Cultivating your child’s curiosity from a young age is one of the best ways to help them become a lifelong learner. This doesn’t necessarily refer to learning in an academic sense, although that’s part of it; it also refers to learning about the world around them, as well as their personal experiences. Here are some tips from pre-prep school in Hampshire on how parents can nurture curiosity, without forcing it.
You’ll have to focus on your position as a role model for your child. Let them hear you wondering aloud about various things. For instance, next time you take a walk in the park you could say “I wonder if any animals live in there” or “I wonder how long this tree has been growing here”. Encourage your child’s natural interests and let them see you pursuing interests of your own. Show them that learning about something new, like how to play an instrument or how to crochet, is perfectly normal and something to be proud of.
When your child comes to you with questions, don’t shrug them off. First ask them what their own thoughts are and help them come to a correct conclusion. If you turn them away when they’re asking you questions, they might not want to come to you again. If you don’t actually know the answer to their question, use it as an opportunity to spend some quality time together to research and figure out the answer. You could take a field trip to the library or do some searching online.
Try and provide your child with an interesting environment at home by mixing up their routine from time to time and introducing new, educational activities. For instance, you could encourage them to join you for some gardening one weekend or visit a new town. Put new posters up on the wall and ask them to help you with the cooking. The idea is to stimulate their thoughts and sense with new activities and concepts that they can learn from and ask questions about.
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post
Leave a Reply