Kids are curious. It’s their job to learn about the world and how it works, and they look to their most important people to help them learn. This important job isn’t without its downside. Sometimes the incessant questions can be exhausting for an already tired caregiver. However, immediately answering every question kids have, inadvertently teaches them that knowing the answer is more important than being curious. We also don’t need to have all the answers to every question asked. When your little one asks a question that you are unsure of, you can use it as an invitation to:

• Wonder and get curious with them.
• Ask them what they think to create dialogue.
• Help them learn and discover ways that they can find the answer for themselves.

Try to stand back and look at the world through your child’s eyes and how exciting it must be to learn all about the new things they are experiencing and seeing every day. We may have seen a traffic light thousands of times, but they may be noticing that it changes color for the very first time. When we take time to see the world through their eyes, we can respond with more patience and understanding. Try these simple responses when your child gets curious, and the questions seem endless:

“I wonder about that too!”

“What do YOU think might be happening?” 

“How do you think we can find that out?”

“What made you curious about that?”

“Wow, what a great question!”

“I’ve never looked at/thought about it that way before!”

“You know, I actually don’t know the answer to that question.”

These responses allow for your child to feel that they can ask the questions freely while also encouraging them to think outside the box and stay curious. This gives them the chance to explore the world as researchers, problem solvers, investigators, experimenters and adventurers!