Curiosity Based Learning
One of the greatest parts of the summer camp experience for kids is exploring new things and discovering where their talents or passions are. At CSG we encourage kids to ask questions! What kind of bug is that? Why didn’t my arrow hit the target? What’s a beet and do I really want to eat it? When kids ask questions it means they are in a curious state-of-mind. This state helps brains to process information and to evaluate what they are seeing and understand it.
As parents I am certain that you have seen this mindset in your kids! They’ve probably annoyed you during some car ride or hike, asking you every detail that pops into to their little heads. Or if you want the counter example, think about the state of mind your kids are in when they are on the iPad or smartphone. They are not curious! They are not asking interesting questions. You probably can’t even get their attention, much less get them to answer a question. The are in a focused state-of-mind that keeps their brain from making new connections or understanding more deeply.
So, with all this said, how can you as parents help your kids to be more curious? I’m glad you asked!
3 Steps to Get Your Kids Into a Curious State of Mind
1. Limit or eliminate as much screen time as possible
Now I know you’ve heard this before, kids should spend less time in front of screens. I also know that in reality this is hard, and I want to tell you that some screen time is totally fine! Every home and parenting situation is different. However, I think it’s important to understand why screen time can be such a problem.
When children engage with a smartphone/tablet/computer they are not “discovering” anything. They may even be doing educational work on these devices, but that information is static. It’s put in front of them, but they can’t engage with it, they can’t ask questions or get more insight. This is part of why our Virtual Camp program is only live classes instead of just videos, we know kids need to ask questions!
2. Get outside and get dirty!
Children are built to be dirty. You know it. I know it. They know it. However, we often take for granted how much learning can happen by just getting kids outside. The truth of the world today is that nature is a foreign place to most kids. They don’t know why grass grows, where there are worms in the dirt, or even why trees grow fruit! Don’t worry parents, you don’t have to teach them all these things :)
The point is that every time you get your kids out into some real nature (or even just a big backyard!) you are sparking their curiosity. They are asking questions, and getting their brains into a state of wonder and questions. As parents you should encourage this! Which leads me too…
3. Teach them how to find answers
Curiosity based learning is what happens when a child sees something they find interesting, asks a question, and then finds the answer! This process is so deeply important to a child development and understanding of the world around them. But we have to make sure that they find the answer, and we can guide them through that process.
I know kids are going to ask you questions that you don’t know the answer to. How far is the moon? Why does water make ripples when I throw a rock? Why are flowers so many colors? Yikes! Instead of fumbling your way through an uncertain answer, teach your little ones how to find it. Can we go to the library and find a book on this? Do we know anyone super smart who might be able to teach us? Or even, like we all do, google it!
The point is to get your child to ask a question all on their own, and them give them the tools to find an answer. Eventually your kids will even start to skip the step where they ask you, they’ll just be empowered to learn on their own. And really, isn’t that what we all want for our kids?
Happy exploring friends!