Turning the "Why" Phase into a Learning Opportunity

"Papa, why do ants live in the dirt?"

"Because they like to."

"Why do they like to?"

"It's always the same temperature and it's easy to dig in."

"Why is it easy to dig?"

"Because it's softer than, say, concrete."
"Why is it softer?"

How many parents have struggled through this phase in their children's lives, sometimes too exhausted to answer even one more question, but your kids will never run out of things to ask!

So, how do you turn this into a positive thing? Well, consider that this age (usually around 3) is when kids are at their peak of learning. That's why they are so fascinated by everything. It is the ideal time to start teaching them, not just by telling them things, but by doing experiments and showing them how to research. Obviously, you can't expect a preschooler to start looking things up in the encyclopedia, but you can plant the seed now and it will blossom later on.

Having an encyclopedic program on your computer is the easiest, but if you have a full set of encyclopedias in your home, that will do as well. The idea is to implant the realization that information can be found somewhere beside your father's brain!

The next time your child is asking too many questions, or you just don't know what the answer is, why not try saying, "I don't know, but we can go look it up." Then head for your chosen information source and start looking for the information. You'll need to translate it into something your little questioner will be able to understand, but showing him photos or drawings of concepts is a big help.

If there is an experiment or activity that you can do to help your child understand a concept, then that is another great way to show him how to learn. For example, if he is asking about the wind and how it works, try setting up a fan with paper strips, build a tissue paper kite or a wind sock and explore the idea of moving air. There are lots of fun science books on the market and you can find experiments online as well.