“Curiosity is the Engine of Achievement” – Ken Robinson
As an adult, do you like engaging in monologues? If you answered in the negative, you know what your children must be going through.
Imagine your child is made to sit all day in a class where information is disseminated only from the teacher’s side. Every time a question pops up in your child’s mind, the freedom to ask questions is taken away.
Any setup, which demands so, puts an end to children’s curiosity. They are told “what” they should be doing, while the “why” is kept under wraps.
As a parent, if you really wish to provide your child with the best of school education, then your focus should be on finding an institution that nurtures your child’s curiosity. After all, it is the curious children who become better learners. And we, at Delhi Public School, Kangra, recognized among the best CBSE affiliated schools in Kangra, don’t just believe so but also wholesomely follow a similar approach at our institution.
At DPS Kangra, we never make our pupils run behind attaining ACCacademic excellence at the cost of their holistic development. We firmly believe that the true growth of children happens only when they are allowed to bring their curiosity to the table, be it in academics or any other arena. The moment they are able to express and ask questions, the journey towards hitting the intellectual peak begins.
Why is it important to nurture curiosity in children?
We have seen that children who do not display curiosity get in the habit of absorbing information, irrespective of what is being delivered to them. Even if a certain concept is unclear to them, they accept the gap without raising any further questions. Due to this, they receive only incomplete information.
We all know that incomplete or inappropriate information is any day more dangerous than no information at all. Such an attitude acts as a hurdle in not only securing good grades but also establishing their individual self and taking the path of progress.
On the other hand, curious children prefer to keep their mind active and ask as many questions as they want without any hesitance. In the process of it all, they learn to face challenges and uncover opportunities.
Having said that, we, at DPS Kangra, strongly believe that the best part is that there is an element of curiosity hidden in every child. All it takes is to brush this curiosity and bring out the best in those young minds.
This only means that parents and teachers alike need to work hand-in-hand with children to help them understand that curiosity is good, and, if used at the right places, can be life-changing for them.
How does curiosity benefit young minds?
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Holistic learning:
In school, teachers have to complete a certain syllabus. Hence, even if they want to, it is impossible for them to read questions that pop up in every child’s mind. This is why we, at DPS Kangra, always reinstate to our students that being curious and asking questions is the first step towards holistic learning. We always encourage them to keep the fear of going wrong or being mocked aside and come up with their questions whatsoever.
We, at DPS Kangra, encourage children to express their doubts not just in class but also over one-to-one conversations with the teacher. In the process, children open up to the idea of life-long curiosity and learning.
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Decision-making:
While it is not possible to make the right decisions every single time, it is always possible to exercise caution. And one of the best ways of doing so is gathering information before making any decision. No doubt, this is the first step towards taking a well-informed call.
Curious children never make blind decisions. That’s because they direct their efforts in asking questions and collecting data. This habit not just aids them now but also comes in handy to them in their growing up years. Once they grow up and start living on their own or join any organization, their curious nature will help them hit many milestones.
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Problem-solving:
Problems are part and parcel of life. What is important is not to get bogged down by problems.
This is another area where curious children come out as winners. Every time a curious mind faces any problem, his first instinct is to start deriving solutions.
Solutions come to those who are in the habit of putting their curiosity to full use only to weigh between multiple options and put the best one to use.
This is the reason why we, at DPS Kangra, one of the leading CBSE affiliated schools in Kangra, stress the need to develop life skills in children as it enables them to swiftly move in the direction of success. What many may not see is that curiosity is an important life skill, which, if nurtured early on, can help children to grow up into well-rounded personalities.
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Mental activeness:
Let us say you have had a sedentary lifestyle, which has led you to put on some weight. What is it that you will do to get back right in shape? You will involve yourself in some physical activity that will help you to sweat out those extra calories.
The scenario is no different in the case of your mind. If your mind has gone in passive mode, your job is to work towards bringing it back to active mode. The best way of doing so is to give your mind some mental exercise.
You do not have to look any further. All you need to do is put on your curiosity shoes. Persuade your mind to ask questions, think out-of-the-box, and make it keep looking for answers. Even before you know, your mind will resume its mental activeness.
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Tapping on opportunities:
You must know that opportunities knock on your door only once. If you fail to grab it in time, it will pass by. The worst part is that you cannot anticipate when it will come back or whether it will come back or not, at all!
