Activities That Will Encourage Curiosity In Kids
What are the qualities of a curious kid? In kids, interest is one of the many drives that aid them to learn and grow at each stage of life. Very often kids are referred to as “Inquisitive Minds” or “Question Box”. The inquiring mind can be seen through their inquisitive nature toward their surroundings, especially when outdoor. When they see something new, there’s a strong erg to ask questions about it or seek guidance. You will hear, “What is this?”, “Why is this red in colour?”, “How do I use this?”.
Not only with questioning but also children show curiosity through just observation. They take time before engaging in various objects and situations by just watching them closely without yet touching or interacting with them. Once they’re satisfied observing the thing for some time, curiosity takes over and urges them to interact with it more thoroughly.
Let’s discuss a few curiosity-sparking activities:
1. Read story books to them:
Take time out and read them real-life stories where challenges were overcome followed by extraordinary achievements. There is dime a dozen similar stories all over the internet. Why real-life stories and not cartoon/fictional? In childhood, kids are exposed to fictional characters and their questions also sometimes have no answer. it’s a better idea to read them real-world achievement stories as their curious questions will be answered with practical/real answers. They will surely inspire your child’s curiosity in childhood!
2. Introduce them to a curiosity kit:
What is a curiosity kit? It’s a box containing materials related to a specific topic of interest emerging from an inquiring mind. E.g. plants, rocks, fruits and vegetables, insects, etc. You can narrow down the interest of your child’s inquiring minds from those topics and make it easier for you to choose which items go into the curiosity box.
Start by asking your child what interests them. Maybe it’s an animal that they love – then think about other things that might also give you clues about what kind of things might pique their interest, such as colours, shapes, and textures.
3. Motivate them to ask questions:
A natural curiosity would ignite the inquiring mind. When you see them asking questions, try to discuss with them – which we tend to ignore. Encourage your child to ask questions about anything they are interested in. Yes, it may sound irritating at times, but please ensure that if you don’t answer them, they will stop asking which is a big step backward. We believe that lifelong lessons are learnt from questioning and experience.
4. Play word games:
There are many simple games you can play with your child to encourage language development, enhance their vocabulary, and ignite inquiring minds. This can be initiated with a question like: “I’m thinking of curiosity in kids that begin with the inquiring mind. Can you think of curiosity in kids that also have curiosity in kids C?”. Additionally, you can play the old age name, place, animal thing game.
5. Encourage outdoor curiosity:
An inquiring mind can be encouraged by showing children the world around them. We at Harshad Valia International School recommend, that discussing topics like global warming, deforestation, or endangered animals inquiring mind will encourage them to ask questions and find out more information for themselves about their planet.
How to raise a curious child efficiently?
Curious children will always observe until they are more convinced to touch. Curiosity leads children to an active involvement with their surroundings which eventually leads to curiosity in kids.
Summing up:
To ensure that your child grows up to be inquisitive, you should encourage curiosity in them and play games that will increase their interest in learning new things. Try to engage your child in the kid’s activities mentioned above and ensure their overall development.