Curious kid. How to develop your child's curiosity and desire to learn

The manifestation of interest in the environment is very characteristic of children whose development takes place in a normal mode. The curiosity of children is manifested from an early age, and the older the child becomes, the more he shows interest in everything around him. Thanks to this quality, new information is absorbed more easily and faster.

It is the desire to learn as much as possible that contributes to the correct perception of the world, the development of creativity and logical thinking. In the process of mastering the world, the baby learns to find out what this or that action will lead to. Various inventions and devices appear as a result of the exercise of healthy curiosity. It is very important to properly develop interest in gaining new knowledge and experience.

What is curiosity

In essence, curiosity is a general interest in the world around us. The desire for new knowledge and skills is extremely important at a young age. It is at this time that a person's personality is formed. Babies open to the world easily achieve their goals. Thanks to the ability to develop comprehensively, the child gains important experience. The cognitive interests of children must be supported and directed in a peaceful direction.

The need to receive new emotions and experiences arises from the first weeks of life. Preschool age should be used so that the child learns to manage interest without harming himself and others. By trial and error, a little person learns to find something interesting in every day.

pros

Having a healthy interest in the world around you has many positive aspects.

• Positive emotions that support the craving for life and knowledge. Without them, the baby will not form a full-fledged nervous system.
• Protection from indifference. The inability to show emotions, sympathize and regret causes severe damage to psychological health.
• Expanding horizons. Children learn to perceive the world from all sides and in all manifestations. Due to this, the level of erudition is growing quite quickly.
• Gaining life experience. It is impossible to save a child from failures and mistakes. Yes, and you don’t need to do this, everyone must learn to cope with the troubles that have arisen and be responsible for their actions.
• Increasing industriousness. Children's curiosity leads to the fact that you want to do any action yourself. Because it's interesting to see what happens. Such a desire teaches independence, which cannot but please parents.

Genuine interest in every aspect of life generates the ability to self-learn. It is curiosity that pushes to study more intensively and more diligently than peers.

Minuses

The negative side is manifested in dissatisfaction with relatively unchanging factors. For example, the child realized that the days of the week go in a certain order and nothing else. No matter how much you want to bring the weekend closer - it's impossible. In this case, the baby may be upset. But nature, striving for knowledge, does not retain negative emotions for long. After a short time, attention switches to a new object and discontent is forgotten.

Ordinary curiosity, which can sometimes go beyond reasonable limits, can have completely different consequences. This can lead to serious injury if the gusts are not controlled in time. The development of the interests of children at an early age must be kept under control. This does not mean that each step should be under strict supervision. You just have to be there and insure in case of a dangerous fall.

Connection with other qualities

Being active in exploring the world is closely related to several qualities that will be important in the future. People with a sufficiently developed curiosity successfully acquire the following skills:

1. Observation. It helps to perceive not only explicit information, but also to find hidden knowledge in almost every action, any subject will become useful and interesting. This skill will help you easily carry learning into older age, get an education and find a job that will bring not only income, but also pleasure.
2. Ability to extract relevant information. The wider the circle of interests, the easier it is to identify important elements among the mountain of verbal and informative husks.
3. Predisposition to professional success. An inquisitive person will not be content with the same gray everyday life in a boring office. Ambition, fueled by a genuine interest in the business, leads to rapid career growth.

How to develop curiosity

You can train this useful character trait at any age. Start to be interested in the world with your children and you will see how much new there is around you. When wondering how to develop curiosity, learn a few simple rules:

• Don't be afraid to ask questions. One cannot know absolutely everything. Therefore, it is not at all ashamed to ask about what you do not understand. Show interest in new knowledge and it will help you improve your level of development.
• Don't strive for perfection. The statement that the best is the enemy of the good is absolutely true. The world is constantly changing, and in an effort to achieve that very ideal, it is easy to burn out and lose your own individuality.
• Work and exercise regularly, but don't overexert yourself. Find the optimal load level and do not exceed it. So you can improve your skills without stress and exhaustion.
• Take failure as an incentive to learn. A fiasco can be disheartening, it is important to be able to get around this state. Failed to do something the first time? It doesn't matter, the next attempt will be crowned with success.

