I walked in the house after work and the sitter reported, “Today, he asked how many grapes it takes to make jelly.” She said “today” because these kinds of questions were pretty typical of my toddler. It was always a fun surprise to find out where his brain had journeyed that day. And I give the sitter credit; she would usually respond to him with thoughtful answers. In my exhaustion, I probably would have mumbled, “I don’t know, bud.”
Toddlers are naturally curious and ask a lot of “why” questions that make parents’ heads hurt, but there are easy ways to nurture a toddler’s curiosity. And it’s super important, so if you’re wondering how to develop curiosity in kids, here are 4 ideas that will grow their brains while being easy on yours.
1. Think out loud.
If you are a verbal processor, you probably already do this. I often ask questions (“How many pints are in a quart?”) that, until Amazon’s Alexa came into my life, I didn’t expect anyone in the room actually to answer.
As you go through your day with your toddler, look at everything with a sense of wonder and think out loud. “I wonder why chicken nuggets are shaped this way.” “That boy on the playground seemed lonely.” Verbalizing your own curiosity is a great idea for how to develop curiosity in your child.
2. Let her try even when you know she’ll fail.
If your daughter wants to carry a big bubble in her pocket, you know it’s going to end with a “pop!” but she doesn’t. You know mixing peach yogurt with pepper and a dog treat won’t be edible, but it’s worth the two ounces of yogurt to help her grow in curiosity. With your guidance, she’ll be eager to try more experiments. Whether they succeed or fail, she’ll be learning how the world around her works, and that’s a win.
3. Let him have all those collections.
My sons collected everything. Leaves, shells, sticks, rocks… I felt like there was more nature inside my home than outside. Collections allow kids to get curious about differences in like items. Why is that shell pink and white with scalloped ridges while the other one is all white and smooth?
4. Make your home more “curiosity friendly.”
My family loves theme parks. The rides, the shows, the colorful facades—we have so much fun, but I don’t think most theme parks help kids get curious. There’s just too much stimulation. We can fall into the trap of thinking our homes have to be as exciting as a day at the theme park, so we add screens, sounds, big colors, and fun toys that spin and have blinking lights.
One of the best ways to grow curiosity in kids is to scale back on the number and types of toys. Simple is better. Find toys that open the door to learning, like buckets and shovels, a magnifying glass, a scale, and jars for storing special finds!
One of the best ways to grow curiosity in kids is to scale back on the number and types of toys. Simple is better. Click To TweetWhat’s something your toddler is naturally curious about?
