Children are born to be curious. Starting at a very young age, they want to understand the world around them. This is why babies are always grabbing, hitting, gnawing, shaking, and touching everything within arms reach. Curiosity is an important skill for young ones to develop. It can help them develop a strong love for learning and keep them interested in the world around them as they grow. Even as adults, we are still curious. There are always new things to learn and discover, and that is what makes curiosity so important.
However, in today’s day and age, children are being placed in front of TVs and given electronic devices that take away that natural curiosity. When kids are able to entertain themselves rather than having a device keep them entertained for hours, they will better develop their curious mind. As a parent, it is important for you to help your child remain curious and to encourage that behavior.
There are many reasons why curiosity is so important, especially in children. It helps them learn, allows them to work on their decision-making skills, encourages an active mind, and it leaves their mind open to new ideas and possibilities. Our staff at Inch By Inch Child Care in Bedford works hard to encourage curiosity in all of our students. We allow them to explore their interests and the world around them.
We understand the importance of curiosity in children and we hope parents understand it as well! If you want to help encourage curiosity in your children, this blog will help. We are going to give you tips on how to stimulate curiosity in your little one, and it may help boost your curious spirit as well!
Be a Role Model
At some point in adulthood, you may have realized that you stop questioning the world around you and just accepting the world for what it is. But have you ever found yourself questioning why something is the way that is it? When you have these moments of curiosity around your children, ask your questions out loud. No matter what it is or how silly it may be, you may want to know more about something and saying it out loud will show your child that you are curious and still learning as well.
You can even take time to look up the answer with your kiddo so that you both learn something new. When you show a curiosity for the world around you, your child will realize that there is always something new to learn, which can help keep their minds curious.
Answer Their Questions
There will be times in your child’s life when the questions are non-stop and you are sick of answering them, we get it. But answering all of their questions can help encourage their curiosity. As your child grows, you will be able to answer their questions in more depth and help them learn about something that interests them.
If you want to encourage your child’s curious mind, never answer their questions with phrases like “That’s just the way it is,” “Because I said so,” or anything else that may discourage them from asking questions. Answer their questions the best you can and if you don’t know the answer, look it up! This is a great opportunity to learn something new and help your kiddo learn something as well. This also shows that you are always learning, even as an adult.
Let Them Explore Their Interests
When your child shows interest in one topic over any other, be encouraging and help them learn more about it. If they are showing a strong curiosity in Egypt, take them to the library so they can get books about the topic and learn more. This is a great way to help keep them curious and allow them to learn more about something that interests them. As they learn more about one topic, they will likely gain a curiosity about another and develop a love for learning.
Allow For Independent Play
Giving your child time to play independently can help to encourage and stimulate curiosity. When your children are toddlers, they want to explore the world in their own way. Giving them the opportunity to play how they want allows them to explore their curiosities and learn. Try to avoid jumping in to help when you notice they are frustrated with something not working, they have to learn how to problem solve on their own and letting them figure it out will do that. A curious mind and time to play independently will help your child learn a lot about how the world works.
Let Them Make Mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes and it is important that you let your child make mistakes of their own. While many parents want to help a child before they make a mistake or give them assistance after the mistake is made, this can stifle curiosity and learning. Children need to know that making mistakes is a part of life and that everyone makes them. If your child comes to you for help after they made a mistake, ask them how they think they should fix it. This will show them that mistakes are not the end of the world and stimulate their curiosity as they try to figure out how to solve the problem.
You can help them realize this by admitting to your own mistakes. If you mess up the dinner recipe, simply state that you made a mistake and talk about how you plan on fixing it. Something like “Oops, I forgot an ingredient at the store, I’m going to try to figure out what I can use instead” is a great way to show them that mistakes happen and they are not failures. You can simply learn from mistakes and improve from them.
Make Them Observant
Observing the world around you is a great way to stay curious. Teaching your child to be observant can help them ask more questions about the world and their surroundings. To help encourage your child to be observant, point out things you notice to them. You could even make a game out of it. Let’s say you notice a dog being walked as you drive through your neighborhood. Point it out to your child and ask them to point out any other dogs they spot. This will keep them be more aware and may even begin a curiosity for dog breeds.
Ask Them Questions
To keep your child’s mind active, ask them questions whenever you can. You can ask them anything to get them thinking. Ask about their friends, what superpowers they would want, what their favorite animals are, where they would like to travel, what they would invent and why, these types of questions will encourage curiosity and creativity, which are both important in your child’s learning and development.
These are a few of the many ways to encourage curiosity in your child. Use these tips and help stimulate your child’s mind, you may even become a little more curious about the world too! Be sure to schedule a tour at Inch By Inch Child Care in Bedford and contact us to learn more.