The Decline of Children's Questions in School

Between the ages of 2-5 years, a child asks around 40,000 questions on average. However, this pattern of endless questioning declines once they start school.

Given this fact, Warren Berger has raised an interesting question:

“Have the kids stopped asking questions because they have lost interest? Or have they lost interest because the rote answer-driven school system doesn’t allow them to ask enough questions?”

To answer this, let's first explore what happens in their brains when kids ask questions.

Paul Harris, a renowned Harvard child psychologist, states that questions are a tool for kids to feed their curiosity. By asking questions, kids create their own catalog of information and learn about the world.

In an experiment, Michele Chouinard (2007), a researcher and psychologist, collected more than 200 hours of recordings of four kids interacting with their caregivers.

She found that with familiar adults at home, kids asked 1-3 questions per minute.

After analyzing more than 25,000 questions, Chouinard categorized them into two types:

1) Practical questions

• Asking for help (Can you do this?)

• Permission ( Can I take a candy?)

• Clarification (What do you mean?)

2) Information gathering questions

About two-thirds of the questions were asked to gather information.

Most questions were factual, inquiring about:

• Names (What’s that?)

• Functionality (What’s this for?)

• Location (Where is dad?)

• Actions (What are you doing?)

These simple factual questions dominate kids’ lives until they turn three.

Once they turn three, kids begin asking explanation-seeking questions:

• Why can’t I eat candy?

• How did God make us?

• Why is the moon following us?

Paul Harris notes that, based on Chouinard’s data, if these four kids spent, on average, an hour per day asking questions, their caregivers would answer more than 20,000 explanation-seeking questions before the kids’ 5th birthdays.

Yet, these kids, who ask endless “Why” and “What if” questions, stop asking them as they navigate high school.

What kills their curiosity?

Here are the potential reasons Harris identified that make kids ask fewer questions at school:

• In a school setting, a teacher surrounded by a dozen or more kids cannot practically answer all questions from all kids, leading to fewer opportunities for dialogue.

• The teacher doesn’t know the knowledge base of each individual child, making satisfactory answers more challenging.

• Teachers tend to talk more than the children. Children are expected to listen.

• Teachers tend to talk more than the children. Children are expected to listen.

What can we do to nurture our kids' curiosity?

Our responsibility as parents or teachers is to provide a supportive and nurturing environment where kids can ask questions without being judged or frowned upon.

We should nurture their curiosity from their early tendency to ask questions and learn about the world.

🛠️ Tools & Resources

Steve Spangler Science: This website provides science experiments for both home and classroom use. It includes engaging videos, detailed instructions, and sometimes even free lesson plans.

CodeWizardsHQ: An online coding school for kids ages 8-18. Their live classes teach programming skills and critical thinking to help kids thrive in the digital world.

Unlock Math: An online math program that lets you have fun with math learning this summer!

Summer Camp at Home: A guide to create your own summer camp at home with kids.

Be Smart: Be Smart is created and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Get deep answers to simple questions about science and the rest of the universe.

🙌 Homeschool Stories

Purdy is a second-generation Chinese-Canadian from British Columbia, currently living on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish People in Vancouver, Canada.

Her family follows a wildschool-y and eclectic homeschooling philosophy, focusing on inspiring lifelong learning and a connection to nature.

Purdy is committed to breaking cycles by changing traditional patterns, emphasizing respectful communication, prioritizing relationships, and decolonizing their lifestyle.

We invited Purdy to share her homeschool experiences with us:

Purdy shares: 

• How she follows a wonder-based learning philosophy

• How she makes learning playful

• Tips on raising kids intentionally and with mindfulness

And more…  

🤓 Recommended Reads

This section includes some relevant articles/videos, people to check out, and links you might find interesting and useful.

• This is one of the most comprehensive pieces I have read about homeschooling through the high school years. If you are concerned about how to educate your kids as they grow older, then read this piece by Rachel. She answers the most common questions at the end of the essay.

• Here is an important essay by Carol Black where she discusses how schools subject kids to this judgmental gaze and how it affects their learning.

• I recently watched an insightful documentary by a teenager who was unschooled. The standout moment was his expression of frustration at the lack of direction, which led him to spend excessive time on video games and feel depressed. The documentary effectively highlighted both the positives and challenges of unschooling, making it worthwhile for those interested in alternative education.