I recently had an amazing experience with my daughter that I'm sharing.
So here's the dealio. If I don't keep my kids busy then I know one of two things will happen. Either....
1. they'll dive into the world of imaginative play and turn my house upside down or
2. they turn into little monsters and drive each other crazy, which ultimately leads to someone crying, whining or complaining.
both outcomes are manageable but when my house is so tidy and i'm really not in the mood to moderate for them, I get creative and try to do something that provides them with some kind of hands on learning experience to keep them busy and engaged.
Engaged kids = Well behaved kids (that's the message here)
Here's an example of how it goes....
Last week we were driving in the car and my 5 year daughter asked me a random question about planet earth (they'd been discussing it at school). I told her I didn't know the answer so her immediate reaction was... "well ma, you can look it up on google"
while she wasn't entirely wrong, I saw this as an opportunity to teach her how to do a little research and use her inquisitive mind to satisfy her curiosity.
I praised her for asking such a great question and responded to her by saying... "I have the best idea. Tomorrow after school we are going to head to the library and find some books on the solar system so we can find the answer to your question".
She was so down for this mission!
I took it one step further and told her that once she finds her answer in her search, we can go to the crafts store and get the goods to build her own solar system.
Now she was double down for the mission!
Motivation is high! curiosity is flowing! we have a fun outing to look forward to! the library costs nothing! and ba-da bing ba-da boom she now how something to take to school for show and share and be really proud of! and not to mention we got to spend some amazing quality time executing this plan together #winwin
I'm all about teaching my children how to think and how to learn vs. what to think and what to learn. I want them to always ask questions, seek out solutions, problem solve, and understand that sometimes there's not only 1 right answer.
As much as these are important skills for growth and development, these are vital skills for life! These are skills they will use to take on the world as they grow up.
So in short... here are my 3 steps fostering inquiry in your child's development;
1. Listen- pay very close attention to the things your child says. Challenge them with questions to answers they don't know. Praise them for asking you questions- even if it's "why, why, why" (this is every other word coming out of my 3 year old right now)
2. Create a Plan- hold on to any inquisitive questions your child is asking and create a plan to find the answer. You can do this through play, books, videos, outings- something that will motivate them! Let your child know exactly what the plan is and how you're going to try to solve the answer to their question. Remember- no question is too ridiculous here. It's ok to get silly!
3. Execute - Go through the motions of your plan to solve the answer to that question. Children learn best if there's something visual or tangible they can anchor into when learning new information. Hands on experiences allow all the senses to get involved which allows the brain to process information in different ways. You want this!
You're homework here is to listen up to your child and go through these 3 steps with them this week!
I think you'll be pleasantly surprised how well behaved your child is as you go through the motions. Please keep me posted, I'd love to hear what kind of content you explore with your child. Send me an email, post it up in Behave it or NOT! or tag me on social.
You've got this!
Cori
p.s. I'm hanging out all summer with my clients. If your feeling exhausted, stressed or defeated on the parenting end in any way then I want you to book in a FREE 30-minute strategy call with me. I've got solutions for you. Let's chat!