Ideas to cultivate children's natural curiosity (and support learning)

• Be amazed and take the time

Whether it is through the recognition of a beautiful landscape, a piece of music, a work of art, a particular talent in a person, appreciating beauty and excellence allows human beings to connect to something bigger than himself. - Julie Bazinet

The emotional experience of admiration and wonder sublimates the ordinary into the extraordinary and makes life tastier, full of those micro moments of happiness. This emotional experience is based on the ability to find, recognize and take pleasure in marveling at all forms of beauty and at what touches the sensitivity.

Einstein said that there are 2 ways to live: one by pretending nothing is a miracle, the other by pretending everything is a miracle.

All it takes is a little stubbornness and an optimism of will to bring out what is most beautiful in oneself and in the world: our way of seeing and looking at the events that affect us! - Malek Boukerchi

Malek Boukerchi, storyteller, coach and sportsman, suggests adding an examination of wonder to our examinations of conscience: every day, let us be amazed!

• Ask questions and feed the source of the "why's"

It is vital to involve children in our discussions. You can do this in several ways:

set an example by asking ourselves questions about everyday things (“I don't know how to do that, where can I find the information?”, “what would it be like if I did it like that? ”),

ask the children what they see, the stories they hear, the events going on around them: “what do you think?”

engage the children in daily discussions: “hey, the bus is late, do you have any idea why? what could have happened? ”,

practice philosophy in a more or less formal way and ask questions of metaphysical value (the important thing is the ability to ask questions, to engage in in-depth reflection, to accept to contradict oneself and to be contradicted, to knowing that the process is ultimately more important than the answer).

•  Spend as much time as possible outdoors in contact with nature

In her latest book "La famille buissonnière", Marie Gervais encourages (re) connection with nature to live a more independent, more reflective, more intense life because it is connected to the world that surrounds and nourishes it.

She regrets that the majority of children return home after school and move from inside to inside: school, car, house, screen.

Time spent outdoors allows children to create their own scenarios, to have their own experiences, to divert objects and materials without fear of the adult gaze, to initiate their own activities on their own.

The ability to transform the existing and resourcefulness will be valuable tools for his entire life! - Marie Gervais

•  Support and encourage passions

It is not necessary to wait until concepts or themes are “on the curriculum” of school to nourish children's thirst for knowledge.

Supporting and encouraging the passions of children (by offering books, outings, meetings, documentaries, trips related to what excites children) has a double beneficial effect:

it strengthens the relationship by creating strong emotional bonds through shared memories and proof for the child that his opinion matters to the adult,

it consolidates the intrinsic motivation of the children (one does not learn for an exam or a deadline for a precise objective, but one learns by the joy of understanding and of thinking, by the impulse which satisfies a deep contentment of the soul) .