Things happen for a reason: there is a cause for every effect. In science, the cause explains why something happens. The effect is the description of what happened. Many simple activities can be done at home and in the backyard that will help develop your child's understanding of cause and effect.

Why is cause-and-effect important?

To put it concisely, cause is the why something happened and effect is the what happened. Cause and effect are important elements of a text that help the reader to follow a writer's line of thought, regardless of whether that text is fiction or nonfiction.

What is an example of cause-and-effect?

Cause and effect is the relationship between two things when one thing makes something else happen. For example, if we eat too much food and do not exercise, we gain weight. Eating food without exercising is the “cause;” weight gain is the “effect.” There may be multiple causes and multiple effects.