Raising Curious Minds Through Interactive Learning

When it comes to learning, children are not born uninterested. They are born curious. They touch things, break things and ask questions that are impossible to answer. By interacting with objects, they learn not to throw a glass cup on the floor, only after it breaks. Curiosity is not a trait that needs to be taught, it simply needs to be uninterrupted. On their own, they are testing cause and effects, weight, resistance and consequence, all before they even know the meaning for all these words. The trouble begins when the environment does not let them explore, and learning is replaced with instructions instead. Children need to learn through a first-hand experience, yet in a safe and careful manner. This is where interactive learning comes in.

Interactive learning allows children to experience rather than simply receiving it. When a child participates in an activity, their brain becomes actively involved in the process. Because of this, they begin developing important skills at an early age without their own knowledge. More importantly, interactive learning teaches children how to think and not what to think. When children feel like they are discovering something on their own, they become more eager to learn things independently.

Many scientists, inventors and creative thinkers were once children, who learned through exploration rather than memorizing concepts through conventional learning methods. For example, Albert Einstein developed a fascination with science after being mesmerized by a compass that his father showed him as a child. The moving needle became the reason for the million questions that sparked in his mind. His intelligence did not begin with textbooks; it began with wonder.

Imagine a child struggling with mathematics in class. The numbers on the blackboard confuse him and the textbooks confuse him even more. One day, his teacher turns multiplication into a puzzle, where solving each puzzle reveals a clue for a treasure hunt. For the first time, the child participates eagerly, rather than being reluctant. Weeks go by and now, he no longer fears mathematics. What changed was not the child’s intelligence, but the way through which he learnt.

This is why kids’ magazines like Skippy and Sci-kids by the i-kids magazine have interactive activities, because children learn better when they participate. Activities like “Spot the differences” and “Matching words” help children be completely involved in the action, while sharpening their brain in the process.