Interesting Article from the TAG department

10 Best Ways to Cultivate Curiosity in Kids

By Josh Clark

There's something very cynical about telling another person that curiosity killed the cat without adding that satisfaction brought him back. Doubt, insecurity, anxiety and a fear of failure are what keep us from exploring the world around us. By allowing our curiosity to get the best of us, however, we can be greatly rewarded with learning about new cultures, new interests and new ways of looking at life. Research indicates that we learn by exploring, and even once we've gotten a handle on life, our curiosity remains. But this trait must be cultivated; it can easily be lost and replaced with mundaneness. With little effort and a bit of foresight, parents can help cultivate their children's curiosity. Even better, sparking curiosity in children can help do the same for the adults around them. Here are 10 ways that parents can cultivate curiosity in kids and create a lifelong love of learning. Let your Child Take the Reins As we've just seen, allowing your child to guide the conversation can spark curiosity, or at least support the curiosity he or she has recently pursued. Don't stop there, however. That trip to the grocery store or the museum, the times when you're tending your parent-child garden, the wild swings in interest. All of these are times when it's all right to allow your child to let his or her curiosity go wherever it may lead. There are plenty of moments when your son or daughter will require your guidance, but there are also moments when he or she should be able to lead the inquisitive parade. This will inherently require some toughness from you as a parent. When you let your child take the lead, you are, from time to time, inherently setting him up for failure. And your child will fail. But don't let your natural protectiveness stop you or your child from letting curiosity take over. Get Involved in Your Child's Studies Quick: What is your child studying in science class this week? Not sure? Then you've just discovered a new opportunity to cultivate your child's curiosity. Engage your child in a conversation about his or her current studies. Let your child take the lead in the conversation, with you simply asking questions. Even if he or she is recounting something you're already familiar with, try to repress the urge to guide the conversation. The same tactic can also be used for extracurricular activities, like that astronomy club or trumpet lesson. If your child is getting older and has already mastered the art of eye-rolling, step things up a bit. Ask the child about the coolest thing he or she's learned recently. By drawing yourself closer to your child's studies, you'll not only support curious inquiry, you'll also engage them on a personal level based on your child's day to day life. Open lines of communication are important, and sometimes, the child should lead the discussion. Allow Field Trips and Home-Based Discovery We've already seen a trip to the grocery store can be a big opportunity for curiosity. Just think about the abundance that awaits at places that are geared toward sparking curiosity. A simple leisurely walk through a children's museum or a museum of art or history will often spark curiosity on its own, even your child grudgingly agrees to go along. But taking the time to ask open-ended questions about the exhibits can help ignite the spark into a flame. Queries like "What do you think life was like for Neanderthals?" or "I wonder how the artist got the eyes in this painting to follow us around" can truly help to cultivate curiosity, even if neither one of you has a clue to the answer. You can also set up moments that can inspire curiosity at home. Varied gardens, for example, give you an opportunity to spend time with your kids, offer a glimpse into the inner workings of an often-overlooked world and can lend your child a sense of accomplishment and pride in the finished product. Allow for Flexible Thinking As adults, we may have finally given in to believing that there's one way to do things: the right way. In our daily lives, we have deadlines that have to be met and a certain way of delivering our work in a quick and efficient way. Curiosity doesn't work like this. In fact, it represents pretty much the opposite of that mentality. Psychologist Todd Kashdan recommends being aware of our tendencies to view things through a single lens when we're instructing our children. He uses the example of teaching a youngster how to hold a baseball bat. Instead of telling the child you're teaching him or her the correct way, tell the kid this is one way to hold the bat. Leaving the instruction open to interpretation also leaves the door open to curiosity. This method of teaching also cuts down on the fear of failure. Implying that there are other ways to hold a bat (and view the world) lends more freedom to a child to explore other ways as well without worrying about letting you down or doing something the wrong way. Recognize Everyday Opportinities When you're in the grocery store, the list you carry with you is probably really similar to the list you had last week and the week before. But each time you pass by the foods that don't quite make sense, you pass by an opportunity to spark curiosity in your child (and yourself). There's a big, wide world out there, but don't take for granted that your child is aware of it. Take the initiative to try new things from other places to expand this awareness. This can be as simple as a testing out a food from another land for a single dinner. Let your keyword searches guide you: before leaving work, search the Internet for interesting facts about another country with great cuisine, like India or