then brainstorm a few different things to try. Let them lead. When children discover they can solve problems themselves, something shifts — they stop waiting to be shown how and start trusting their own thinking.
This one is simple and it matters more than anything else on this list. When you explore and discover alongside your child — not directing, just genuinely curious — you model something they can't learn from a worksheet: that adults find this stuff interesting too.
A child who watches a parent lean in, try something, get it wrong, and try again differently absorbs a lesson about learning itself. You don't have to be an expert. You just have to show up.
If you're looking for structured STEM experiences to build on these moments, NYC has an extraordinary range of options — from free library programs and museum workshops to after-school classes and summer camps designed specifically for how your child learns. The spark you build at home is what makes those experiences land.
Browse the Gotham STEM directory to find programs, resources, and hands-on activities that fit your child — and your life. Know a hidden gem we should add? Share it with us.