Spark Your Child’s Curiosity with this Simple Game
Cultivating your child’s curiosity doesn’t have to be complicated or require expensive toys.
Children’s curiosity is naturally piqued when they:
1) See something new
2) See something that contradicts what they think and believe
3) Have two competing beliefs and have to figure out which is true or valid
Try out this activity (which combines elements of these 3 experiences!): Let your baby observe and interact with a variety of containers that open and close in different ways. For example, get a ziploc bag or zipper pouch that has a zip top, a tupperware container with a lid, and a cardboard box. Put a couple balls in each and close each container. Show the containers to your little one and see how he starts to interact with them.
For a baby as young as 5 months who is just reaching out to try to grasp things, you can play this activity in front of him and watch as he follows along with what you’re doing. Let him try to touch, grab, or even mouth the items as you keep an eye on what he’s doing.
As your little one approaches 8–9 months, he will be fascinated with the idea that objects still exist even when they’re not visible, and will love filling and dumping, and REPEATING! Let him transfer the balls between the containers, and try to open/close them. If he starts interacting with the containers in a different way, let him continue until he seems ready to move on.
Let your 1 year old and above be the one to open and close the containers. 1–1.5 year olds can practice opening and closing containers with flaps or loose lids. 1.5–2 year olds can start to practice opening zip-top bags — you may have to show him how or help him to use one hand to hold the bag while the other hand slides the zipper across. These toddlers will be very curious and excited to practice things over and over and really master them. Remember, only help him as much as he wants. His free exploration of these objects is a great opportunity to develop creativity and problem solving skills.
Encourage any and all repetition, at all ages — that’s your child showing you how curious he is about the activity. If he gets overly frustrated or asks for help, help him. Otherwise, give him some space to learn and explore.
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