The saying “Inquiring minds want to know” became a popular catchphrase tied to journalism in the 1970s but has since been used in a number of other contexts. I recently had a discussion with a co-worker about intellectual curiosity that sparked this article. We are all wonderfully made and God gave us all an innate curiosity. However, we’ve all met kids and adults who seem to have a more curious mind than others. Those with a higher curiosity tend to retain information easier, think critically, stay involved in their community, and become lifelong learners. Can we foster or acquire a higher thirst for knowledge? You bet! Below are some practical and fun ways you can spark healthy curiosity with your children.
- Do things together. I know this may sound cliché, but providing opportunities to cook together, build, do arts and crafts, take nature walks, visit museums, and do science experiments helps your child explore a variety of hands-on experiences. Curiosity is driven by our desire to understand how something works and make sense of it. These activities ignite this desire instead of stifling it.
- Find the seed. Allow your kids to follow their natural interests. Children learn better when they are interested in the topic. In fact, a recent study from the University of California found that when curiosity is stimulated and we are in a “curious state”, there is increased activity in the reward center of the brain, which helps the brain memorize unrelated information. When we understand how motivation and memory are connected, we can tie a child’s interests into other subjects to help them learn. For example, if you have a musically gifted child, use songs to teach math facts, geography, grammar, etc.
- Ask and answer questions. When you ask open-ended questions, this encourages your children to develop their own thoughts, and also gives you an idea of how they are processing the world around them. Be sure to answer their questions, but if you don’t have an answer, it’s okay. This just gives you an opportunity to research it together and model to them how to find the answer.
- Read together. Children have quite an imagination and reading stories together continues to spark their curiosity and interests. Reading nonfiction together is also important. And kids are often curious about what life was like when you or your parents were growing up. Reading about events or people in these eras can ignite further discussion with you or their grandparents.
- Let your child explore and figure things out. When children are allowed to “free play”, it encourages them to be naturally curious and think through things. It has been said that children learn as they play, and play is a child’s “work.” This is so true. My kids could play for hours at the park or in the backyard with friends engaged in imaginative play.
According to recent studies, when we reinforce curious behavior, children begin to discover new things they like. This reduces anxiety and causes the brain to release dopamine, which produces positive feelings. Fostering curiosity can develop a lifelong love of learning.
“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!” ~Dr. Seuss