As such, one of the best ways of readying children to tap on opportunities is to infuse seeds of curiosity in them. Whenever any opportunity walks in the direction of your child, he needs to explore it in further depth. Only a curious mind would want to go further deep into it. Once your child chooses to do so, he will come to understand the opportunity inside out. In the process, he will realize how crucial the opportunity is for his growth and progress, which may not have been possible, had your child turned a back on the opportunity.
We, at DPS Kangra, prepare our students to express, ask queries, and look for evidence behind every piece of information. In the process, children learn to foresee opportunities and take action to grab them. In fact, we go a mile further and push our students to view change and challenges as the first step to a fulfilling opportunity. This helps lay the foundation for them to grow up to lead a wholesome life.
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Assuming leadership roles:
Each one of us has an option of choosing to become a leader or a follower. It is understood that a leader is one in a million, while followers are a herd of people who collectively walk in the same direction.
To be that one in a million, it is necessary for you to possess distinguished traits and stand out in the crowd. One important characteristic that leaders possess, which does not come naturally to their followers, is curiosity.
Curiosity helps children to walk the less traversed path. It helps them to take a stand. Above all, curiosity helps leaders to find a voice for themselves.
Hence, as a parent or an institution wishing to transform children into groomed and responsible leaders, it is vital to instill a bent of curiosity in them early on.
To that end, we, at DPS Kangra, ranked among the best CBSE affiliated schools in Kangra, provide our pupils with platforms, activities, and clubs where they can come forward and volunteer for leadership roles. In case a child is shy or hesitant, we offer special attention so that eventually he becomes forthcoming to assume leadership roles. As a leader, children have to lead a pack, which means they have no option, but to put their curiosity to a productive use.
Ways to get children “Curious”
By now, you must have come to understand the many benefits that young minds garner out of curiosity. Likewise, you already know that come what may, it is necessary to back children’s drive towards curiosity.
However, what remains to be seen are the ways that one can adopt to get children curious about things.
Firstly, it is important to note that no two children will get curious over the same thing. Hence, it is crucial to understand what can possibly make your child curious.
For instance, when a teacher is delivering a history lesson, a certain concept might stick with the child. What he would do next is try to explore that concept in further depth by looking up books in the library or taking help from Google for further assistance.
Contrary to this, real-life experiences and the outdoor environment can get a certain set of children curious. Hence, the best way out is to not adopt a universal rule and give children a free hand to choose what they feel is best for them.
Next, you must know that there are shades of curiosity in every child. All it takes to bring out and highlight that curiosity is a little effort from your side. At first, it might seem like a time-consuming affair, but the outcome is certainly worth it.
Another important aspect here is that curiosity, as a concept needs to be introduced to children in phases. You need not always have to do it in words. You can simply derive situations that can persuade children to get curious.
Likewise, role-plays are an excellent way of infusing an understanding about curiosity among children. Speak about the benefits associated with this trait, and you do not have to wait long to see your child putting this trait into practice.
Remember, it is not an overnight task to build your child’s interest in any activity. The same applies in the case of curiosity as well. You will have to follow a process; sometimes, it can take days for you to lead your children on the path of curiosity. But do not give up!
In the end, it all comes down to acceptance. No matter how much you try, unless your child starts seeing curiosity as an indispensable trait, there is not much that you can do.
This is why we, at DPS Kangra, follow a one-day at a time approach to introduce children to the concept of curiosity. We use a mix of theoretical principles and practical applications to make curiosity a reality in every child’s life.
Curiosity – The foundation to children’s intellectual growth
It often happens that children look disconnected and disinterested when studying. But even if that is the case, it in no way indicates that your child does not have an academic or learning bent. There is no reason to lose hope with respect to your child’s intellectual growth. That’s because the problem may not necessarily be with your child. It can be something more deep and intense.
The problem is that your child’s learning curve is not witnessing any development mainly because the child is prevented from getting curious. Maybe, lessons are delivered to your child, but the moment he comes up with a question or query, he may be snapped at and asked to keep mum.
As a parent, your role remains to prevent your child from finding himself in such a situation.
What you can do is to find one such school for your child, where he can learn and grow in a happy and flexible environment.
We, at DPS Kangra, being one of the most reputed CBSE affiliated schools in Kangra, ensure freeing up parents from worries like these. At no point do we create any form of dissatisfaction or displeasure among our students. We allow them to take their time and put their curiosity to best use. In the end, all we wish is for them and everyone around them to benefit from these actions.
As Bryant H. McGill has rightly said, “Curiosity is one of the great secrets of happiness.” We, at DPS Kangra, are driven to help each of our students not just unleash this secret but also benefit from the same!