I think that one of the greatest gifts I can give my daughter is the ability to think critically, rationally, and scientifically. I want my daughter to fearlessly question everything and to be willing to look at the world through clear eyes. That's why, even at four years old, I make sure to talk to my daughter about science and skepticism. So far, my attempts to raise a child who values intellectualism and science have been very successful, and I couldn't be more proud. Here are some ways that parents can help to encourage their kids to think scientifically.
1. Read about science. I love reading fiction books to my daughter, but I want her to value the beauty of the real world, as well. My daughter's favorite books include "Born with a Bang," a beautiful book about the Big Bang, and "Maybe Yes, Maybe No," which explains skepticism and the scientific method. While she loves "Hop on Pop" and "Go Dog Go" as much as any other child her age, I'm glad that she can see the beauty in science as well as fantasy. I think it has fostered a strong sense of rationality.
2. Encourage experimentation. My daughter told me a few days ago that there was a bright-red bug shaped like the number "9" on her ceiling. I told her that it was an interesting hypothesis, but that I was fairly certain that "Nine Bugs" don't exist. I encouraged her to experiment-- which, for a four-year-old, means grabbing a stool and examining it more closely, looking for signs to prove that it is, in fact, a bug. She reported back to me that she had made a mistake, and that the alleged Nine Bug was, in fact, a piece of a party decoration that had been accidentally left taped to the ceiling. I was proud to know that she was both willing to test her idea and willing to admit when it was incorrect.
3. Explain that scientific answers aren't always the fun ones. Stealing a quip from Carl Sagan, I asked my daughter if she would believe me if I told her I had an invisible dragon in my garage. She, at first, wanted to believe it, but ultimately had to concede that invisible dragons are only imaginary. I try to make it clear to my daughter that rational thinking sometimes overshadows fun, romantic, or idealistic hypotheses. A child who thinks scientifically will understand that the most exciting ideas aren't always the ones who are true.
4. ...But let her be a kid. "There's nothing at all wrong with pretending like dragons are real," I told my daughter, explaining my own fondness for fantasy. I want my daughter to know how to live in that magical world of childhood, where unicorns leave hoof-prints on the beach and dragons wait in caves with hoards of treasure. I also want her to know that those things don't exist on the objective level that science measures. It's fine (and important) for children to pretend like we live in a world filled with fairies, gnomes, and trolls, but I want her to be able to tell the difference between the "reality" of fantasy and the reality of a measurable scientific world.
5. Teach the beauty of the real world. What's more beautiful-- that the night sky is filled with the lanterns of fairies, or that the night sky shows us boundless expanses of space-- sun after sun, planet after planet? I teach my daughter about science in a way that underscores the beauty of our local ecosystem, our planet, and our cosmos. I don't believe she'll seek answers outside of science if she's able to see beauty in the world as revealed through science.
6. Get involved in your child's education. Regardless of your child's age, it's important to be involved in his learning process. Help your child with her science homework, discussing the principles of inquiry, skepticism, and freethinking that you teach at home. If you notice teachers or textbooks giving demonstrably false information to your child, bring it up to your child's educators and other school employees. Your involvement in your child's learning process can help him to think scientifically.
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