At a child’s birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift would be curiosity – Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, American political figure, diplomat, and activist
Children are born with unbridled curiosity, the signs of which are evident even before they start speaking. You would see them gnawing, hitting, touching, and grabbing at everything they can reach in a bid to understand and make sense of this wonderful new world around them. And, if we can help them hold on to and nurture this curious streak of mind, we would effectively aid the young minds to learn more and retain the knowledge better.
In fact, we, at K.R. Mangalam Global School GK-I,a renowned IB Schools in Delhi NCR,believe that this inherent desire to know and enquire forms the foundational skill of learning that all of us would indeed want our children to possess. On that note, in this article today, we bring to you a few of our insights on how curiosity is one of the most significant skills forchildren to learn.
Curiosity prepares young minds for learning
A series of experiments carried out by researchers from the University of California about the impact of curiosity on the brain brought some interesting facts to light. According to the researchers, curiosity not only prepares the mind to learn intriguing things but even retain information about things that we don’t find important.As such, curiosity puts the brain in a condition that lets it absorb and contain all kinds of information, including what’s intended to be learned and the more around it.
A way to turn subsequent learning highly rewarding
The same research also pointed out that curiosity increases hippocampal activity, which is involved in the formation of memories and the brain circuits that are related to pleasure and reward. The result is a release of dopamine, which is a brain chemical that induces happiness. So, arousing the curiosity of the kids not only helps them remember the lessons better but also turns the learning experience into something pleasurable and enjoyable.
A crucial skill that inspires a persistence in children
Remember how your tiny bundle of joy would constantly try to reach out for those bottles that you kept the farthest away from those tiny hands? Well, a curious child is a persistent child! The strong and undeniable desire to know something creates a resilience that is crucial for young learners. It gets them ready to try multiple times to attain success and creates a determination that makes them never give up no matter what.
The role of curiosity in expanding their vocabulary
At K.R. Mangalam Global School, we firmly believe that curiosity helps children be more observant. Curious children are always keen to attempt and deeply consider things and figure them out. Per se, when kids explore their inherent curiosity about anything, they expand their vocabulary because they utilize their language for describing what they are experiencing, hearing, seeing, or thinking. It helps them explore new words, and in the process, enhance their articulation and enunciation.
Setting children up for long term success in their lives
Let’s take a look at history and consider the works of the stalwarts who have shaped the world as we know it. Without curiosity, Alexander Fleming probably would never have discovered penicillin and Sir Isaac Newton would never have formulated the laws of physics. Thus, the biggest impact on this world has been laid by the ones who dared to question and think outside the box. As such, when we nurture this skill in our kids from a young age, we prepare them for long term success in their future endeavors.
At K.R. Mangalam Global School, GK-I, recognized among the leading IB Schools in Delhi NCR,we believe that for our young fledglings, curiosity is nothing short of a gift that keeps on giving bounties of benefits to the learners. When their boundless curiosity is encouraged by us, and they are offered the freedom and space to explore, we create lifelong learners and resilient young achievers meant for greater accomplishments in life.
