Nurturing your child's curiosity

Children are born with a natural curiosity to discover what they see, how it works and what they can do with it. The innocent curiosity of a child gives them astounding courage. They are ever willing to explore and try new things in pursuit of adventurous learning opportunities.  It is important to let your child get curious as it encourages them to try new opportunities, make new friends, get creative and generally explore what life has to offer.

You can always let them traverse their interests while playing a role in nurturing them with these simple tips.

Encourage questions

At a certain age, everything a child sees is new and they want to understand and make sense of it.  This is where questions like, “Where do babies come from?” come in. Inasmuch as some inquiries might be shocking, answer these questions simply and clearly according to your child’s development. Avoid dismissing these questions and instead, encourage their curiosity by willing to answer whatever they shoot at you.

Give them experiences

Once in a while replace material gifts with experiences. Take your child out on a hike, to a museum, for a walk or to a park to let them get wild and explore the environment. Give them adventures that light up their eyes and leave their mouths open. To a child, these moments are exciting and awe-striking.

Redirect undesired behaviour

Sometimes, a child’s curiosity can get them hurt or in danger and as a parent, you might get worried about the risk your child is exposed to. Instead of discouraging undesirable behaviour, find alternative safer ways for your child to explore whatever has their attention. For example, if they love splashing water in the house, find a suitable spot outside where they can do this freely.

Allow open-ended activities

Encourage your child to play games that require their imagination and creativity. Instead of toys that have specific ways to use, try offering them objects that will need them to figure out how to play with. For example, you can let them play with sand or stones in the backyard. With these, they will be able to get creative and create something from them.

Prompt their thinking

Offer situations where they can speak their mind on what they think about a subject. You could wonder aloud about things such as why the sky is blue and listen to what they think about it. This will prompt their curiosity for knowledge and help them learn new things.

Let them be

Kids will always be kids and it is their nature to find something to keep them entertained. Unstructured play is the best way to nurture your child’s sense of discovery. It also earns them a sense of pride as they find joy in learning things on their own. This, overall, helps you raise a confident child.

Remember…

You do not have to plan everything for them because curiosity cannot be taught to a child. Let them wander and discover on their own.