Exploring Technology with Children

While iPads, smartphones, and computers might come to mind first, technology is defined as the use of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.

Everyday technology surrounds children from fasteners on toys and clothing to household tools and kitchen gadgets. While tinkering with simple tools and devices, children will be inspired to ask questions and discover the mechanics of how things work. This natural inquiry process supports their developing interests in science, engineering, and mechanics which also promotes essential creative thinking and problem-solving skills.

Begin by exploring common items with your child to encourage hands-on learning experiences.

Infants

• Hinge puzzles for mechanics and movement
• Velcro toys to understand connecting and disconnecting

Toddlers and Twos

• Fasteners such as zippers, buttons, latches, and locks. Toys or boards with integrated fasteners help children explore different ways to connect and disconnect objects. While learning these tasks, kids develop self-help skills and confidence in accomplishing routine expectations, such as getting dressed or tying their shoes.

Preschool and Pre-K

• Typing on a computer keyboard to explore word processing. Children love to experiment with the marks they can make on a screen, identify letters, and “write” in a different way. Print their typed creations and invite your child to draw and write on the paper too.
• Cause and effect games

School Age

• Circuit kits, games, and toys
• Robotics
• Rube Goldberg contraptions. Explore cause and effect by building domino courses, marble runs, or using recycled objects to make chain reactions. The game Mouse Trap is an excellent example of this too!

Fun Mechanical Tools to Investigate

Thrift stores are full of mechanical tools perfect for exploring how things work. Be sure to check all items for safety and loose parts. Explore different things together to invite curiosity during play.

Typewriters
It’s fascinating and fun for children to type onto paper and immediately see the results of their actions. On most typewriters, children can also see the mechanics of how letters are placed on a page. Children love exploring letters through typing, where they can play with letter identification, work on spelling, and discover a new way to “write.”

Hand-Crank Eggbeaters
Invite children to explore hand-crank eggbeaters in the bathtub with bubbles. It’s fun to see how gears work to move the eggbeaters around. Children can see the direct impact of cranking the handle at different speeds too!

Ice Cream or Cookie Scoop 
The ice cream or cookie scoops with levers allow children to investigate how pushing a lever moves part of the scoop in a sweeping motion. Explore these tools with play dough to encourage children to examine how they function.

Flour Sifter
Metal flour sifters with squeeze handles or cranks can be used for cooking or even in a sandbox to see how the material moves through the sifter. The child’s movements impact how much flour or sand can move through the sifter.

What objects would you add to the list?