Teaching your child to ask questions

As soon as the baby has learned to express his thoughts aloud, he immediately begins to bombard his parents with questions. The most common of them is "Why?". At this time, parents should take the time to answer it. Yes, and other questions should not be brushed aside. Otherwise, you risk killing your thirst for knowledge.

A preschooler must learn to formulate their questions correctly. To do this, use a personal example. Try as little as possible to use specific questions that require one-word answers. Be interested in the opinion of a small person about the book or cartoon he read, ask what his impressions of the event were.

Curiosity exercises and games

To develop the desire to learn new things, use fantasy and imagination, arrange small game breaks. This will help increase the level of curiosity and teach the baby to interact with everything that surrounds him.

• Old - new. Use unnecessary things in order to create something useful or interesting from them. For example, an empty box, pasted over with colored paper or cloth, will be a wonderful jewelry box. Or from the remnants of cereals and pasta, you can assemble a funny application. Let young creators come up with ways to use old things.
• Search for differences. This game trains curiosity, mindfulness and perseverance. Pictures for finding the differences between them can be found in bookstores, stationery departments or on the Internet.
• Excavations. In children's stores you can find various variations of this game. The kid is offered to extract the skeleton of a dinosaur, the treasures of the pharaohs, interesting figures from plaster. This is a great way to develop the desire to know the hidden.
• Me and the mirror. This game is suitable for senior preschool and primary school age. Invite the child to draw himself in three mirrors of different colors. One is in the past, the other is in the present, and the third is in the future. Then ask him to tell how he sees himself in each drawing. Let it be his fantasy.

While developing the qualities of curiosity in children, try to involve them in daily activities. Learning during routine tasks can be made an exciting process. While cooking together, talk about why water boils, how yeast works, how long it takes to grow vegetables.

No need to impose your own vision of the world. The child should have the right to his own impressions and thoughts. Be sure to let us understand that his opinion in some matters is no less important than your own. If you need to stand your ground, don't use the rude "because I said so." Explain why you are doing this and not otherwise.

Curiosity Examples

All the great scientists who in their time made the most important discoveries in the history of mankind had a well-developed curiosity. Without it, progress would not have been possible. Leonardo Da Vinci believed that this quality is the main engine in the development of human genius.

Albert Einstein said that curiosity, self-criticism and the ability to ask the right questions led him to the most interesting ideas. Thanks to them, he became known throughout the world as a theoretical physicist and Nobel Prize winner.

History keeps many more names that confirm the usefulness of the right interest in oneself and life. Charles Darwin, Michael Faraday, the Montgolfier brothers - they all took their first steps, not being sure of their own success. But they were driven by the desire to understand and understand how everything around us works.

How does a child's curiosity manifest itself?

In addition to the endless questions that are typical for all children, the desire to explore the world has several more active manifestations:

• The need to participate in all household chores,
• The desire to conduct a variety of experiments and tests,
• Interest in logic games, puzzles and puzzles,
• Scientific programs with interesting storytellers (they attract even more than cartoons),
• The desire to explore the world around you at any opportunity.

Watch your baby, you will certainly understand how interested he is in learning and learning something new. You yourself will be able to see the surroundings from a different angle.

Why is it difficult to cultivate curiosity?

There are several reasons that hinder the development of curiosity:

1. Increased self-criticism. It occurs when parents demand too much from a child, ignoring his need for praise. Sincerely admire the achievements of your baby, praise, hug more often. Children should not become your method of self-affirmation.
2. Insufficient cognitive area. This problem can affect you if you do not devote enough time to walking, homeschooling and other areas of life. Visit exhibitions, cinemas and amusement parks, do not be afraid to travel to new cities.
3. Wrong environment. The peculiarity of children is sociality and the desire to communicate. There should be as many people around as possible who can take a little time to communicate with the little explorer. Try to protect babies from the influence of people with negative emotions.

