Curiosity is such an important life skill for us all but crucial for our children. The importance of curiosity in children’s learning can never be overstated. The ability to ask questions, and more importantly the right questions is of incredible importance, even in the lives of us adults as well. Innovation is the backdrop to any sort of progress in life, and becomes even more relevant when the child grows up. So what kind of simple everyday things can we do to inspire a bit of creative and curious thinking?
1. Shake up Their Routine
Occasional changes in their daily habits can have a huge impact on the way children think as it exposes them to something new – even if it is something as small as a new bar of soap or changing up the morning routine at the weekend.
2. Surprises and Treat days
Positive surprises can go a long way in improving curiosity in children too, it could be a small treasure hunt or even inviting someone for lunch for a surprise picnic. You could even take a day off work and pick your child up early from school or nursery as a surprise. Go out and have a good time in the great outdoors, and your child will treasure it for a long time.
3. Cooking and Baking
Your child will almost definitely love cake, but how many know how it is made? You could bake cakes together, and the process of mixing ingredients and setting temperatures may awaken a dormant giant in their minds. Also icing and decorating the cakes can lead to a lot of creativity and talk around the process.
4. Open-Ended Stories
Reading the same old favourite stories for your child gets boring for both parties after a while, so why not keep them open-ended? You could ask them for their opinion on how it should end, and encourage them to think of other possible endings. You could also start to look at non-fiction books in areas of your child’s interests to spark curiosity and questioning.
5. Encourage Natural Interests
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.
6. Questioning
Asking questions and sparking their thought process is something that is easily done with children. Talk to them and ask them simple questions that encourage them to think about what they are experiencing. How does the grass feel against your feet? Do you hear the sound the birds make? Even babies who can’t form the sentence to answer pick up on action words like feel and hear. By asking intentional questions, you stretch a child’s mind and reasoning ability, and encourage their creativity and independence.
7. Explore Ethnicity and Differences in the World
Do not let your child think that the culture he or she grows up in is the only one. Expose them to different ethnic cultures, as this can open up their minds and broaden their acceptance of cultures that are not similar to their own. Introduce stories from around the world, world cuisines for lunch and dinner and music from all parts of the globe.
8. Unstructured Free Play
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.
Encouraging curiosity in a child can be difficult, but it pays off both in terms of satisfaction for the parent and development for the child. Therefore, ensure that your child does not lose his or her sense of curiosity by the time they grow up. By following some of the simple ideas above you can start to encourage curiosity in your child.
About Us:
The Country Mouse Childrens Nursery is an excellent nursery in Midhurst, 10 minutes from Petworth and 20 minutes from Chichester, with childcare places for 2 months-5 year olds. We can offer your child fabulous fun filled days of activities to help them learn and make lots of new friends. We have a beautiful large garden with brilliant outdoor learning. Please come and see us, our fantastic classrooms and our magical garden!...and our very special staff team.
Visit the Country Mouse Nursery Website at: www.thecountrymousenursery.co.uk
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