Curiosity is a massive part of a child’s learning process. Parents should try to encourage their child’s inquisitive nature to help them perform well in school and generally throughout life. Some children are instinctively more curious than others, but there are many things you can do to help encourage your child to ask questions and explore the world around them.
I have teamed up with an independent girl’s school in Surrey to share the following advice on raising an inquisitive child…
Ask questions
Encourage your child to ask questions by demonstrating your own curious nature. For example, if it starts to rain, you could ask your child “Where does rain come from?” and see if they know the answer or if they have any ideas. If they don’t you could look up the answer together to find out. Alternatively, when you are making your next car journey, you could say to your child “I wonder where this road will take us? And then take a detour to find out! Essentially, the trick is to get them thinking outside the box and looking at the world on a deeper level. It is important to show them that there’s nothing wrong with asking questions, particularly at school if they don’t understand.
Mix things up
One great way to promote inquisitiveness within your home is to occasionally mix up your routine so that your child is able to experience new things. Simple changes here and there can really go a long way in stimulating your child’s mind and making them think about things in a different light. You don’t have to travel the world to make this happen; a minor change like trying a new recipe for dinner or planning a day out is all it takes. Perhaps you could take a trip to your nearest seaside town to remind your child that the world is much bigger than their little bubble and there is a lot to learn around them. If your child becomes too familiar with their structured routine, they may cease to wonder about the rest of the world.
Find the answers
When your child comes to you with questions of their own, always be prepared to answer them, even if you’re busy or unsure of the answer. If you turn them away they might be reluctant to ask you more questions again in the future. If you don’t know how to answer their question you could say ‘let’s find out together’ and then do some research to find out. If they ask you while you are busy, you could say ‘that is a really good question. Why don’t you write it down so we don’t forget and we can learn about it when I am free’. Make time for their curiosity and their learning will flourish.
*This is a collaborative post.