The genetic predisposition to learning also plays an important role in the development of curiosity. It is worth doing a DNA analysis to find out how the child is able to find and assimilate important information. The specialists of our center will help you decipher the research data and understand how best to involve your child in learning about the world. Consultation and analysis is carried out at any age.

What pushes a child to explore the world? What makes him seek and explore? Young children have an innate sense of curiosity about themselves and the world around them, which in turn helps them understand themselves. Children learn to observe the world around them, identify objects and people, distinguish between sounds, images, tastes, smells and tactile sensations. It is curiosity that determines the development of learning abilities, which will be very useful for the child in the future.

Parents often experience a feeling of irritation when answering the numerous and seemingly endless questions of children, because it is not always easy to come up with a worthy and understandable answer for the baby. But one must understand that for a child, everything around is new, and therefore exciting. This curiosity of children makes them look with reverence at any object or event. So, children often notice things that adults pass by indifferently, or they are able to admire those things that do not cause any emotions in adults.

At the age of eight months, the child's brain begins to actively ask questions. Why now? The child is already strong enough and has mastered his body, he is already able to move in space: get up, roll over, crawl, and some babies are already starting to walk. He can already consciously pick up various objects, his attention is attracted by a variety of shapes, colors, textures. The development of physical activity stimulates the development of curiosity in children, and since they are naturally curious and attracted to the world around them, they are taken to explore it in the first place. This happens mainly during the game.

Indeed, the latest research from neurophysiologists and early childhood psychologists encourages parents to instill a sense of curiosity in their children.

How can you develop your child's curiosity?

Games as well as exercise recognized as perhaps the best way to instill curiosity in children. Usually children are very attached to their toys and things, so it is a great advice for parents to come up with and organize various interesting activities, games that will help your child satisfy his curiosity. Toys and games, plus your interest and attention to your child, are a great tool for developing a child's brain, from infancy to older. At each age, the requirements for games and toys will be completely different, but the principle is unchanged: the game should set a certain task for the child, which he is able to solve on his own or with a little help from his parents.

So, for a one-year-old child, an example of educational toys would be various pyramids, sets of cubes of different colors, simple construction sets with large elements.

Older children need more difficult tasks - mosaics, puzzles, Lego-type constructors, thematic sets that will help the child get to know various animals, birds, learn about professions and various objects that surround him in everyday life.

Starting from the age of three, computer educational games also become relevant. Using this tool correctly, parents can achieve great success in the development of their child. Developing online games will help your child remember the names of colors and basic geometric shapes much faster, learn numbers, letters and the basics of counting, and are also very effective in learning foreign languages.

When organizing games for a child (no matter - desktop, sports or computer games), do not be afraid to help your baby - everything that he learns to do with you, after some time he will be able to use it on his own. But on the other hand, you should not rush to do everything for the baby - you should give him time so that he tries to solve the problem on his own.

Parents should encourage children to explore the world around them. Knowledge of the external world paves the way for introspection, which in turn inspires curiosity even more.

Children should be encouraged to ask questions. As we all know, the right question is the first step on the path to knowledge.

Children should be encouraged to look for answers to their questions. This will give them more confidence, as well as improve their understanding, will contribute to the development of logical and abstract thinking.

Parents should teach their children to be good observers.. Observation is the perfect complement to an inquisitive mind. Parents should also help develop the concentration of the child's attention. Concentration is the ability to focus on a specific task or subject. It is concentration that makes it possible to look “at the root”, to see internal and external relationships, to find analogies. A higher level of attention leads to an increased degree of curiosity.

Why is it good to be interested?

• Curiosity expands a child's mind. A wider mind contributes to the holistic development of the child's personality.
• A curious child is always actively looking for answers. This curiosity pushes him to unravel the mysteries of everyday life.
• Curiosity increases the ability of perception, if the child is interested, he is able to perceive new, even complex concepts easily. Thus, curiosity enhances a child's learning potential.
• Curiosity plays a key role in the spiritual and intellectual development of the child, it is the main key to learning. Curiosity should never be suppressed or it can have a very negative effect on the early development of the child.

