Fostering Curiosity in Children
Inquisitiveness Leads to Discovery and Learning
Find out how to get your kids asking questions again about the world and help them become life-long learners.
Schooling
Asked about the purpose of schooling, most of the surveyed eighth graders said, “It’s to get a job,” although Tom came up with, “You need an education, so you can get a good job and then buy a good car to go look for chicks.” Smiling yet? But wait; not so fast. Not a word from any of them about research, discovery, or learning . . .
Does your child share their view about education and jobs instead of exploration? Unfortunately, many post-elementary students see school as a means to an end, and have long stopped rushing home bursting with must-share information and asking nonstop questions about the world and how things work.
At Home
It’s been said that children nowadays enter school as question marks, but come out as periods, their curiosity stilled. Whatever happened to all that “why is the sky blue” inquisitiveness, and how do we get it back? Best bet: before blaming schools, think about your home. Is it an electronic wonderland, or do books, magazines, newspapers, almanacs, and encyclopedias dominate your living space? Wide reading—plus plenty of inquiring talk--hold the key. Hours of video gaming, television viewing, text and instant messaging don’t.
Being Curious
Be inquisitive yourself, and never lose your own sense of wonder. Fortunately, it’s contagious. Keep on asking questions, like what makes rainbows or what causes an itch. Then go searching, find out, and share your news. Meanwhile, learn something new everyday--like these cool facts--and pass it along to your child:
- Elephants are the only animals that can't jump.
- Women blink twice as often as men.
- It's physically impossible to lick your elbow. (Did you just try?)
- No English word rhymes with month.
- Our eyes remain the same size from birth, but our noses and ears keep growing.
- The shortest complete sentence in English is "Go."
- The average life span of a major league baseball is seven pitches.
Books and Then Some
Meanwhile, put such places as museums, historical sites, and exhibitions on your must-visit-with-my-child list. Also frequent bookstores and the library together, and consider checking out some of these enticing titles:
- The World Almanac for Kids, edited by C. Alan Joyce
- Father Knows Less or Can I Cook My Sister, by Wendell Jamieson
- The I Wonder Why series, by Amanda O'Neill
- Who Put the Butter in Butterfly? by David Feldman
- Ripley's Believe It or Not series, by Mary Packard
- Super Weird: Strange But True Stories You Won't Believe, by Andrea Urton
But don’t stop there. Tempting, colorful kid magazines abound, just waiting to be discovered by your son or daughter. National Geographic offers two: one designed with the very young in mind, the other for teens. And don’t miss out on the newsy Time for Kids or the vibrant Kids Discover, which presents such varied topics as atoms and dogs, skin and electricity—each month a new treat.
Put it all together and what have you got? For starters, plenty to read and talk about, with more to be discovered. Fostering curiosity in children comes with the promise that they’ll never look at the world again with a passive eye--never be bored by it or take its marvels for granted. Life-long learning, now that’s quite a gift.
