Whatever Happened to Our Children's Curiosity? | Guilian Asongtia

My 7-year-old has a question for almost EVERYTHING!

Sometimes, I wonder where she gets all these questions from.

Yesterday she asked me why the gibbon doesn't have a tail. I had to start by asking her, "What is a Gibbon?" Then she gave me a long lesson about some animals, and I must confess I got lost at some point.

Sometimes the questions are as plain as "Why is the sky blue?" and other times they are so unexpected that I just stare at her, wondering where on earth that came from.

Now, the interesting thing is that I don't always have answers to her questions.

And I am perfectly comfortable telling her, "I don't know."

But I usually follow that with, "Let's search for it online."

She already knows Google as a tool that can provide answers to almost all her questions.

We haven't gotten to the part of the lesson where I explain that Google can also provide wrong answers. That will be another day!

But these little conversations have got me thinking.

Why are children so naturally curious at this stage of their lives, yet many of them grow into teenagers who barely ask questions, either in or outside the classroom?

Think about it.

A young child wants to know why the sky is blue, why birds fly, how babies are born, why the moon follows the car and approximately 100 other things before lunchtime.

They question EVERYTHING!

But somewhere along the way, something seems to change.

The child who once asked endless questions becomes a teenager who would rather remain silent than raise a hand in class.

What happens along the way?

At what point does that enthusiasm for discovering new things begin to fade?

Or does it really fade, or do we simply stop seeing it expressed in the same way?

I find myself wondering about these things, particularly as a parent and an educator.

Because if there is one thing I believe we should never lose sight of, it is that curiosity is an essential element of learning.

Learning should not simply be about how much information children can remember or how many questions they can correctly answer in an examination.

It should also be about their desire to ask questions, explore ideas, seek answers, and make sense of the world around them.

And I really hope my little girl never loses that curiosity.

Now, I would genuinely love to hear from parents and teachers on this one.

What do you think happens to children's curiosity as they grow older?

Are we doing enough, as parents and educators, to nurture curious minds?

Abeg, wuna tell me ooo. I want to learn!