Thus, the main task of parents is to encourage the curiosity of their children and watch them grow up and become well-rounded and whole individuals! Good luck to you!

The child grows and every day the number of questions asked by him increases exponentially. Why? pursues parents at every turn, sometimes even driving them into a stupor. It is completely unacceptable to dismiss the curiosity of the baby, because the little man learns the world in this way and learns to obtain the necessary information. But it happens that the child asks such tricky questions that even the parents do not know the answer to them. There are two ways out: find answers in books, the Internet, the library, or watch a training program together with a curious child, aimed precisely at covering various aspects of life.
The series "Family of Why".

It is to such programs that the "Family of Whys" refers. This is an animated series in which versatile family members give comprehensive answers to the numerous questions of the boy Vova.

By looking at it, you can find out:

1. How do plants grow from seeds?
2. What is lightning;
3. Why does the head hurt;
4. Why do animals hibernate?
5. How did the Earth appear, etc.

There are 25 episodes in total, which contain quite a lot of answers. The series is designed for children 5-6 years old, but my 4-year-old daughter is already watching it with pleasure. Adults, having watched this program with their child, will also find a lot of information for themselves and replenish their knowledge base.

childish curiosity can be called an innate instinct for self-survival. Already from the cradle, the child is interested in everything new that surrounds him. He tries to touch it, taste it and even gnaw it. And the older he gets, the stronger the craving for knowledge increases, that is, the baby becomes more and more curious.

So, from one to three years old, children are attracted to bright colors, new sounds, shapes and sizes. Having thoroughly studied the surface of the object, they try to find out what is inside it - they break, open, smash, unscrew, etc. Hence the broken toys, spoiled mother's cosmetics, jewelry. Everything that falls under the curious gaze of the child becomes its unquestioning target. In such situations, children should never be scolded. After all, they do not understand that they did something wrong, that they broke a good thing. There is only one thought in their head, to find out and understand what kind of object it is and “what it is eaten with”. Your task, on the contrary, is to push the child to further knowledge, so that he becomes inquisitive from being curious. You must try develop a child's curiosity.

For information. Curiosity and inquisitiveness they are completely different directions. A curious child is driven only by external factors, instinct, and an inquisitive child is driven by the factors of the desire to learn as much as possible new, to explore the whole world.

Benefits of children's curiosity.

At the age of three, the brain system of the hippocampus begins to work in children. It is she who retains the new information received, making it from short-term to long-term. During this period, it is very important to develop the hippocampus. To do this, the child needs to be supplied with new impressions and information, not only spiritual, but also bodily.

How many times have I heard from parents how they complain that their child is overly curious - "pokes his little nose where they don't ask." But it's not a problem! After all, children's curiosity is the strongest basis for curiosity development. Moving his curiosity, the child will become independent, begin to experiment and try his hand at creativity! By developing curiosity in such a child, you will first of all make your life easier - you will not need to constantly occupy him with something. He takes great care of himself too. In addition, an inquisitive child quickly finds a common language with other children. He knows many new games, most of which he invents himself. He learns better and quickly masters a new program, a new team.

So, how to develop curiosity in a child.

Most parents find it easier to forbid a curious child to climb around the house and play pranks than to help him find something new for his actively searching brain. Of course, fatigue after a hard working day, household chores will exhaust any person, but do not forget about your child. Moreover, it is not so difficult to give new food for information. For example:

When doing something with your child, try to come up with new variations. Think creative!

It is known that for adults everything worldly is very banal, but for a child it is not! See the world through his eyes. Find in the subject he likes something new for yourself. Find out why he was so interested in him. Perhaps you yourself will be very surprised that this is really interesting. And how did you not pay attention to this before? Everything is new for kids. They are even interested in unfriendly fog or dank rain.

Forget about your preferences. If you like painting, do not try to accustom a child to it. It must be developed in all directions! Let him try himself in different directions. After all, you once had a choice. So give it to your child, even if he jumps from one place to another. From this, too, there is a positive moment - learns a lot of new and interesting things. So I still, even though I’m no longer a child, I’m moving from one hobby to another. You need to look at the world wider and try new directions! This is curiosity!

