Want to increase a young child’s motivation to read? Tap into their natural curiosity, a new study finds.
“What are antennae used for, Daddy?”
We’re sitting cozily on the couch reading a picture book, and my 5-year-old son is quick to spot animal features that he doesn’t understand—a giraffe’s neck, a turtle’s shell. And ants’ antenne. I mimic antennae on my head with my fingers—a natural, almost instinctive gesture—and explain to him that they’re sometimes called feelers and they help ants touch and smell what’s around them, especially food.
LITTLE SCIENTISTS
In the 1930s, developmental psychologist Jean Piaget coined the term “little scientists” to describe the way young children learn: They explore the world with their senses, constructing knowledge by interacting with their surroundings and observing cause and effect. When kids play in a field, they’re learning how the world works: Don’t run in the mud—it’s slippery and you can fall. If you climb a tree, avoid the thin branches—they may snap. Traction, density, stability: Kids explore these concepts long before they set foot in a physics class.
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