To find out how children think and come up with the most incredible things we as adults would never think of, one has to look into the world from a child’s point of view. And it turns out, this is very different from the ways adults view the world around them.
One of the driving forces in a child’s development is curiosity, which helps them to discover and try out new things and learn something about them. This early knowledge is something kids carry well into their childhood and maturity.
Bored Panda reached out to Brenna Hassinger-Das, an assistant professor in the psychology department at Pace University, New York. Brenna explained that the job of children is “to play and learn.” But making ourselves time to be curious in whatever forms we can is something that adults should also work on throughout their lives.
“Research suggests that it relates to satisfaction, happiness, empathy, and problem-solving skills,” the professor said and added, “we are always in need of refining the ways in which we view the world.”
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Brenna said that research has shown that curiosity not only relates to academic skills, like improved reading and math, but also “fosters imagination and exploration.”
“Parents can nurture curiosity in a lot of different ways. For instance, encouraging children to take part in free or unstructured play allows them to figure out how things work and develop their own storylines and directions for their play.”
The professor also said that it’s important to “encourage children to ask questions (and then answer them in a developmentally appropriate way) and to let children follow their interests. For example, “If your child loves animals, go for a nature walk where you live (whether in a city or in a more rural area) and point out all the animals you see. You could also read books about the animals they like and perhaps venture out a bit further for a hike.”
It turns out that fostering curiosity early could also have the added benefit of helping your child develop a habit that will continue into adulthood. “We know that curiosity is still important for learning and overall life satisfaction,” Brenna concluded.
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