Curiosity is what makes people learn. Without questions, there won’t be answers. And without answers, there won’t be new knowledge. There is a need for all parents to bring out the curiosity in their child, however, your child does not have to have the same interests as you. More importantly, parents should expose their children to more experiences to reinforce their curiosity.

I knew a 6-year-old boy who was an expert at naming dinosaurs and describing their features. When I first heard him describing all the dinosaurs’ names and features, I was so amazed. Even I did not know so much about dinosaurs. What’s more? Not only was he an expert in the field of dinosaurs, he was also an expert in making paper dinosaurs! He had a book that taught him how to make paper dinosaurs and he had no problem following the instructions.

I started to wonder what drove this 6-year-old boy to be an ‘expert’ in this field. I talked to his parents and began to understand why. His parents gave him the opportunities to explore his interest. They didn’t speak to him like he was a child who didn’t know much. Instead, they listened to him with 100% attention and praised him for his deep knowledge of dinosaurs. On top of that, they even took him to the Science Centre to show him exhibitions on dinosaurs, and recorded TV documentaries on dinosaurs for him to watch over and over again!

Whoa! No wonder this boy was an expert in this field. It was his parents who paved the way for him, and in doing so, they have successfully brought out and reinforced his curiosity.

But you may ask, “What if my child does not seem curious about anything?”

Don’t despair. It is not because your child is not interested in anything. It is probably because your child has not been exposed to an area where he is interested in. The important thing to do is to expose your child to knowledge resources as much as possible. Take him to the library and show him a huge variety of books. Watch him carefully and listen to what he has to say.

Gradually, you will soon find out what interests him. The next important thing is to reinforce his curiosity by exposing him to more resources in that field. It can be books, documentaries, cartoon or even movies related to that field. Listen attentively to his views and praise him every time he makes a new discovery.

Article contributed by Study Grand Master

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