Mumsnet users share with Little Tikes how they get their child thinking about what they want to be when they grow up

[EllieMumsnet]

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Some children are adamant they’re going to be a ballet dancer or an astronaut when they grow up, whereas others are more interested in activities such as building and putting things together. This might one day turn into a career like engineering. With more and more emphasis on the importance of STEM education (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and getting children involved in them at an early age, Little Tikes would love to know how you get your children thinking about what they want to be when they grow up and in particular get them involved in STEM subjects.

Here’s what Little Tikes have to say: “STEM learning from an early age opens children up to a world full of exciting hands-on play. Preschool-age children are perfect for this type of learning. These mini scientists are impossibly curious and love to experiment and discover! Future engineer, mathematician or chemistry teacher… for now, the fun is the learning.”

Perhaps you purchase toys that involve learning from an early age to help stimulate them? Do you have conversations with your DC about the vast array of things they can do when they grow up? When it comes to STEM subjects, do you take them on days out that have an element of STEM education involved? Maybe you encourage them to keep pursuing whatever it is they’ve shown interest in?

However you get your children thinking about what they want to be when they’re older and STEM education, let us know on thread below and you’ll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

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My children have always been drawn to what they are good at and like. My eldest (now grown up) always loved math, physics and programming and is now an AI researcher at a top university. It was always obvious he would go in this direction. My youngest is caring and studious so a Doctor is likely (could be handy!)

I honestly dont push any of my children to make decisions this early on, i just encourage all skills and activities they do and will support them in any choices they make when the time comes. So far my two girls (4 and 5) have wanted to be everything from a vet to an astronaut, for now we are concentrating on them being children and enjoying that time as children

I don't wait for themselves to decide what they want to do .

Exposure to a wide variety of possibilities but never pushing them, let them find their own direction. DD is 21 and currently doing her MSc with no clue as to what she wants to do after next year. DS is in year 10 and since year 7 has been adamant that he wants to be a maths teacher.

explain what different people they come into contact with do as part of their job

Its what they want to be when they grow up. Loads of different toys and experiences to make them aware of different skills and jobs. The reality is that the jobs my dcs do may not even have been invented yet!

It's so difficult, you can't force them to go down one rout or another. You just have to arm them with the information for them to make the decision. They are going to a careers fair with school shortly so that should be a good opportunity for some first hand dialogue and experience...

We talk about all the different possibilities and I try and make them believe they can be whatever they want to be.

having conversations at story time

Educational days out, hospital and a court are two that spring to mind.
University open day.
Lots of STEM and cultural days out too.
I'm not pushing then into any careers, more talking through options and what steps they need to do to get there. My eldest bas only just started secondary school. -DS should aim for engineering and DD maybe chemistry or biology--.

Nooooooooo they arent allowed to grow up! haha

My daughter (eldest) knew what she wanted to do since her little brother was born 13 weeks early. He was in hospital 13 months and she saw the work and dedication of the nurses involved. There was one nurse in particular that stood out. Shes a play worker who helps poorly children through play. My daughter is on her way to doing this in the future as shes just left school and started college.

My son has no idea what he wants to do and being in year 8 i think he will start to have to think about this as he will be choosing his gcse options soon.

I think you have to go with what your children like and express an interest in and go with that as its the tart of their future.

(ive just asked my youngest daughter what she wants to do when shes older and she says she wants to be 10! - shes 9 now haha)

Olivia has only just turned 5 but since she was 3 she's loved gardening, she has her own little set of tools & a bag to put them all in & has her own patch in her GG & Grandpa's garden where she plants her own flowers & tends to them regularly. She runs around asking the gardeners questions when they're there so I'm sure she's going to be the next Charlie Dimmock. She's too young really to know what she wants to be when she grows up but she loves animals too so may want to be a zookeeper, you never know. Academically she's amazing for her age at maths & loves to create games to play with us using maths

That's a difficult one, she is only 9 and absolutely adores School, when I have talked to her about what she wants to do all she will say is she wants to stay st school. I can see a career in teaching for her but that may change in the future.

I don't. I let them experience and be creative in their childhood - the right career will present itself in good time

Its a bit to early for them to be thinking about it yet but whatever they want to do is fine by me as long as they are happy thats all that really matters.

Lots of museum visits and exhibitions for us. Opens up so many discussions.

I am a firm believer in letting children be children, these is time for worrying about careers when the grow up, and most of them will have several careers in their lifetime anyway

I don’t worry about it. They will naturally find something they enjoy and gravitate towards it.

Lots of reading and experiences so they develop a broad sense of what is out there in terms of opportunity and hard work.

I agree with Bristol Mum - they don't need to even start thinking about it until they are in their teens and with the way the world is changing many jobs won't exist even in ten years time and many new ones will be created in new fields by the time they are old enough to work.

I encourage them to think about what they enjoy doing, and then talk about how that could be turned into a career. So DD (15) likes scrapbooking - am encouraging her to consider graphic design. But also keep telling them I am entirely prepared for them to change their minds a hundred times or change careers as an adult, and that's OK too!

My daughter has wanted to be a teacher since age 4, She plays school quite alot with her dolls and teaches them reading /science /maths etc

When they are 7/8 years old I will have some discussions with them on possible careers etc.

I don’t want them to rush into making a ill advised decision based solely on emotion not logic or reasoning either.

I may also ask someone actually doing what they love as well for advice and support. I want them to actively figure out what their skills and abilities are and use that information to help them decide.

To do this I am planning to show them a few job descriptions and ask whether or not they are able to do that or not. But at this point I’m keeping my options open. They are still really little (not even 2 yet!). So I have not broached the subject yet. But probably will later on during their school years.

I think its important that you do not press on your children any ideas of what they should or should not want to be when they get older, life is all about discovery at a young age and we should let our children decide for themselves what they find as fun.

I used to let my son look at toys and decide himself what things he liked to play with. He seemed to gravitate towards stickle bricks, these big chunky robots you could make out of legs and arm parts etc, lego and things like lego where you made things - he had a plastic "welder" toy which was lots of plastic parts that stuck together to make robotic things using a welder which just made lots of friction so the heat welded the plastic together. After that he moved onto the motor type things and electronics.

My tip is to visit the charity shops for toys, we did that, sometimes he would play with something for just 5 minutes, some things he would love for years - then you can take them back for another kid to enjoy, its like recycling fun.

He enjoys tinkering and fixing things and to be honest, I thought he would turn out to be a car mechanic or something like that, but turns out he really loves mathematics and science but is unsure what he wants to do.

So thats where I will leave it, let him decide what he wants to do when he is ready to decide - otherwise it wont be his decision will it?

As for STEM subjects I feel our Education Department for the country has got it all wrong - they see we are short of scientists so they make children take options at 13 (which i call hobsons choice) so their choices of subjects to take is limited by their protocols. So there are millions of kids studying for something they actually hate.

Embrace your kids dreams, it doesnt matter if they want to be (even if it takes an eternity for them to decide) - as long as you support them as parents then they will be happy doing what they enjoy.

Talk to them about the different types of job available and different ways that they could path the way to a career (education, training etc).