C

hildren don’t need encyclopedic facts to feel awe—they need good questions. Ask, “What would the world be like without time?” and suddenly clocks, schedules, and even the rotation of the Earth become mysteries worth exploring. These questions awaken the same wonder that stirred Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire or Diderot. We can still invite children into the spirit of fearless inquiry by asking questions that nudge them to look twice at what they thought they understood. That habit of curiosity prepares them to think deeply, reason clearly, and stay open to new ideas.

One evening, my daughter asked, “Why can’t we just make more time?” That launched a family debate about calendars, planetary motion, and sleep cycles. I asked, “If a day were 30 hours, what would change?” She suggested longer naps, while her brother worried about extra school. We laughed—and then pulled out books and videos to learn how time works. Later that week, she posed her own question to a friend: “Do you think we’d still have birthdays without months?” These moments built not only knowledge, but the courage to ask and imagine.

Start a weekly tradition of asking big, open-ended questions. Write each one in a shared notebook, and explore possible answers through conversation, books, or videos. Let your child come up with a few questions of their own. The point isn’t to find a final answer—it’s to learn how to wonder well. Curiosity, once practiced, becomes a habit that will guide them through school projects, friendships, and lifelong learning.

TIPS

• Turn the question back: “What do you think?” hooks them.
• Cheer weird ideas—wild guesses spark the best finds.
• Keep a journal for their questions.
• Suggest weekly discussion sessions.

ACTIVITIES

• Sky Hunt: Spot a color or cloud, guess why, check a book or web, 15 minutes.
• Why Box: Write a daily question, pick one to answer together, 10 minutes.