Decades of research has shown that introducing STEM content like coding and engineering during the foundational early childhood years can lead to many benefits, such as improving children's number sense, problem-solving skills, and sequencing ability. Unfortunately, the costs of STEM technologies can be a barrier for many early childhood educators. Additionally, many digital tools and apps are not playful or developmentally appropriate for young learners and can be less inclusive of students who have been historically excluded from STEM. This book addresses these barriers by demonstrating how to leverage an interdisciplinary STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) approach to pique the curiosity of young students through play-based learning. The authors provide evidence-based, hands-on approaches as well as a practical framework to effectively integrate STEAM learning in the early grades (pre-K to third grade). Readers will explore new ways to play alongside their young learners to make powerful STEAM discoveries and foster a lifelong love of learning.

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