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Have you ever found yourself thinking, “You want me to teach Science to my infants and toddlers? That can’t be right!” Or “I don’t know how to do that?” Or even “Isn’t Science for older children?” 

Scientific learning may seem suited to older students, yet its foundations emerge much earlier. Infants and toddlers begin developing scientific thinking as they explore and respond to the world around them.

Science is not just a subject of knowledge, but rather a way of thinking and acting.  It is the study of discovering the nature of things and how they work.   Scientific learning involves curiosity, exploration, and discovery. Infants and toddlers demonstrate these capacities as they engage with their environments.

By bringing science into the classroom, Infant and Toddler teachers can help their children find the answers to their questions and discover more about things that interest them. 

Want to learn more? H&H Child Care Training offers classes on bringing science into the classroom. The No Such Thing as Boring Math Buy Now $24.00 and Tomorrow’s Einstein’s: Infant and Toddler Science Buy Now $16.00 courses are two options for exploring STEAM (or STEM) in your classroom. For additional professional learning, Building Early Science Foundations Buy Now $16.00 focuses on developmentally appropriate ways to nurture young children’s inquiry and discovery; check with your employer or relevant state agency about whether any training meets a particular requirement.

How does science learning begin in infancy?

Science in an infant or toddler classroom is not a lecture or a set of facts children must memorize. It is a way of noticing, exploring, and making meaning from experience. When a baby repeatedly drops a spoon and watches it fall, or a toddler compares two objects by touching and turning them, the child is investigating cause and effect, physical properties, and patterns. Educators can recognize these actions as early inquiry and respond with attention rather than rushing to supply an answer.

For infants, provide safe, varied objects that invite looking, reaching, grasping, listening, and mouthing only when materials are specifically designed for that use and supervised. Narrate what the child appears to notice: “You shook the ring, and it made a sound.” Pause so the infant can respond with movement, gaze, or vocalization. For toddlers, offer simple choices and time to repeat an action: “Which one rolls?” or “What happens when we add another block?” These exchanges support exploration as well as receptive and expressive language.

Keep experiences responsive to each child’s developmental abilities, interests, sensory preferences, and communication style. A child may investigate by watching before touching, or may need an adapted material, extra time, or a quieter space. Follow the child’s lead, observe without demanding a particular result, and treat unexpected outcomes as opportunities to notice and wonder together. For more ideas about early learning across subject areas, see STEAM Learning in the Early Childhood Education Classroom.

What simple science experiences can educators offer?

Everyday routines and materials can support meaningful science exploration when educators make room for children to act, observe, and repeat. For example, provide a few large, safe objects with different textures for supervised touch and comparison; offer nesting cups or large blocks for filling, stacking, and testing stability; or explore water with toddlers using a small, shallow basin during close adult supervision. Describe what children do and notice, rather than turning play into a quiz. An infant might track a moving object with their eyes; a toddler might notice that one object floats while another sinks.

Use open-ended prompts such as “What do you notice?” and “What might happen if we try it again?” Then give children time to respond in their own way. Model useful words—such as wet, dry, smooth, rough, heavy, light, full, and empty—while respecting that children communicate through gestures, sounds, signs, and home languages as well as speech. If a child repeats an action, consider what they may be testing and offer a small variation without taking over. Everyday-object ideas are also explored in hands-on STEAM with everyday materials and meaningful STEM exploration with everyday materials.

Choose materials with developmental appropriateness and safety in mind. Avoid small parts and loose materials that can present choking or ingestion hazards, especially for children who mouth objects. Follow your program’s supervision and cleaning procedures, check materials for damage, and ensure water play is closely supervised. Adapt or substitute activities when allergies, sensory needs, mobility, or other individual considerations call for it. For additional activity inspiration, see STEM activities that encourage curiosity and ways to explore sand, space, and science.

How can educators extend children’s questions into learning?

Start with observation. Notice what a child returns to, how they use materials, and what changes when they repeat an action. Record brief, objective notes or photographs according to program policy, then use those observations to plan a next step. If a toddler repeatedly stacks and knocks down blocks, for instance, offer blocks of different sizes and describe which structures stay upright. The goal is not to produce a correct prediction; it is to support sustained attention, comparison, and experimentation.

Connect experience with language and representation. During or after play, name the actions and properties children encounter, revisit a familiar word, or invite them to point to a picture that reflects what they noticed. Keep discussion brief and responsive to the child’s attention. Repeating an experience on another day can help children recognize patterns and build on prior knowledge. For additional examples of learning through play, explore how everyday play can support STEM learning.

Families can extend inquiry by sharing children’s interests, observations, and familiar experiences. Invite families to tell you what a child enjoys noticing at home, and communicate a simple classroom discovery without suggesting that families need special equipment. Respect family preferences and languages, and avoid asking children to bring potentially unsafe materials from home. Meaningful connections can come from common routines and shared conversation.

How can teachers plan safe, inclusive science exploration?

Plan for access, choice, and close supervision. Arrange materials where children can see and reach them as appropriate, leave space for mobility devices or adult support, and offer different ways to participate—watching, touching, listening, moving an object, or communicating through gesture or language. Observe each child’s cues and stop or modify an experience if a child shows discomfort. These responsive adjustments allow children with varied abilities, temperaments, and sensory preferences to participate without requiring everyone to engage in the same way.

For infants and toddlers, safety is part of curriculum planning. Select age-appropriate materials, inspect them before use, remove damaged items, and keep small objects and hazardous substances inaccessible. Provide active adult supervision throughout sensory or water experiences and follow your program’s health, sanitation, and safety procedures. Do not assume an activity is safe simply because it uses household materials; consider the child’s age, mouthing behavior, allergies, and the environment before offering it. Use your program’s policies and applicable guidance when deciding whether an activity needs adaptation.

How can teachers reflect on and strengthen science learning?

After an experience, reflect on what children actually did and what the environment made possible. Ask: Which materials held their attention? Did children have enough time to repeat or vary an action? What communication, movement, or problem-solving did you observe? Did every child have a comfortable way to participate? Use those observations to adjust the next experience rather than judging success by whether children reached a planned outcome.

Documentation can make learning visible to colleagues and families. Briefly record the child’s action, the materials involved, and a neutral description of what changed. Avoid interpreting a single observation as a developmental assessment or diagnosis. Instead, use documentation to plan responsive experiences, notice interests over time, and communicate concrete examples of children’s exploration. Educators seeking broader STEAM activity ideas can also review simple STEM activities for early learners.

What is the main takeaway about science for infants and toddlers?

Science learning begins when infants and toddlers have safe opportunities to notice, explore, repeat, and communicate about the world around them. Child care professionals can support that learning by following children’s interests, offering developmentally appropriate materials, using responsive language, observing what children do, and adapting experiences for safety and inclusion. Small moments—shaking, stacking, pouring, watching, and wondering—can become meaningful opportunities for #curiosity, #exploration, #discovery, #STEAM, and #development.

Visit our website to explore professional learning opportunities. Course completion does not by itself establish compliance with a state, employer, or licensing requirement; verify any specific training requirement with the relevant agency or employer.

For a wider collection of STEAM learning resources, see MIT Full STEAM Ahead, which describes thematic resources and activities for teachers and learners.

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