Ways To Spark Your Child’s Curiosity At Home

Recent proof suggests that your child’s level of curiosity determines their academic performance, and experts agree that if curiosity is not stimulated, it dies. The good news is that there are easy ways to spark your child’s curiosity.

Reduce the number of toys — allow kids to use their imagination

In 1992, a group of researchers carried out a study in a daycare center to determine how the kids would behave if all the toys were taken away. They were convinced that addiction in adulthood could be traced back to childhood, and that children’s never-ending need for toys was a means of escape.
The researchers believed that taking away toys would force the children to develop new skills and they were right; when the toys were taken away, the kids became better at problem-solving, more confident and also turned out to be more creative.

Other studies have also found that scarcity breeds innovation. That being said, you do not have to take away all your child’s toys to spark their creativity. What you can do instead is reduce the number of toys they have and encourage them to use their imagination to keep themselves busy.

Use boredom to explore new worlds

Did you know that boredom sparks creativity? In the 1992 study, when the kids found no longer had toys to keep themselves entertained, they started thinking about what they could do to fill their time. They eventually discovered that nature walks provided them with branches which they could use to create things, and that role playing was actually a very interesting activity.

Your child needs boredom to develop their creativity, and there is proof to support that. More and more researchers are saying that children need less structured environments to help foster their creativity.

Here are some easy ways to transform your child’s boredom into a moment of learning:

Use a boredom jar

Boredom jars are great because they allow your child to come up with ideas of what they can do when they are bored. When they start complaining about being bored, they can pick an activity from the boredom jar.

Practice play planning

Play planning is about encouraging your child to plan their day by themselves. You can ask them to make a list of all the things that they plan on doing on any given day (or morning, afternoon, etc.) then have them tick those things off the list as they accomplish them. Play planning is a great option because it gives your child a sense of autonomy and makes them responsible for their boredom.

Reduce your child’s activities.

Just like adults, children who have too many things (or too many activities), learn to rely on those things to keep them distracted. As Dr. Teresa Belton says, children should be allowed to “stand and stare…[because ] It is this sort of thing that stimulates the imagination”.

Turn your child into a reader

Famed French poet Charles Baudelaire was right when he said,“A book is a garden, an orchard, a storehouse, a party, a company by the way, a counselor, a multitude of counselors.”

Books provide wonderful opportunities to discover new things. They can take your child to places that they have never been before. They can help spark their imagination. Of course, not all books are equal. Choosing books that are adapted to young readers have a higher chance of getting your child hooked on books. Also, it is important to choose a book your child won’t want to put down; as J.K. Rowling says, “If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.”

Choose toys that spark creativity

Open-ended toys, or ones that can be used in many different ways, are a great option for developing your child’s creativity. Wooden blocks and legos are old classics that are perfect for kids of all ages. Toys that encourage make-believe play are also great at fostering your child’s creativity and imagination, and story cubes are great toys that your entire family can enjoy.

Create opportunities for your child to explore

Taking your child on nature walks or hikes is a perfect opportunity to spark their imagination. Make older kids in charge of navigation and grab an outdoor scavenger hunt for younger children to make the activity more enjoyable for everyone.

Creating opportunities to explore also means trusting your children and letting them try out new things their way. This could be a new recipe or even simply a new way of doing a chore around the house.

Encouraging your child to participate in decisions that concern them is something every parent can do. Regularly asking them for their opinion or encouraging them to share how they would have done something differently is an easy way to make them more active participants in the decision-making process, which also goes a long way in sparking their imagination and creativity.