What turns a person into a lifelong learner? Curiosity. You’ve probably noticed that your child is naturally curious. (How many questions do you answer throughout the day?) By encouraging that curiosity, you can foster a love of learning in your child, and a love of learning can help them with problem-solving, academics, and more. So, how do you encourage your child’s curiosity? You can start with these tips.
Praise Curiosity
You know how smart your child is, and you probably tell them often. But do you praise your child’s curiosity, too? If not, now is a great time to start. Some studies have shown that curiosity is just as important as intelligence when it comes to academic success and problem-solving.
It makes sense. Imagine that a smart and capable college student has to write a research paper. If that student has no sense of curiosity about their subject, then that paper will be a chore. If, however, they’ve been encouraged from childhood to ask “what if” questions, then they can approach that subject from different angles. The research will still take a lot of work, but the student will be much more motivated to do that work, and they’ll enjoy it more.
It all starts with building positive attachments to curiosity. Encourage curiosity in your child by showing them how much you love it: “I like how you always want to learn more about new things. It’s fun to ask questions, isn’t it?”
Don’t Have All the Answers
As parents, we can feel pressure to act like we have all the answers. Well, here’s a way to encourage curiosity and provide some relief from that pressure: Accept the fact that you don’t know everything, and be open about it with your children.
After all, what is curiosity? It’s what happens when you don’t know something but would really like to know. It’s what motivates you to look something up or run an experiment. If you want to encourage curiosity in your child, you can start by fostering it in yourself. Your child will learn from your example.
“Let’s Find Out!”
When you don’t pretend to have all the answers, you’ll get more comfortable saying, “I don’t know,” and “let’s find out.” That second answer is especially important for children.
First, it shows them that they can always look up the answers when they don’t understand something. Second, it shows how they can do that. Maybe you and your child can pull out a dictionary when neither of you knows how to spell a certain word. Maybe you can look up a science question on a kid-friendly website. These practical lessons empower your child to know what their resources are and how they can keep coming back to those resources.
Encouraging Your Child’s Curiosity at Legacy Academy
The Legacy Academy team is here to help you encourage your child’s natural curiosity. Here, we know that curiosity is essential to learning. We also know that after the COVID-19 pandemic, getting back into curiosity-building activities can be challenging.
Why not encourage curiosity by enrolling your child at Legacy Academy? We’ve specifically designed our summer activities to bring your child’s curiosity to life. This summer, we’re exploring the unknown, asking questions, and fostering a love of learning. Get in touch now to find out how you can enroll your child.
