How to Raise an Inquisitive Child*

Children have such far-stretching imaginations and are born with a natural tendency to wonder. Nurturing curiosity can help to improve academic performance in children by prepping the brain for learning and making the process a much more rewarding one. I have teamed up with a boys pre prep school in London to share tips on how to raise an inquisitive child.

Investigative Games

A brilliant way of stimulating your child’s natural curiosity is to introduce investigative games. Games such as Guess Who and The Horrible Histories board game are great examples. This can help to make learning fun and rewarding for children whilst building essential research and problem-solving skills.

Field Trips to Feed Their Curiosity

Educational trips are like gold dust for an inquisitive child. They give a hands-on learning experience and allow them to explore subjects in a whole new light. For a child that is fascinated by science, you could plan a trip to visit a space centre or a zoo.

Encourage Your Child to Always Ask ‘Why’

By following facts up with ‘why’ from an early age, you can help your child to become more inquisitive by getting them into the habit of doing so themselves. You can use the 5 w’s (who, what, when, where, and why) and how to stretch your child’s learning.

Be Receptive of Questions

To build your child’s curiosity, it’s important to welcome questions no matter how random they are. This can help them to feel comfortable in asking questions as opposed to keeping them to themselves, inhibiting their learning. Rewarding this behaviour with praise can help to increase curiosity tremendously. To do this you could make time for fact sharing over dinner and gift a small reward to the person that discovers the most outrageous or fun fact in the family.