Asking questions is a way for children to explore their world. It helps them develop their critical thinking skills. According to a recent article, inquisitive children have an average of 70 queries per day. Many parents find it difficult to answer these questions, so they turn to Google or plan something else. This raises a question: Why do children have so many questions, and how to properly answer and control them for their knowledge?
Why are kids curious
Children of age four, whether girls or boys, are filled with some of the most curious questions. All the time, they ask questions from their parents. Child psychologist Sam Wass revealed in an interview that, “As children grow up, it’s natural for them to be curious about the world. And parents must know that whatever they are telling their kids is turning out to increase their knowledge. But it is difficult to answer questions related to bedtime and money.”
The research concluded at the University of Belgrade, stating the fact that children ask three types of questions. It includes social, cognitive, and operational questions. Cognitive questions are those which kids ask to get the latest information and fulfil their curiosity. It can be categorized as questions about the world, others and oneself, and different activities.
Social questions develop due to children’s needs which personal interactions can fulfil. As revealed by Tanja Č. Glišić, “Children’s purpose is communicating and ask questions which draws attention and interaction. Some social questions include confirmation, disagreement, demanding verification, and which game to play. Operational questions would be defined as an appeal for help or a plea for permission. However, the fundamental purpose is to administer the child’s essential requirements for their activities. This category reveals that kids have queries for more than three fundamental different causes. That includes:
- To gain particular information about anything.
- To interact with the adults or to have some confirmation and consolation.
- For essential support or consent to be able to follow their requirements and wishes.
This tiring routine will undoubtedly weaken the caregivers because it is more complicated than it seems.
Common questions by kids
Nowadays, kids are genius, knowing who to tell their problems or ask questions. A Study claims that with growing age, children tend to find a difference between reliable and unreliable sources, which makes them question their surrounding people to satisfy their curiosity. During this research, children of age 3 to 5 years old were introduced to two informants: a well-informed and a mis-informer. A misinformer will always guide the children or be ignorant. The kids identified which informant they needed to ask questions when both the informants were compared. They asked the questions from the well-informed informant, who answered them wisely and paid attention to their questions.
Big kids identified whom to ask a question and what to ask. So, age is also a factor in determining who can answer their questions. Researchers revealed that “The main factor in both the trials was if children had learned enough. Effective problem solving was required with the knowledge that who to ask questions, what to ask and how much information one should ask for.” Indeed, children ask questions with meticulous observation of who to ask and how. Also, it indicates their requirements and interests. As stated by Glišić, “The questions asked by children must be properly concentrated. The children must get motivated to ask as many questions as they want.”
Encourage kids to ask the right questions
Maria Birbili is the author of various books on children’s behaviour and development. She stated, “Children begin to ask questions very early. But it does not mean they will know which questions benefit their knowledge.” She revealed in her book supporting young children to ask productive questions, managing curious kids, and making them follow the right path. She said, “Every parent can guarantee that kindergarteners ask countless questions daily. Especially ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions. Also, the research on classroom talks hinted that the repetition and quality of kids’ questions decrease as they start their early childhood. It is dependent on the informant’s behaviour whether the child will keep on asking questions or not.”
It is crucial to encourage children to ask questions. It will boost their understanding and knowledge. Once children ask actual questions, that is the point when they are curious about their surroundings, and it helps them figure out the world. At that time, Maria revealed their mind is in a state to learn meaningful things.
One should let children make a little effort to make them independent. Once children are able to ask questions and search for their answers. It will make them feel encouraged to practice their sensibility and self-reliance. This book indicates some sensible ways to increase children’s questioning skills in a significant way. As a whole, the study suggests that questions are essential for childhood education. You must try to answer all the questions to boost your child’s knowledge and understanding. After a while, they will also learn to search for their answers.
