Why, Mummy, Why? A Tribute to All Parenting Souls Out There
They say, “curiosity kills the cat” but when you kill children’s curiosity, you kill their desire to learn.
According to researchers, babies are born with an internal desire to explore and discover the things around them. This is the reason one of the most frequently used words by children is the word, “why?”
Too frequent that sometimes parents wished they never knew this word. If this is how you feel, it is time to take a different perspective and start embracing the fact that your child has a very strong desire to learn.
It is crucial to turn every “why” into learning opportunities for your child. “But I do not have the answers to all the questions asked”, this probably runs through our minds. But that is okay because a learning opportunity does not always require a correct answer.
Here are some tips to help caregivers manage the endless “whys” from children.
What do you think?
It is important to find out what the children’s thoughts are before giving them the answer to their questions. This is to gauge how much knowledge they already have so that you can give answers that are appropriate to their age. Ask children open-ended questions, not those questions that will encourage them to answer with a yes or a no, but those that will lead them to the answers.
Let’s find out together!
We live in a world that we have access to search engines, or even the library to find out about things that we do not know or understand. This is so useful especially when you do not have the answer to the questions that your children asked. Doing researches and/or experiments together with your children can be very interesting and fun! You will be amazed at the amount of knowledge you will gain from such experiences.
Good try! How about this?
Always use positive reinforcement, without discouraging the children to talk and to ask questions. There is no such thing as a stupid answer. Learning to redirect their answers to a more accurate answer by encouraging them through suggestions instead of telling them that they are wrong.
Always remember, you kill their curiosity, you kill their sense of wonder and eagerness to learn.
Happy Reading,
Capella Preschool Team