10.5: Engaging Families

Teachers can make the following suggestions to families to facilitate their support of history and social science

• Use science learning as an opportunity to involve families by inviting them to the program and by sending home suggestions for activities that they can do with their children.
• Communicate to families their important role in supporting children’s curiosity and the development of scientific knowledge.
• Share with family members your approach to science and how you support children’s development of inquiry skills.
• Invite family members to come and talk with the teacher and children about their beliefs and connections to nature
• Share the importance of active hands-on explorations of objects and materials
• Inform families about children’s explorations and experimentations with objects and materials.
• Involve family members as volunteers and rich resources in the preschool environment.
• Provide families with enrichment and follow-up activities they can do with children at home.
• Ask families about children’s previous experiences, cultural beliefs, and theories about living things.
• Share with families children’s experiences with science in the classroom.
• Remind family members of the many opportunities to engage children in life science explorations outside the preschool environment.
• Provide family members with tips to support children’s awareness and understanding of their natural environment.^[1]