Curiosity grows out of children's love affair with the world, and it's one of the most fundamental tools children can bring to their early learning experiences -- in fact to their learning all through life.

Here are some things that you can do to nurture a sense of curiosity in your child:

"Why?" "Why?" "Why?"

Take the time to answer your child's "why?" questions whenever you can. If you don't know the answer, you can say, "That's a really good question. Let's try to find out." Then you can model ways that we find out about things by:

• Visiting the library to look up the information;
• Phoning or visiting someone who might know the answer;
• Looking up the answer in an encyclopedia, dictionary, or on the computer.

There may be times when your child's "why?" questions become exhausting, and it's okay to say, "I can't answer just now. Let's talk about it later."

What Happens If We...?

Encourage an interest in science by helping children make predictions and test them out. For instance:

• When your child is taking a bath, ask him or her to guess which bath toys will sink and which ones will float. Then test it out.
• When cooking, invite your child to make some predictions about what will happen when you combine ingredients, such as:

• adding flour to water;
• mixing spices with flour;
• beating an egg;
• cooking foods such as eggs, rice, or pasta.

"What Does That Say?"

Encourage an interest in learning about symbols. Children who show interest in printed words and symbols are more likely to want to learn to read when they are ready.

• Point out the names of familiar signs that you pass regularly;
• Ask your child to tell you when the traffic light turns colors and what that symbol means, for example, green means go and red means stop;
• Look at picture books and ask your child what he or she thinks the story is about. Then read the words to see what is happening in the story.

"How Does That Work?"

Play "I wonder how it works" when you are fixing things. Let your child help when you:

• Set the clocks;
• Change batteries in the smoke detector;
• Replace batteries in a flashlight;
• Fix a broken door knob.

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