How to Raise a Future Engineer

Let’s be honest, modern parents. If you ask children these days what they want to be when they grow up, most of them would probably tell you that they want to become a celebrity or an influencer. The 21st-century world has changed so much to the point that these are now valid career choices that kids aspire to make. As a parent, you would want to support your babies, of course, but you also can’t help but worry about the viability of their chosen professions. At the end of the day, you just want to make sure that they’re doing something that will provide them with security and safety.

There are several careers that can help your kids achieve financial stability, and you really can’t go wrong with the classics like lawyer or doctor. But let’s put the spotlight on engineering for this article and talk about how you can nurture your child mentally and emotionally so they’d be suited for this profession. Of course, if your child ultimately doesn’t want to become an engineer, then you really can’t make them do it.  However, the skills you teach them will still be extremely useful in various other fields.

Encourage Their Curiosity and Love of Learning

A curious child should be highly encouraged to ask questions about how things work. It doesn’t matter whether they want to know about a simple toy or a more complex object; the important thing is to get them interested in something that sparks their curiosity and desire to learn. So, make it a point to have STEM-related books and magazines at home that can expose your kid to topics like physics, engineering, robotics, and computer science. Visit places like science museums and child-friendly tech fairs since these often offer hands-on experiences and encounters with experts. You should also check with your child’s school to see what science-related programs and activities they have throughout the school-year.

Teach Them Problem-Solving Skills

Encourage your kid to develop critical thinking by asking them open-ended questions and guiding them to carefully think through problems and solutions. Give them opportunities to play around with and solve brain teasers, riddles, and puzzles. Teach them logical reasoning by explaining cause-and-effect relationships as well as deductive reasoning. However, don’t forget to nurture their creativity, too, by encouraging them to come up with unconventional ideas and solutions.

Give them a Solid Foundation in Sciences and Maths

Make sure that your kid is not struggling with their maths and science lessons in school. Get them some tutoring or access to helpful online resources if they need some extra assistance to reinforce their learning. It’s very important to show them how the scientific concepts they learn in school are applied in real life so they would have a better understanding of how all of it works.

Develop Their Practical Skills

Working on projects around the house can serve both as a chore and a way to learn practical skills they can later use in life. For example, you can teach your child how to use basic tools like hammers, pliers, and screwdrivers while working on DIY projects like fixing a leaky faucet or building a little house for their pets. You can even have some fun working with them to set up smart applications and machines around the house so they can become comfortable with technology. Even teaching them how to cook is a great way for kids to learn more about chemistry. Just make sure that the difficulty level is appropriate for their age so they don’t become overwhelmed by the work.

Provide Guidance and Mentorship

Finally, give your kids the support they need to pursue their own passions or interests. Work with their teachers and counsellors since these professionals can give you advice on academic planning and potential career paths for your child. If you do your work well as a parent, then you just might end up with a proud graduate of a Bachelors of Engineering course in your family one day.

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