Take your child to museums, exhibitions, the zoo, the circus and other equally interesting events. Expand his horizons. He should not live in a world where there is only a house and a kindergarten. Remember, to develop a child's curiosity, you need to give new food for his mind!

Help your child learn the right way. Explain to him that what is important in learning is not the result obtained, but the process of this learning itself. He should enjoy it and want more and more achievements.

If a curious child asked you about something, but you decided that it was too early for him to know about it, then be sure that sooner or later he will find the information of interest elsewhere. And there is no longer a guarantee that it will be correct and useful. Therefore, it is better not to be lazy and try to appease children's curiosity yourself.

Also, children's questions may come not out of curiosity, but as a request for help. It’s just that kids can’t always formulate it correctly, that’s why they ask questions that are not entirely clear, and we adults think that it’s just because of idleness and brush our children off, saying: “Oh, leave me alone, why don’t you have anything to do?” Do you think that after that the child will want to continue to study and learn new things? Unlikely! Your go-ahead shows him that it is not necessary to study at all, it is better to just play with toys.

Let your children jump on puddles and sofas, run around the house, scream and frolic. This is the best incentive to develop curiosity!

Show your child that you don't know everything. Explain to him that this is not scary and it is quite natural. Just don't make yourself look completely stupid. Children should consider their parents the smartest and kindest.

Read children's books together, look at pictures, watch educational cartoons, play educational computer games, use special computer programs. Generally, .

Reading fairy tales is, of course, useful. A child must believe in miracles, but he must also know that there is a more real world in which he lives and where, unfortunately, everything does not always end well. Do not cover your baby's eyes with pink curtains!

Sometimes children can't properly explain what they want to ask and start saying whatever comes to mind. We, adults, at best, impatiently begin to prompt the child and sometimes incorrectly, and at worst, we simply turn away, like “leave me alone.” The kid, not knowing how to tell you, runs away to his room in upset feelings. Here is our big mistake! Never rush your child! It’s already difficult for him to express himself, and you confuse him even more.

If your curious child comes to you with the same question several times already. This does not mean that he has already forgotten your answer. He just wants even more information about the subject of interest to him. Follow his request and everything will be fine.

Now knowing all the subtleties of how to develop curiosity in a curious child, you can confidently direct your baby in the right direction! Good luck and success! Remember, children's curiosity is not a problem, but rather a good help in development.

And for a snack, a developing cartoon for children under 3 years old.

This scene, common in all homes, sends the parents into a panic; Parents are asked by interrogation, what was their mistake? Some react so severely that the punishment leaves scars for life. To deal with this inevitable scene, you need to know what is normal, what is not, and what to do.

What's ok? Children are curious, especially about differences, and what could be more attractive than the difference in the genitals? Understand that this is a normal childish curiosity. Parental sensitive understanding is required, and then this will not be repeated. Look at everything through the eyes of your child.
You can distinguish innocent sexual curiosity from abnormal sexual behavior by the following signs. Actions can be considered innocent if:

• Children are small (up to ten years old), close in age and know each other.
• There is a mutual agreement; one child does not force another.
• There is the usual atmosphere of the game: playing "doctor" or another game.
• The mystery is part of the game. They understand that they will meet the disapproval of their parents and use the bedroom, garage or a secluded place. (This is also true for abnormal actions.)