Thailand. During the meal, announce your discoveries. Not only will you create the potential for cultivating curiosity in your child, you may ignite your own as well. And this is just dinner we're talking about. Everything from a trip to IKEA for some dishware to a family vacation can present opportunities for cultivating curiosity. Imagine the possibilities. Embrace Anxiety It can be scary, trying new things. Oftentimes, taking up a new interest means meeting new people, and when we investigate a new topic, there is an inherent risk that we won't fully grasp it. This is tantamount to failure, which can prevent us from seeking new areas of interest. The fear of the unknown can breed anxiety, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. George Mason University psychologist Todd Kashdan views anxiety as the opposite side of the same coin that excitement dwells. By recognizing anxiety is present when we undertake new explorations, we are effectively taking some of the scare out, which allows the other side to fill the void. By reassuring your child that it's okay to feel anxious when trying out a new thing, but predicting that he or she will experience real excitement once it's over, curiosity can be cultivated. We are rewarded with a pleasurable feeling when we try something new, and our confidence tends to grow with each success. Even the sense of failure may be displaced by the sense of accomplishment and bravery shown by investigating a new interest. Don't Inadvertently Stunt Curiosity Peers aren't the only group that can stunt curiosity in children. Even as innocently as we may do it, adults and even parents can send the message that curiosity is an undesirable trait. In some moments it's harder to encourage curiosity than others. A trip to a museum is a ready-made opportunity to cultivate curiosity; washing dishes or watching the game may be a little harder to see as such an occasion. Questions from our kids come at unpredictable times, whether we're ready for them or not. But each question asked is a chance to expand curiosity. It's easy to answer uninvited questions at inopportune moments with an "I don't know," and a shrug of the shoulders. This can stymie curiosity in children, especially if the question is answered curtly or the child is treated as a bother. Of course, not every question is going to be met with aplomb and enthusiasm. But whenever you can muster the energy, take time out to answer questions from your kids. Don't be afraid to say you don't know; take the opportunity to go research the answer together. You'll likely find that the line of questioning will run its course fairly quickly, and, honestly, the dishes can wait. Be Aware of Disengagement Letting your child know that it's all right to become disinterested in one topic for another (and doing your best to forget about the $150 price tag for that trumpet he no longer plays) is an excellent way to foster curiosity. Just look out for signs of disengagement, like dropping an interest and not replacing it with another. This is especially significant with the onset of puberty, when the opposite sex becomes vastly more interesting. Encouraging your child to maintain at least one hobby or join at least one club her or she finds interesting can help prevent them from engaging in risky behavior during their teenage years. Much of the threat to curiosity comes from other kids. Unfortunately, children aren't curious in equal measure. As the teenage years continue, the pressure to conform to the group -- which will generally not have a vital interest in trumpets, astronomy or other topics of curiosity -- can lead your child to drop his or her childhood interests in favor of being accepted. Let your kid know he or she can be both cool and interested in life. Support Deep Interests If you're lucky enough that your child has focused in on one (inexpensive) interest, throw everything you've got at it. In addition to breadth, psychology also measures levels of curiosity by depth. A child who is intensely interested in the cosmos but couldn't care less about anything else is still curious by definition. Within a single topic, especially a broad one like astronomy or space exploration, there are worlds of related information. An interest in stars can lead to the discovery of black holes, which further involve the child in mental exploration. You're going to want to keep an eye out for a lack of socialization, however. Studies have shown that kids who are deeply curious about a single topic may have trouble integrating into their peer groups. Make sure that along with the topic of interest, your child also takes time to hang out with other kids. One good idea is to find clubs that are based around your kid's interest. She and other kids with the same interest will have a lot to talk about. Encourage Dabbling One of the ways that psychologists evaluate curiosity is by its breadth -- the span across topics that draw a person's attention. Dabbling in everything from a foreign language, to the trumpet, to dinosaurs doesn't mean a child is fickle; it's a sign of a healthy curiosity. Encourage it. While this will likely mean a lot of trips to clubs and functions that taper off quickly as soon as a new interest is discovered, this is a small price to pay to cultivate curiosity in a child. Studies have shown that people who display signs of trait curiosity, a lifelong drive to find new things or deeply investigate others, tend to score high on life satisfaction scales in adulthood. Certainly, no one expects parents to clear out the section related to their child's most recent interest at the book store. But a single book, a documentary, a puzzle or day trip can both stoke the child's excitement and satisfy their curiosity.