Researchers have learned that curiosity is very important for success in school. Curiosity is an interest in exploring and finding out more about what happens. The child, who is interested in what is happening around him, watches to see what happens and learns from it. You can’t really teach curiosity with “flash cards” and similar teaching methods. Young children learn best when they are in charge of their own learning, not when you try to force something on them. Your child’s first year is a very important time in laying a foundation for a lifetime of curiosity. You can help your child develop curiosity about his world. Research suggests that encouraging a child to explore is very important. This helps the child develop the
curiosity skills needed to answer questions a child faces as he gets older. Here are some ideas that you can begin working on right away. Ears: Let your child listen to music. Help your baby make sounds by banging blocks together. Talk and sing to your baby. Eyes: Use brightly colored clothes, toys, and room decorations. Show your baby the pictures that hang on your walls and the pictures in books and magazines. Touch: Give your child many textures -- soft, hard, smooth, and rough. Touch your child and let your child touch your skin, hair, and clothing. Tell your baby what he is touching as he touches it.
Taste: Encourage your child to try new and different foods. Smell: Give your baby many chances to smell safe things -- soap, perfume, food, flowers, and feet. The child who is curious is a child who is learning. Try to see and hear things as your baby does. Share the experience. When your baby gets excited about something, she probably has had a “wonderful idea” about it. That is what learning is all about!

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