Eleanor
Roosevelt once said, "I think, at a child's birth, if a mother
could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful
gift, that gift would be curiosity." No truer words were ever
uttered. Children are inquisitive little creatures; they want
to know about the world around them and ask endless questions
in search of answers. Never-ending attempts to accommodate
their curiosity can make us all weary. However, if we want
our children to develop strong minds and to learn to their
potential then we must accept and encourage their streaming
inquiries. Think back to your own childhood- to your own curious
nature and how it was nurtured. Do you remember times when
you discovered something significant or wondered about how
something worked? Do you remember how you got answers to your
questions? The way we respond to our children is important.
Nurturing their curiosity sends them the message that we value
the learning process.
Eleanor
was right about curiosity, it is a gift. It is essential for
healthy cognitive development as it motivates a desire to
learn. When children share their wonders with us we are provided
with many great opportunities to engage in rich and stimulating
conversations with them. These conversations are invaluable;
they promote language development but more importantly, they
also strengthen your relationship with your child. Children
can learn things about you they might not realize otherwise
when you answer their questions and openly discuss their topics
of interest. Conversation is only one way to encourage curiosity.
There are many other things we can do to nurture curiosity
in our children.
The
best thing we can do is offer them an environment that is
safe and one where they are free to explore with a minimum
of adult supervision. On a lake in the back woods of Michigan
is where I spent my childhood years and was where my own curiosity
was cultivated. I learned many important things in the natural
environment that surrounded me, like how to be still and quiet
and to pay attention. In the woods I first discovered colors,
textures, and patterns; I discovered too how things were alike
and different. I still recall the first time I saw a bull
frog, heard the call of a bob-white, smelled the richness
of the humus on the woods floor, and felt the soft texture
of moss beneath my feet. Even after all these years, I remain
in awe of these profound and vivid early learning experiences
that were the result of being able to explore my environment
in my own way.
Inspired
by the wonders in nature, I was especially curious to learn
facts about the trees, plants, and animals in my environment.
My exhausted parents didn't always have answers for me, but
they still found ways to indulge my curiosity. They gave me
a set of Golden Book Field Guides- those little paperback
books with titles like Ponds and Lakes, Trees, and Wildflowers
of North America and of which I still have in my possession.
We don't always have answers to the questions we are asked.
When we don't; what do we do? Do we encourage them by saying,
"That's a good question, let's find out." Do we inspire their
curiosity by posing questions to them and offering a safe
environment for discovery? These are the things that set the
stage for all learning and are the things that show our children
that we appreciate their gift of curiosity.
