Curiosity

 

Inquisitive Interested Inquiring

How, why and what? Who? Where? When? So many questions! All. The. Time.

 Little Miss Curious just wants to know everything.

My friends and I were talking yesterday about how children seem to have lost their curiosity. Sadly I think this might be one of the negative consequences of mobile phones and other devices. So many opportunities for conversations that spring from young children's questions about their world and the people they meet are being lost as parents seem too distracted to talk and instead they thrust devices into the hands of the youngest children.

If you agree this is an issue I have a few picture books to suggest that might reignite your child's curiosity, their questioning and their interest in the world around them.

The Children's Library Lady lists these outcomes when we foster curiosity. Children become:

• Interested in what they see around them
• Motivated to learn more and find the answers to questions
• Passionate about certain topics and researching all they can about it.
• Proactive in asking questions, socially and in the classroom
• Enthusiastic about new discoveries
• Interested in reading and learning new things

I also found this list - you read more about each of these points here;

Tips for Nurturing Curiosity

• Model interest in the world around you. ...
• Follow your child's lead. ...
• Answer questions simply and clearly and according to your child's development. ...
• Use the library! ...
• Stimulate your child with open-ended questions. ...
• Create an interesting environment. ...
• Redirect, don't discourage.

When you visit the library make sure to pick up one or two non fiction books - these can be a wonderful way to inspire curiosity. My sidebar has non fiction as a search term. 

For example I mentioned this amazing book recently:

Crossings

Mindfulness can foster curiosity as can STEM activities. You could also hunt out picture book biographies which often feature people who discover new things because they were/are curious. 

Stories that I call "grass is greener" which feature characters heading off to explore their world beyond the comfort of home are also examples of curiosity in action. Look at Daisy; Once upon a small Rhinoceros; Veronica; Wendy; Louise the Adventures of a Chicken.

Don't forget borrow wordless or textless books - these are terrific conversation starters. The link on my sidebar says Silent Books (this is the term used by IBBY). 

WORDS RELATED TO CURIOSITY

inquisitiveness interest eagerness investigation questioning searching

Here are some books from this blog or books that I have read and enjoyed that you could also explore. These are just the 'tip of a huge iceberg' - there are hundreds or perhaps thousands of books you could share with a child that will foster their curiosity.  

Ask me

Zoom

I like bees, I don't like honey

If only ...

I am very keen to see this new poetry book which will be published later this year;