How to encourage an enquiring mind

Children are naturally curious about the world around them, but in our daily haste we often deprive them of that vital childhood privilege – the time to dawdle and explore interesting things that they see.

Here are some ways in which you can help to nurture your child’s enquiring mind…

Slow down!

Take the time to investigate interesting things that you see on your daily travels. Many busy parents will call out excitedly, “Look! A tractor!” as they whiz past in their car, while their toddler is still looking the other way. Toddlers like to stop and look at things, poke them, and, where possible, try and take them away with them – so learn to take the time to indulge them. Label everything in your toddler's world so they’re familiar with the names of what’s around them. They’ll get as much pleasure from you pointing out the moon to them as they will finding pictures of the moon in their story books.

Don’t ignore “why?”

Toddlers love to ask “why”, and often ask it about everyday things that we take for granted but can’t actually explain with any degree of certainty! Why does the water go round and round before it runs down of the plughole? Why does their finger make squeaky sounds when they move it across the mirror? What makes metal stick to magnets? Don’t be afraid of admitting that you don’t know the answer to something – look it up together on the internet or at the library.

Follow their lead

Be guided by what your child finds interesting, not by what you find interesting. While you’re busy pointing out a vintage car driving past, they’ll be fascinated by the puddles on the sidewalk. Pick up on things that pique their curiosity and try and find activities to explore that interest. Buy a book of simple experiments that you can do at home – you’ll be amazed how much you’ve forgotten from those school science lessons.

Tolerate mess!

Toddlers love experimenting with mixing and mashing, be it paints, play-doh or soil and water. Try to show them constructive things that they can do – mixing red and yellow paint to make orange, for example; or mixing ingredients together to make cupcakes. For a toddler nothing matches a good old mess and sometimes you just need to let them get it out of their system!

Keep it simple

If you only have limited time with your toddler, or don’t feel happy answering questions about rudimentary physics, don’t worry. Children often find simple things just as fascinating as complex experiments, and an enquiring mind can be fired just as easily by a good story as by a visit to the museum.

Read all about it

Books and stories are the best ways to introduce imagination and creativity into your toddler's life. Most children's books are about make-believe worlds where animals can talk or fly and children can sail away on pirate ships! Letting your child talk about what he feels after you’ve read him a story can help to encourage his imagination. Try to use funny voices for characters in stories and make up some stories of your own for your child to listen too. Toddlers learn from repetition and that’s why they want you to read the same books over and over again. Be assured that they’re learning about words, story telling, improving their memories and how to talk, each time you read the story. If you’re getting bored, why not tell your own story based on the pictures of the book?

Imagine that

As soon as your toddler learns to speak enough words, he will come up with his own stories. Make sure you take time to listen to what he’s saying so he feels his imagination is important. Ask him questions about the stories he has made up and ask him to draw the characters in it. Through pretend play, your toddler can learn a lot about real life events that happen in the same way. If you’re visiting the pediatrician, why not encourage him to play doctor? If you provide a dress-up box for him, filled with old clothes of yours, it can further help to encourage his imagination. You don't need to spend lots of money on proper costumes – children will create their own outfits from whatever they can find. It's also a good way to clear some closet space for you!

No inhibitions!

Toddlers have no inhibitions when it comes to play or their behavior (as you may have noticed from very public tantrums at the mall!), but if your child’s lack of inhibitions serves to boost his creativity, then let it happen. If your child wants to wear his spaceman outfit all day, let him – there's no harm in letting him play out whatever fantasy he is living in for a while. You can learn from your toddler here – imagine if adults did whatever they wanted: ate donuts all day, wore their wedding dresses to work, sung on the subway – the world would be a crazier but much happier place! Remember to let your own guard and inhibitions down sometimes too.

Play is the best way to encourage your child's imagination. Everything he does, from climbing on the jungle gym to baking cupcakes, shaping play-dough or building with Lego, helps to spark and engage his brain. If he is exposed to lots of new experiences, including tastes, smells, sights and sounds, he will benefit from every single one!

See our video and article on toddlers and play for ideas on how to play with your child.

The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.

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Last Modified: 18/06/2007

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