On the heels of their successful nationwide Search for Kid Innovators, Wyeth Nutrition held a forum on “Sparking the Wonder and Awe in Children” featuring the parents of some of their 2015 winners and family expert, Ms. Vicky Cantada.
Read: Meet the Kids of Tomorrow – Wyeth Nutrition Kid Innovators
Here are the 10 things we’ve learned from the talk, that you can easily do to nurture your child’s curiosity and bring out the innovator in him.
1. OBSERVE & EXPOSE. TAKE INTEREST & ACT.
“Observe your children and find out their interests. Expose them to stimuli that would encourage their creativity and get them asking questions,” Ms. Cantada shares.
When the Derechos saw potential in their child as early as when he was in Kindergarten, they didn’t hesitate to transfer him to a private school, which he still excelled in. To make sure they were making the most of their additional spend, they took a keen interest in his new education and constantly guided him in his schoolwork.
2. TEACH YOUR CHILD TO BE SOLUTION-FOCUSED.
“Problems are stepping stones to new discoveries,” states Ariana Mae Arales, one of the Wyeth Kid Innovators, in their video interview.
To get a child to this level of emotional maturity, Ms. Cantada explains, “parents need to learn that sense of optimism. Encouraging them to be solution-focused, to continually ask [in the face of disappointment or difficulty] ‘What if we had done this instead of this?’”
For the Tamayos, “It’s not about winning but joining, [getting] exposure.” Without much reward, they only tell their children “Continue mo lang kasi para sa future mo yan,” whenever they win competitions.
3. ANSWER ‘KULIT’ WITH PATIENCE AND SWAP “I DON’T KNOW” FOR “LET’S FIND OUT”
As veteran moms would know, all kids get to the “why why why” stage. Even as we find this bothersome, this is actually a manifestation of their curiosity, one that we mustn’t quelch with dismissiveness.
Congresswoman Hataman shares how they built a question-friendly environment at home: “Even the silliest and out-of-this-world questions were encouraged. If we didn’t know the answer, we’d research. Even when we were busy and the kids wouldn’t stop asking questions, we would answer them by saying that we’ll go back to it later.”
4. TUTOK. MAKE EDUCATION A PRIORITY…
A common denominator of all the parents was their focus on their kids’ educations – ‘tutok’ as they coined it.
Being a teacher, Mrs. Dela Cruz had a lot of books at home. Her passion for education rubbed off on her son and they noticed how eager he was to start school – he even prepped his own clothes before each school day. He also loved the bookstore and would pick up a basket whenever he went into one, which his parents encouraged.
“When parents are involved in their education, it turns out better,” shares Mrs. Dela Cruz. When Mrs. Derecho could no longer keep up with her son’s lessons, she made it a point to learn them herself too.
5. BUT ENCOURAGE BALANCE & ‘UNSTRUCTURED TIME’
For the Tamayos, weekdays are for school and weekends are for TV and play time, encouraging their children to have fun so they won’t miss out [on the fun their peers have].
“Rules are good but they can’t be too strict so the kids won’t rebel,” they share.
“Kids need unstructured time to be creative,” says Ms. Cantada. “You need to strike a balance between the time they spend alone working on their projects, and socializing.”
See 5 more eye-opening yet so easy tips to nurture your child’s curiosity on the next page.
6. KEEP ASKING QUESTIONS INSTEAD OF ALWAYS TELLING THEM WHAT TO DO
Ms. Cantada gives the example of a kid who is too much into a TV show and neglects his studies: instead of telling him to stop watching TV and do his homework, she suggests asking him what will happen as a result of his actions. This gets them to the solution on their own.
7. DON’T COMPARE; CHALLENGE.
When it comes to sibling rivalry, Mr. Tamayo has an answer that’s on-point: “Sinasabi ko sa naiinggit: ‘Don’t be emotional. Be practical. Excel on your own, wag [mong] pantayan si Ate, lampasan mo.’”
8. BELIEVE IN LEARNING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
Congresswoman Hataman takes her kids back to their province in Mindanao often, so they can appreciate the beauty and science of nature. She lets them discover things on their own in the mountains and see how different that is from city life.
“There was a time when they didn’t want to go to school, but I saw that they were watching Nat Geo so I just let them — they were learning anyway,” she shares. The result? Promising scientific innovations that benefit nature from her kids.
9. HELP THEM TRANSITION FROM AN EXTERNAL TO AN INTERNAL REWARDS SYSTEM
“External rewards when they’re young are good for motivation,” shares Ms. Cantada. “Then down the road, they need to decipher their own internal rewards like feeling good, being able to contribute — affirm this. This transition usually happens during puberty when they’re thinking more about themselves. Ask them questions like, ‘How did you feel about winning?’”
“We give incentives but it’s not the main motivation. [It should be] something for themselves or yung makakatulong sa kapwa,” Congresswoman Hataman adds.
10. ENCOURAGE OPEN COMMUNICATION. BE THERE FOR THEM.
Mr. Derecho always tells his son that he can discuss anything with him. Discussing the kids’ projects also makes for great bonding and learning moments for both parties.
“We can’t be here all the time but we’re here when you need us,” Congresswoman Hataman tells her kids. “Use technology to be able to do that. There’s a time when you’re the most influential to your kids. Be there for them in their formative years, so when you’re no longer the most influential [people] in their lives, you can be confident in the values you’ve instilled in them and they can stand when they fall.”
For information on how to join the 2016 Wyeth Nutrition Search for Kid Innovators, email [email protected].
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