The Best Trait For Kid’s Success AND You Can Do It In Your Backyard

Guess what?

Curiosity is essential to a kid’s growth. 

It is also the best predictor of future success…said a bunch of smart people.  

Beyond teaching them to not be afraid of everything, curious kids become kids with more scientific outlooks.

Basically, a curious kid is a kid who “seeks to fill knowledge gaps or uncertainty”.  

But, what does this mean? 

For a kid who seeks to fulfill knowledge gaps naturally, this mindset will encourage your kid to do what scientists do: Ask questions, and see if there are answers to these questions. 

Basically, this curious mindset is just a stellar pathway to fostering little scientists.

But how? 

Today, we are gonna present a two-step plan: Encourage, and Model Curiosity. 

Encourage Curiosity

This is your time to put “no stupid questions” into practice.

As this week's source points out, a kid whose questions aren’t explored will stop asking them. 

Which means,

If your kid asks a Q: have fun with it! 

If you don’t know, the answer, explore it with him…

BONUS: The now popular Sesame Street song “I Wonder, What If, Let’s Try.” is a simple framework to guide curiosity. 

This brings us to our next point:

Model Curiosity

Just like emotions, just like language: your kid will learn curiosity from you!

Example:

You guys are walking through a forest trail. 

Your daughter points to a bug:

Opportunity Alert!

You say to her, “I wonder why that bug is red?”

What if…together brainstorm as many “what ifs” as you can, before you reach for your phone…no wrong answers here.

Once you get home, you keep the curiosity alive.

At home, your dear friend google teaches you guys that the bug is red to signify to predators… 

“I'm poisonous! If you eat me …

Science.

Spark Notes

Encourage Curiosity: Always treat your kid's questions as worthy, and give them the time of day they deserve. 

Model Curiosity: Show your kid what a curious person looks like, and how a curious person follows up on their questions.

Your Challenge

If your kid has any curious questions this week, explore one of them with ridiculous depth. See just how far down the rabbit hole you can go.

Equally, try to model one curious question. See if you can ask a question that makes your kid so curious that THEY become the encourager in the duo.