Children’s Curiosity: Features And Benefits
Children’s curiosity is the first step in learning. Some parents, without realizing it, may perceive this curiosity as inopportune and negative. This can lead them to restrict the child’s natural curiosity.
How do you keep your child’s curiosity alive? Below are several invaluable suggestions.
How to interpret curiosity?
Curiosity is the natural behavior of wanting to know about something through investigation and learning. It has the effect of driving the search for information about something and then interacting with both the environment and people. This instinct encourages personal growth.
Children are known for being little investigators, since practically from the moment they are born they are naturally curious. They communicate by feeling, touching, looking and observing objects and people around them.
In this way, and asking questions like “why?” or “where does it come from?”, they may know what they are like or why they are there.
Main characteristics of curiosity
As parents, it is important to nurture and nurture children’s curiosity so that their future is great. Furthermore, in this way it is possible to produce efficient learning. For this reason, you should not allow your child to miss out on aspects such as:
- The interest.
- The motivation.
- Make yourself comfortable.
- Curiosity.
- The need to be busy.
- The passion.
3 ways curiosity motivates the brain to learn
Curiosity about a subject makes it much easier to learn, retain and assimilate information about it. The expectation that curiosity generates motivates the brain to better assimilate knowledge, due to the fact that:
- Activates and mobilizes dopamine, a chemical messenger or neurotransmitter, to achieve goals, helping to remember information.
- It benefits the hippocampus, one of the brain centers, fundamental in the formation and consolidation of short and long term memory.
- Connecting or combining the reward system with the hippocampus facilitates learning and receiving information, even information that is not interesting or important.
The importance of stimulating curiosity in children
It is very important that you stimulate your child’s curiosity, because it is the engine that drives his interest, necessary for him to want to learn and develop his thinking. Children with little curiosity can:
- Be less sociable.
- Read fewer books.
- Have difficulties to be inspired, motivated and enthusiastic.
- Show little interest in learning new things.
Benefits provided by children’s curiosity
As soon as they start talking, children start asking a lot of questions. Keeping your prying eyes wide open to the world to learn has many benefits:
- It strengthens your relationships with others.
- Protect your brain.
- It helps to grow.
- It helps them to overcome anxiety.
3 negative habits for curiosity
There are 3 habits that can negatively affect children’s curiosity development.
fear is an enemy
Fear is the No. 1 enemy of curiosity. A parent who overprotects his child will not only create fears, but also a feeling of incompetence.
So avoid saying phrases like: “Don’t touch it because it’s going to break” or “Don’t run because you’re going to fall”. Allow the child to be interested in discovering new things.
Disapproval represses.
Children always want to play and discover. It is not advisable to constantly say “Don’t do this”, “Don’t get dirty”, “Don’t be rude” or “Be quiet”.
These phrases curb and inhibit behaviors that lead them to be curious. If you use these phrases from time to time, explain why what you are saying.
Absence breeds insecurity
Your child will feel safe if you are by his side. This security will help you further develop your curiosity. Also, not letting him play alone for too long will give him the opportunity to share with you the new things he is learning.
In conclusion, to stimulate curiosity in children, you should strive to spend more time with them, in addition to listening to your children and reinforcing their behavior in a positive way. This way, you will help the children to face the future challenges of their learning and develop an excellent self-esteem.
