When children are very young, they ask the craziest questions: Can snails hear music? How do voices get through the telephone? Are all ladybugs girls? Even if we don鈥檛 know some of the answers, it鈥檚 important that kids keep asking question. After all, that鈥檚 how they learn!
But as they get older, some kids start feeling embarrassed about asking questions. As the parent, you can help your child by letting him know that being curious 鈥� in and out of 黄色app 鈥� is not just OK, it鈥檚 great. Here are a few ways to keep your child asking questions and learning every day.
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Learn together
Try your best to answer whatever question your child asks. If you don鈥檛 know the answer, don鈥檛 be afraid to say so: 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure why the sky is blue. Let鈥檚 find out!鈥� Use these moments to discover something new and show your child that you鈥檙e still learning, too. (Read more about the power of curiosity.)
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Explore as a team
Look up anything you don鈥檛 know. If you don鈥檛 know a word or can鈥檛 remember a date or name, pull out a dictionary or do some online research. Look at any question as an exciting mystery or treasure hunt: We will find out the answer!
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Figure things out together
If you have a project around the house 鈥� like setting up your new cell phone (Many kids are a whiz at this!) or putting together a new toy 鈥� ask your child to help. Review the instructions ahead of time, and let your child read the steps as you go. This shows kids that a can-do attitude goes a long way toward learning something new.
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Talk about the importance of mistakes
Some kids don鈥檛 like to try new things 鈥� or ask questions 鈥� because they鈥檙e afraid of getting something wrong. Talk about it (And even laugh about it!) when you make a mistake or are confused by something. This will help your child remember that everybody makes mistakes before getting it right. Research shows that .
