If curiosity is nurtured and if it flourishes, it is one of the most valuable tools a child can bring to the early learning process and to all learning throughout life.

The Neighborhood series has always applauded and encouraged wondering and asking questions. Fred Rogers believed that television can be a powerful and constructive stimulus to a young child's curiosity. Through the Neighborhood programs, he offers children a sense that they and their world are wondrous creations. They can see that people are indeed capable of creating and doing wonderful things -- far beyond their own neighborhood.

Children are hungry to know about the world. It's a natural longing, and the adults in their lives play a most important role in helping to sustain curiosity.

Some Things are for Grownups

Of course, there may be times when children's curiosity makes their caregivers uncomfortable. Mister Rogers models a caring response as he tells the children, "When I was a little boy, I used to be curious about lots of things. Sometimes my mother and father told me that, while it was fine to be curious, there were some things that were just for grown-ups. And I would learn about them when I was grown-up."

Mister Rogers adds, "It's all right to be curious, but if somebody doesn't want to tell you, that's all right. You can go on to be curious about something else."

In Child Care

In child care, with all that you're doing for and with the children, it can be a real challenge to allow a child to take time to explore and discover...to help children predict, experiment, and observe...and to respond to the questions that may even come in the midst of storytime or cleanup. But when you can, you're building a rich foundation for a love of learning that will serve those children all their lives.

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