They would make great activities for children who have finished their work early or for reward time. We’ve put together our recommendations for games that enhance spatial awareness and promote STEM education. Spatial Awareness STEM Games for ChildrenĪlthough educators recognise the importance of spatial awareness, it is a skill that is seldom taught or monitored in schools. For example, many boys enjoy playing Minecraft and building Lego models. The BBC documentary ‘No More Boys and Girls: Can Our Kids Go Gender Free’ (Aug 2017) discusses the basis of these gender differences. Research shows that boys show more of a preference for spatial awareness toys than girls. However, we also know that there are a greater number of men in STEM careers. We know that the idea that spatial ability is fixed is simply not true. Indeed, sex differences in spatial ability are well documented but they are still not fully understood. Historically males have performed better in spatial awareness tasks than females. Researchers discovered that by improving spatial awareness, students can become better at maths as a whole (Cheng & Mix 2014, read the report here). Children who struggle with spatial awareness are likely to find these areas difficult. Indeed, there are ongoing studies investigating whether low spatial skills explain why some students struggle in specific STEM subjects.įor example, Mathematics involves the use of spatial awareness when looking at concepts such as shapes, area, patterns and sequences.

Research is now starting to show that developing a young child’s spatial awareness may help to increase their success in STEM fields in adulthood. In order to solve these problems, spatial thinking often needs to be applied. Spatial awareness is important in STEM education and careers as these areas typically involve lots of problem solving. Does an increased spatial awareness improve STEM achievement? As they play with and move objects around, children develop an increased understanding of size, distance and space. Spatial awareness develops naturally in most children from a young age as they explore the environment around them. This includes an awareness of your own body in relation to other objects. It is the ability to see and understand the relationship between shapes, spaces and areas. Spatial awareness is part of our overall perception. For example, pilots need to use spatial thinking to fly a plane, architects and engineers to design buildings and surgeons to navigate the body. Spatial awareness is recognised as an important skill needed to perform well in STEM careers. What’s more, the demand for STEM graduates is only set to grow. STEM skills open the door to a wide variety of exciting career paths including some of the highest paid and most in-demand jobs in the country.

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