Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/in-the-age-of-questions/5011056/
Anyone who works with three, four, and five year olds is bombarded with questions: "Are skeletons real?" "Where did Julia's baby come from?" "The gerbil died, am I going to die, too?"Don Adcock, a developmental psychologist, had questions of his own about these questions: "What developmental changes turn children into such eager questioners?" "What is it that children want to find out?" "What makes a good answer?"
Several years ago, Dr. Adcock asked 25 families with preschool children to keep a record of all the questioning conversations which went on in their homes. He called them every other day and found out what children had asked and how parents had responded. Here are some of his thoughts.
Why Do Children Ask Questions?
Three to five year olds change in a number of ways which make them into question askers. First, their ability to imagine develops. Along with the increase in imagination comes the ability to think (and worry) about what's possible: "Are there monsters in the closet?" "If a fox can eat rabbits, can he eat me?" "Marty's grandpa died, will mine die?" In addition, preschoolers become skilled ...