“Curiosity. It keeps us moving forward, exploring experimenting, opening new doors.” Walt Disney
Curiosity… it drives us to learn and is the creative spark for thinking. Curiosity encourages us to explore and be creative in each and every part of our lives. Children are curious creatures and we’ve all had the constant ‘Why?’ questioning from our children. This can be draining but it is actually something to celebrate. A curious mind is an open and inquisitive mind. So what can we do to build on our children’s curiosity?
The importance of talk and conversation
The importance of talk is well known and much talked about but it is the key to everything for successful learning to take place. From a very young age children need to hear words, phrases and conversation and they crave it. With a child in a pushchair, try and make sure they face you for as long as possible to encourage talk. Model inquisitive questioning and remark on everything you do even how mundane and boring it might be to you.
Get out into the Big Wide World
To spark curiosity children need to be exposed to a varying number of different situations and places. How can they be curious about something that they don’t even know exists? Get your children outside in nature and get them to really look around. Use their senses, what can they hear, touch, smell? Encourage your child’s natural questioning, wonder out loud "I wonder why the leaves on the trees are green?" Your child will learn from you so lead by example. If you seen enthralled and excited by everything you see, so will they. Children remember experiences, the excitement they felt in planning and the happiness afterward. Memories can last a lifetime so get outside and make them together!
The Importance of Questioning
We have discussed questioning and talk previously but the kind of questioning is also crucial in getting children to think in a deeper way. Use words like who, what, when, where, why and how when talking to your child. If you model this language your child will learn from this and do it themselves when asking questions. This will promote a deeper understanding of how and why things work and will naturally lead to more questions about the subject.
Encourage Interests and Hobbies
If your child is interested in a certain activity, be it sport, art or music, give them opportunities to do that activity as much as you can. Sparking a child’s interest and encouraging them to do it will naturally led them to explore it in more detail. Curiosity leads to exploration and problem solving so encouraging these activities can be just what a child needs to light the spark.
Play for Learning
Unstructured child led play is a great way to nurture and develop your children's curiosity and sense of discovery. Children are naturally inquisitive beings and will bring this into their play naturally. If you have modelled good open ended questioning and deeper thinking with your child then you will hear this come out in role-play activities when they play with others. Structured or adult led play can also aid curiosity. Unlike some toys that are designed to be used a certain way, materials like boxes, blocks, water, sand, pots and pans, and any art material, can be used imaginatively. Do not tell your child what to do with the material, how to do it or what it should look like in the end. Let your child’s curiosity be their guide.
Importance of Deeper Thinking Skills
Another useful tool when your children has a question is to ask for their thoughts first before answering their question. They might ask “Why is the sky blue”, instead of answering straight away ask them why they think it is. This kind of question prompts reasoning and ideas which are key to being a curious person. If you don’t have the answer to any of their questions, say so. Let them know it’s okay not to have all the answers. This also provides an opportunity to model how to find answers. Go with your child to the library, search on the internet or call someone else who might know.
Curiosity is what drives change and moves us forward. It is an incredibly vital skill to teach our children and leads to a lifelong love of finding out answers. I will leave you with a quote from Albert Einstein:
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”
About Us:
Orchidale Children's Nursery is based in a fantastic converted bungalow building in Taverham, 15 minutes from Norwich with childcare places for 2 months-5 year olds. We can offer your child fabulous fun filled days of activities to help children learn and make lots of new friends. We have a fabulous outdoor space with so many area's of learning. Including a separate 0-2's garden, forest school space, large lawn for the children to run around on and so much more! Please come and see us, our beautiful learning area's and our magical garden. If you are searching for a Day Nursery in Norwich, Norfolk then we are the Children's Nursery that goes the extra mile for you and your children.
Visit the Orchidale Nursery website at: www.orchidale.co.uk
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