How To Ride the Wave of Big Questions
It’s a little bit exciting and a little bit scary, the way a wee thinker asks a question…and then another, and then another, and then a whole slew of others. Making room for critical thinking with kids seems to open up a floodgate, and while it’s a relief to see inquiring minds at work, it can be overwhelming.
Caregivers and teachers might feel:
Nervous that they don’t know the answers to some or any of their child’s questions.
Worried that they might be wrong, or that they might have to go back and reevaluate some of their own thoughts.
Shocked that their child has been sitting on so many of these questions. We may think that wee folk don’t have as much on their minds, but they do.
Tempted to give “just because” or “ask me later” as answers.
Concerned that once they open the door to asking big questions, some of them about complicated and difficult subjects.
To be honest, all of this will probably happen. You won’t know everything, you will be wrong about some things, and you will be inviting some challenging topics. However, you’ll also be making space for open and honest discussion with your child. You’ll be teaching them that you value their perspective, and that they can trust you, even when it’s difficult to get the words out. You’ll be making room for critical thinking, and setting them up for success, both academically and personally.
What does a big thinker do when their little thinker just won’t stop asking? Here are some tips:
Be transparent about the fact that you aren’t going to know the answers to everything, and that you might be wrong occasionally. They’re going to figure all that out, anyway. Get excited about embarking on thinking adventures as a team!
If your child catches you in a busy moment when you can’t sit down and ponder the mysteries of the universe, find a way to capture their questions for later. Keep a question jar, a notebook, or a stack of sticky notes that you can put up on the wall. Kids can record big questions as videos or voice memos, or they can break out the crayons and draw them.
Enjoy how one question leads to another, and how the same question can become richer as your child gets older. For example, questions about caterpillars becoming butterflies can morph into others about identity over time, about beauty, and about our relationship with nature in general.
If your child is being relentless with “why”, it’s okay to ask them to slow down and rethink things. Suggest that instead of five questions, they pick the one they’re most curious about, and save the rest for another time.
Share your own big questions! There’s nothing cooler to a kid than a grown-up who is still curious.
Kids are built to ask, and a joyful, wonderful part of being small is being unabashedly curious about everything. Taking the right approach to the waterfall of big questions your child is likely to ask will not only help them to cultivate all kinds of useful thinking skills, but will also allow both of you to enjoy this part of their development.
Happy thinking!
