Curiosity is what drives us to learn new things, which is why curiosity is essential in the education process. As adults, there are ways to stimulate us to stay curious, but it is critical to encourage curiosity from a very early age too. According to research conducted by the Association for Psychological Science, curiosity is a big part of academic performance. “If you’re intellectually curious, you’ll go home, you’ll read the books. If you’re perceptually curious, you might go traveling to foreign countries and try different foods” and both of these, explained Sophie von Stumm, co-author of the paper, could help you do better in school. Many kids are naturally curious and are always actively looking to explore and discover new things. However, I’m sure you know more than one kid who hasn’t developed this instinct to the same degree and it becomes their parents and educators’ role to identify this issue and help them cultivate their curiosity. These are 13 exciting ways to awaken kids’ curiosity that a number of parents may ignore:
1. Change their routine
It is important for kids to have a daily routine but occasional small changes in their daily habits can stimulate their brain to think in different ways, which will provoke curiosity. It can be something as simple as changing the bar of soap they normally use, for foam soap and let them discover the new texture, play with it and determine which they prefer.
2. Surprise them
Positive surprises can enhance a child’s curiosity. You could leave a good morning note under their pillow, organize a treasure hunt for a snack, or invite someone they like for lunch and don’t tell them until the loved person arrives.
3. ‘Kidnap’ your child from school
If you can take a day off work and ‘kidnap’ your child from school, they will remember it his entire life. You can spend some enjoyable time together: take them to the local bookstore and eat their favorite ice cream. Your child will have such a lovely time that they’ll want to do it again and again. You will need to make clear that it is an exceptional day. Just be sure to know they aren’t missing out on anything that day at school!
4. Bake a cake together
Kids love cake. But not all of them know how to make a cake. Experiencing the process of making a cake – from the ingredients to the final result – can be quite amazing for a child. And, doing it themselves, will awaken all their senses: hearing how to do it, seeing the transformation and colors, touching unusual textures, smelling the cake while it is baking and finally tasting it!
5. Open-ended stories
Reading a tale before bedtime is a good habit to get kids to sleep. However, always reading the same stories can get monotonous. To make it more fun, you can tell them stories with open ends so they can use their imagination to finish the story. Other ways to help them develop their creativity with tales is by asking them to come up with a new title, encourage them to start the story or continue with it. You can also find different ends for the same stories to grab their attention and keep them interested to see what happens this time.
6. Be prepared to answer their questions
Kids are continuously asking questions and sometimes they can be quite tough to answer. To be able to give them a constructive response it is necessary to understand why are they asking that question. For instance, when they ask you ‘why do you have to go to work?’ they don’t want to hear a list of reasons. They have a desire to spend more time with you. Understanding what they really mean will help you clarify their doubts.
7. Encourage kids to ask (even) more
Curiosity can lead to more curiosity. When your child asks you something like ‘why does it rain?’, you can explain to them the cycle of rain and at the end of your rationalization, you may mention the forms of water without explaining it in detail. If they are interested, it may call their curiosity to ask you more about that subject. This is because if we know nothing about a subject, we cannot be curious about it but as soon as we know a little bit about something, our curiosity is picked up. So encourage more questions!
8. Be the one who asks the questions
By asking questions to your kids, you will pick their brain and make them think about different possible solutions to a problem or matter. Remember always to ask them to give you a reason. Be prepared to hear all sorts of fascinating answers. Some questions ideas are: “Do you think you are a good friend?” “Where is your favorite place in the world?” “If you could invent something that would make life easier for people, what would you invent?” “If you had super powers, what would they be?” “If you had your own country, what would it be called?”
9. Take your kids to an ethnic restaurant
Discovering new cultures is a great way to nurture curiosity. And local food is an excellent way to find out more about a new culture, its flavors, manners, and tradition. Take your kids for a lovely meal in an authentic Japanese, Thai, Indian, Vietnamese or Spanish restaurant, whatever you think they will enjoy more.
10. Travel and visit new places
It is highly recommended to take your kids to a foreign country to experience new cultures, see diverse places and meet new people. Do this as frequently as you can. One of the main reasons why we travel is to satisfy our curiosity and traveling makes us more curious. So getting your kids into this stimulating circle at an early age, will help them get pleasure from visiting new places during their whole live.
11. Encourage your children to study music
You probably already think that it would be good for your kid to learn how to play an instrument, but you may not have thought about the actual reasons behind it. Do you know how music affects your brain? We all use either more of our right side or left side of the brain, but people who study music actually tend to use both sides of their brain. This makes them better at lateral thinking, which means being able to solve problems through a creative approach. Having a creative mind will make your child more curious about the world around them.
12. Observe their interests
We all have different interests, and there is proof that we are only predisposed to learn new things when we are interested in them. As a parent, you may observe what your child likes and dislikes, so focus on encouraging his curiosity for those areas of knowledge he prefers.
13. Let your kid be a kid
As a parent, it can sometimes be tough to let your kids do what they want. They can often want to do most inconvenient things. But as long as their latest idea isn’t dangerous, it is better to let them explore the world their own way. At a certain age, toddlers develop the desire to do things by themselves, and it is recommended to let them try. Saying things like “that’s not how you should do it” can negatively affect their curiosity. You may better let them make mistakes and learn from them. Do you have your own strategies to cultivate curiosity in children? We would love to hear your suggestions. Featured photo credit: Flickr: Raul Pop via flickr.com
