CuriosityWonder, ask, explore

You need: A basket or box and 5 safe everyday things, each bigger than a fist, such as a wooden spoon, a soft cloth, a cardboard tube and a clean sponge

1. Sit on the floor with your child and place the basket within reach. Stay close the whole time.
2. Let them pick, hold, shake, tap and mouth the items while you watch.
3. Say what you see: “Bumpy! Soft! It makes a sound!” Do not rush to show them the ‘right’ way.
4. Swap one item for a new one next time to keep the wonder going.

“Oh, you found the spoon. What does it do?”

You need: A pan, a wooden spoon, a plastic tub with a lid

1. Tap the pan gently and wait. Watch their face.
2. Hold the spoon out so they can try. Copy what they do.
3. Try a different surface: the tub, the floor, your knee. Say, “Listen! A new sound.”
4. Finish with a quiet moment and just listen to the room together.

“Tap, tap. What sound is that?”

You need: Nothing

1. Carry your child, or push them in a pram, slowly around a room, a hallway or outside.
2. Stop at things that catch their eye and say the name of each one.
3. Pause at a window, a plant, a light or a sound. Wait for their reaction.
4. Wonder aloud: “I wonder what is making that sound.” Enjoy the pauses.

“Look! What can you see? I see it too.”

You need: Nothing

1. Go for a short walk outside or around your room or school. The rule is: we only look, listen and wonder.
2. Stop every few minutes and ask, “What can you see? Hear? Smell?” Point out something small, such as an ant, a crack or a shadow.
3. Say, “I wonder why…” and invite them to finish the sentence.
4. Back inside, draw or tell one thing you wondered about.

“I wonder what is under that leaf. What do you wonder?”

You need: A bag or pillowcase and 4 or 5 everyday objects

1. Put an object in the bag when the child is not looking. Check that it is safe to touch.
2. The child feels it through the cloth, with no peeking, and asks questions like, “Is it soft? Is it big?”
3. You answer only yes or no. After a few questions, they guess.
4. Reveal it together, then swap roles so you ask the questions.

“Is it hard or soft? What else could you ask?”

You need: A bowl of water and 4 or 5 safe items, such as a spoon, a leaf, a cork, a smooth stone and a plastic lid

1. Stay close, because even a little water needs watching. Line up the items.
2. Before each one goes in, ask, “Will it sink or float? What do you think?”
3. Pop it in gently and watch. Cheer for surprises: “Wow, it floated! I did not guess that.”
4. Ask, “What could we try next?” and test one more idea. Dry up together.

“What do you think will happen? Let’s see!”

You need: Nothing

1. Explain: a closed question has a short answer, like “Do you like dogs?” An open question needs more, like “What do you like about dogs?”
2. Take turns saying a topic, such as a pet, a game or a place. The other player asks one closed and one open question about it.
3. Count together how many words each answer had. Which kind of question gave more?
4. Choose a favourite open question to ask someone at home tonight.

“Can you turn that into a question that starts with how or why?”

You need: Two or three sheets of scrap paper

1. Fold a simple paper plane and fly it from a marked spot. Mark where it lands.
2. Ask, “What if we change just one thing?” Try bending the wing tips up, making the nose pointier or folding a smaller tail.
3. Fly each one and compare. Say what you noticed.
4. Talk about it: what surprised you? What would you try next?

“What changed? What do you think made the difference?”

You need: Paper and a crayon, or just your voice

1. Sit quietly. Put a hand on your tummy or chest if you like.
2. Ask yourself three questions: “What am I feeling? Where do I feel it? What might it need?”
3. Choose a word from the Five Feelings (happy, sad, angry, scared or tired), or another that fits.
4. Draw it or say it. Whatever the answer is, it is okay.

“I wonder what is going on inside me today.”

You need: Nothing

1. Play in pairs. Pick a topic. You can only speak in questions, like a tennis match.
2. Each person asks a question that builds on the last one. If you stop, repeat, or answer, the point goes to the other person.
3. After two minutes, stop and talk. What kind of questions kept the rally going?
4. Try a quieter version where you must truly listen before you ask the next question.

“What did their answer make you wonder?”

You need: A few household items and a notebook

1. Choose a small question you can safely test, such as “Does a flat sheet of paper or a crumpled one fall faster?”
2. Write a prediction first. Then test it three times and record each result.
3. Write what you noticed, including anything surprising or ‘wrong’.
4. Share with the group: what would you test next? Remember that a wrong guess is still a discovery.

“What did you predict? What actually happened?”

You need: Paper and pens

1. In pairs, each person writes three questions they could ask the other, from easy to deep.
2. Agree the pass rule: you can always say, “I would rather not say.” No one asks why.
3. Take turns asking and listening. Only follow up with questions that show you were listening.
4. Talk afterwards: how can you tell a curious question from a nosy one?

“You can always pass. What would you like to share?”

You need: Paper and pens

1. Write down a quick judgement you have made about a person or a group, such as “She is stuck up” or “He never listens”.
2. Turn it into three genuine questions instead, for example “What might her day have been like?”
3. Choose one question you could really ask the person, kindly. Or imagine how they would answer.
4. Notice what changes when you ask instead of assume.

“What if I am missing something? What could I ask?”

You need: A notebook or phone notes

1. Choose one topic you are curious about, something with no marks attached.
2. Each day, write one question and spend ten minutes finding something out. Note what you learn and what you now wonder.
3. Check where your information comes from. Is it a reliable place?
4. On day seven, share one surprising thing with someone.

“What is the best thing you found out? What do you wonder now?”

You need: Paper or a notes app

1. Think of a moment today when you felt a strong reaction, such as annoyance, nerves, excitement or going quiet.
2. Write two columns: “I notice” (what happened, what my body did) and “I wonder” (why, what I needed, what it might mean).
3. Do not judge. Just ask kind questions about yourself, as you would for a friend.
4. Choose one small thing to try next time, or someone you trust to talk to.

“I notice I felt tense. I wonder what I needed.”