The Importance of Asking Questions: Raising Curious Learners

• “Why?”

• “How?”

• “What happens if…?”

Preschoolers ask a lot of questions—and that is a wonderful thing.

Questions are one of the ways children make sense of the world. When a child asks why something floats, how a plant grows, where rain comes from, or what will happen if two materials are mixed together, they are showing curiosity and a desire to understand.

At Dream-I, we see curiosity as an important part of learning.

Questions Lead to Investigation

A question does not always need an immediate adult answer. Sometimes the best response is, “What do you think?”

That simple question can turn a conversation into an investigation.

If children wonder which objects will sink or float, they can make predictions and test them. If they wonder how plants grow, they can observe seeds over time. If they want to know how tall a structure can become, they can build and measure.

The question becomes the beginning of learning.

Children Learn to Think Like Investigators

When children investigate a question, they practice several important skills:

• Making observations

• Making predictions

• Comparing results

• Communicating ideas

• Listening to others

• Testing possibilities

• Revising their thinking

These skills are useful far beyond preschool.

Adults Can Encourage Curiosity at Home

Parents do not need elaborate activities to encourage questioning. Everyday life provides countless opportunities.

• During a walk, ask, “What do you notice?”

• While cooking, ask, “What do you think will happen when we mix these?”

• While reading, ask, “Why do you think the character did that?”

• During play, ask, “What could we build?”

The goal is not to turn every moment into a lesson. It is simply to show children that their questions are valuable.

Curiosity Is a Lifelong Skill

Children who are encouraged to ask questions learn that the world is something they can explore. They learn that not knowing an answer is okay and that they can search, test, observe, and learn.

That is the kind of learner we want to nurture at Dream-I: a child who looks at something unfamiliar and thinks, “I wonder…”