When a child hits the age of two and starts asking questions non-stop, many parents would rather the child ask a few LESS questions. As our children get older, however, they may not get encouragement to ask questions and it might actually be that they are discouraged and shamed into stopping to ask questions (whether at school, home, church, etc.) As parents, we can create an open environment and support and encourage our children to continue to be inquisitive and curious and to ask those questions.
Children will ask questions naturally if there is an environment that welcomes them and fosters curiosity. You can also encourage your children to ask questions by asking them open-ended questions. Watch out for teasing, laughing at or snapping at a child who is asking questions. If you are too busy, you can say something kind like: “I need to finish this right now, but as soon as I’m done, I would love to discuss this with you.” That way the child knows that you are not discouraging the curiosity; you are just in the middle of something consuming.
Instead of answering questions with irritation or a rote answer, make finding the answers fun. Sometimes looking things up online can make for a fun afternoon. Additionally, if you do not know the answer, but have an idea who might, help the child connect with that person. I have helped my kids call their grandparents to get answers to “history” questions and it helped foster a stronger connection and provide a pleasant reward for asking the question in the first place.
While you will not be able to control what happens when your child asks a question out in the world (school, activities, church, etc.) you can help bolster his or her self confidence and eagerness to ask questions by the attitude you share at home. You do have the power to encourage questions and curiosity and make it fun and rewarding to ask questions in the family.
See Also: The EDUCATION Blog