13 things to increase curiosity

1. Create a Wonder Board or list on your phone – all questions go on a piece of paper and up on the board.  write down your questions, questions others have, definitions, what you want to investigate later, Seek, Explore, Question
   
2. Inquiry Bag of tools – magnifying glass, paper and pencil, compass, straightedge, camera, colored pencils, measuring tape, binoculars, 
   
3. Label them, “nice question!  More evidence that you’re a curious person!”  Let  them know they are curious, thinkers, wonderers, etc.  Always tell them why you think that about them.  The more they hear it from those in authority the more they are going to believe it.
   
4. Play games, do your review around the room.  Make up memory games
   
5. Be secretive – tell some in the class the new formula or theme secretly and then out loud say, “Don’t tell anyone.”
   
6. Take the tangents – when a student asks a question that isn’t on topic take it and bring it back.  Show them that it is ok to be curious.
   
7. Have them choose their ideas – this teaches them to evaluate how interesting ideas are – the beginning of curiosity.
   
8. Have them write about an interesting idea in an interesting way so they become interested in the idea and find ways to study it – full-fledged curiosity. .
   
9. Increase their responsibility (Have them involved in their own assessments) will create more independence and curiosity.  Curiosity is confident independence.  🙂 
   
10. Don’t answer their questions directly, answer with a question to get them thinking.  Let them know their questions are important and that searching for answers bring a lot of satisfaction.
    
11. Listen to them
    
12. If you don’t know the answer, tell them, ask how they could search for the answers together
    
13. Share your questions with them!  
    

When curiosity – that drive to know, is gone it is hard to get back!  But not impossible!!  Nurturing curiosity can be as easy as listening and talking to each other.