What to do. First, calm down and resist the urge to tell them they did something "dirty" or "bad." Calmly offer them a new activity, such as “Let's go get a bite to eat. I'll help you get dressed." When you are alone with your child, talk to him. Explain that you are not angry. If children feel that they have done something bad and you are angry with them, they will withdraw into themselves. Tell your child that it's okay to be interested in other people's body parts and that you understand their curiosity, but explain that "it's not right to touch any of the other person's private parts or allow others to touch theirs." Let the other child's parents know how you handled the situation so they can do the same.
Children can start exploring "intimate parts" at a time when they are interested in other parts of the body.
Explain to your child that private parts are just as important to a person as other parts of the body. It is important to warn your child against sexual harassment. Explain to him that the private parts of the body should not be allowed to be touched or shown to others, except for mom and dad during washing or dressing, as well as the doctor during the examination: “If someone touches the private parts of your body, promise to tell mom or dad about it ". Reassure the child that he should never have secrets from mom and dad. Start explaining the meaning of intimate parts as early as three years old so that modesty becomes part of your child's sexuality.
To prevent occasional games of "doctor", "mom and dad", etc., do not create opportunities for this. Take an interest in what the children are doing at the moment. Don't let them be out of control, behind closed doors. We have made a rule in our house that the bedroom doors should always be open when friends are visiting (at any age). Our teenagers grew up with this rule and still respect such requirements. Apply the same principles to sexuality as you would to any other aspect of parenting: Parents make the rules and then set conditions that make it easier to follow those rules.
If the child shows curiosity, parents need to get rid of the feeling of awkwardness and answer calmly and evenly without embarrassment and irritation to all questions. Start together to look at a picture book that depicts the structure of the male and female genital organs, which has answers to all questions as they arise. Keep in mind that answers must be given according to age, and they should not confuse anyone.
Report the incident to other parents so that they can use it for educational purposes. Tell them that you understand the innocence and normality of childish curiosity, but that you want to prevent such incidents from happening again. Be open, honest and factual. Do not blame anyone for what happened, then you can not worry about the continuation of friendships between adults.

When sex play is not normal. If an innocent childish curiosity that can be understood and explained is repeated and makes you anxious, you should pay serious attention to this. It is important for parents to know what to say and how to act if one child is harassing another. Here are the suspicious signs.

• One child forces another to play a sexual game.
• There is a difference in age between children (more than four years).
• Sexual play is not normal (for example, oral sex between a six-year-old and a three-year-old child).
• The disturbing actions are repeated despite your careful intervention and guidance. This is the basis for the termination of friendship. If sexual play occurs between siblings, seek professional help.
• Secrecy.

What to do. If a child is often the initiator of such games, he needs professional advice. It is necessary to find out the life attitudes of the child, to examine the environment at home and at school. If your child is a victim, talk to them calmly and confidentially. Make sure the child understands that you still love him and he is good himself, but it's wrong when someone touches the private parts of another person's body. The victim may also need professional advice.

What can be said about gender denial and cross-dressing? Don't panic when your four year old son dresses up in your daughter's clothes, dad pants and suspenders. Laugh and enjoy. The stage of curiosity and fantasy soon passes, and the school-age child will learn to wear clothes that match his gender. In one family, a three-and-a-half-year-old daughter suddenly wanted to be a boy. She did everything to look like a boy: clothes, games; she even said that she would become a dad when she grew up. It all started when her younger brother was born. Not considering this normal, the mother turned to the pediatrician. The doctor, unfortunately, even more alarmed the mother, confirming the presence of sexual disorders in the child. All the mother needed was to spend more time with her daughter in order to strengthen her position in the family.

Education and sexuality
The style of raising a child affects the formation of future attitudes towards sex. Attached children learn to love and trust because they are loved and trusted. An infant who spends many hours a day in her arms and at her breast learns to enjoy mutual touch. This child knows intimacy. A small person who grows up in a house where mother and father respect each other and their children is likely to form a healthy and correct understanding of the relationship between a man and a woman.
A child who is brought up with harsh, offensive remarks may absorb these negative traits of the parents' character or subconsciously look for such qualities in a future life partner. A child whose personality is tightly controlled, expressiveness trampled under excessive parental control, may, as an adult, have difficulty expressing sexual feelings or use sex as a tool to control or be controlled by others.
The most important task - the education of sensitivity - very much affects the issues of sexuality. One of the main goals of education, in our opinion, is to help the child learn to analyze how his actions affect other people. After all, sexual satisfaction is basically mutual concern - the desire and ability to satisfy one's own needs and bring joy to another person.

Book: Your child from birth to 10 years