S1.E11: Promote Curiosity - Raising Thinkers Podcast

Think back to when you were a kid.  How many questions did you ask? How many questions do you ask now? Some of us are still full of questions, but others of us seem to have lost our sense of wonder. We used to want to know why? regarding so many things, and now we're just pursuing life. That's not a bad thing, we have to keep living and providing for our families, but it's also extremely important to cultivate curiosity in our children. In the process we might be able to generate some more of our curiosity and child-like wonder once again as well.

First of all, let's look at why this is important. Think about the future of your family... of your country... of our planet. We have lots of problems. We need innovative solutions. If people aren't asking questions, then they are not going to develop ways to solve these issues.

Beyond the need for innovators, wonder and curiosity are also one of the beginning points of learning. Sometimes, as a teacher, I've tried to teach kids about things that they didn't really care about. I was able to make it fun, engaging and exciting through creative theatrics, using technology, or some other tactic, but I was much more successful when the students were truly motivated for themselves. They wanted to learn because they wanted to know. They were curious. If we can latch onto these wonderings of our children, then we can promote their learning even more.

So as parents, how do we cultivate that curiosity now?  Honestly, there are plenty of ideas out there, but here are a few that I think are practical, and simple that can be very engaging for your child. Try one or two of them out and see how it goes.

To start with, I would like to share with you the Wonderwall. A wonderwall  is basically a wall where you put questions that you wonder about. This could be something for the whole family to contribute to. Whenever somebody has a question that is one of those burning questions they really want to know the answer to, instead of answering it in the moment (or just asking Google and taking a simple answer), you write down the question and put it on the wall.  now some of you might not want to have notes all over your wall, and that's totally fine I don't know that I would either.

However, there are other options. You can put them up on the fridge, on a corkboard, or a special section in your home.  You could also put them in a jar or a box and make it the wonder jar, box or chest.  Each day or honestly, whenever your child is feeling extra ready to investigate, you can choose to randomly, and then have your child pick one of them. Depending on the age of your child, investigation might look a little bit different. It could be looking at some videos online or doing some research. It could mean getting some books out and reading some. You can also mean going outside and observing, listening, taking photographs, or even doing some experiments.  The goal is to harness the questions that we have and to pursue understanding. The fun part about this is anybody in the family can add to the Wonder jar or Wonderwall. Additionally, anybody can investigate. This can be done individually, as a family, or even between your children themselves. You can develop not just curiosity in your child, but curiosity for everyone. The best part of it is the joy of discovery!

My next tip is to listen.  This one works great especially with your younger children. Listen to what they are saying and quickly write down a few notes about what they're wondering about. The next day you can pursue these ideas further. If you have time to prepare, depending on their wondering, you can set up some experiments for them in the kitchen... or plan to take them to a particular garden or trail…. or get some books from your library at home or from your local library. You can even find websites or videos that are appropriate to help them find their answers and to inspire more questions.

Another important thing here is to dig in with them as an inquirer.  Yes, they can investigate a lot on their own, even when they're young, but every once in awhile jump in and explore alongside them. Remember, they learn from your example. The more they see you engaged in pursuing understanding and answering questions, the more they will want to investigate as well.  You are the one who sets the tone in your home.

One other fun way for kids of all ages to tap into their curiosity is what I call photographic wondering.  Most children, from age 3 and up can already take photos on a portable device. Now I wouldn't be about to let my three-year-old run around with my phone and take photos outside, but with supervision I would do a Wonder walk and work together to take some photos of things they point out and ask about.

The key to this challenge is to take photos of things that make you wonder… Or things you would like to investigate further. This can be done very effectively outside, but it could also be done inside as well. I might take a photo of a spider web... or guitar strings. Or perhaps I snap a shot of a bicycle or even some rocks. It all depends on what they're wondering about. Then, from those photos, you can choose something different to investigate each day.  If you have the ability to print out some pictures, you can put them up in your house. Then as you investigate them, you can check them off or move them somewhere else. One element that is beneficial here, is that taking photos often helps us notice things in a different way. You can even challenge your older children to take photos that are only from a macro perspective, up close. This will slow them down to think more carefully about what they're wondering about.

You might be thinking that some of your child's questions are answered very simply and quickly by you. That's true. You do have a lot of answers to many of their questions. However when you allow them to investigate and discover, you allow for them to experience the joy of discovery. That is a very powerful emotion, and it encourages them to continue to explore further. You can definitely share some of your answers with your child, but don't forget to sometimes make them work for it.  

In life there aren't that many easy answers as you get older, so if we really want to develop curious children, it's not just about asking questions and getting answers. It's more about them asking the questions and going through the process to discover for themselves.  Additionally, this helps them become more independent thinkers.

Enjoy the wondering!!