Quiz "Why"

All quiz questions begin with the word "why" - find the answers below. The quiz questions are designed for high school students. For each correct answer in the quiz, the team receives 1 point.

1. Why does the hare roll down the hill head over heels?
2. Why is a hedgehog called a daredevil?
3. Why does a squirrel easily jump from branch to branch, from one tree to another?
4. Why are titmouse friends with nuthatches?
5. Why can't swifts be seen jumping on the ground or sitting on tree branches?
6. Why can magpies help a person to become accustomed to order?
7. Why do people often call an owl a forest cat?
8. Why was the jackdaw called that?
9. Why are pilots grateful to frogs?
10. Why do snakes molt?
11. Why does a crow like to take ant "baths"?
12. Why do elephants have such huge ears?
13. Why do anteaters have no teeth?
14. Why do beavers build dams?
15. Why is the bunny teased "oblique"?
16. Why did nature make the fox red and the tip of the tail white?
17. Why do wolves try to settle near water?
18. Why does the prey stick to the web, but the spider itself does not?
19. Why do hippos lie in the water for hours and do not come up to breathe?
20. Why do dragonflies keep returning to bodies of water?

Answers:

1. The hind legs are shorter than the front ones. 2. Can eat a poisonous viper, as it is not sensitive to its poison. 3. Paws with sharp claws and tail-rudder. 4. Nuthatch nobly share food with titmouse. 5. On the ground, they are hindered by long wings and short legs. They cannot stay on the branches, as there are no hind fingers on the paws. 6. Magpie loves shiny objects and can drag them away. Therefore, you can not leave jewelry, keys, spoons anywhere. The bird can steal them. 7. First, thanks to a head that looks like a cat. Secondly, because of the sharp claws. Thirdly, by silent approach to prey. Fourth, hearing and vision are equally well developed. Fifth, - "lovers" of mice. 8. For her special cry during the flight: "Gall-ka!". 9. Based on the model of a frog's eye, scientists have designed an electronic device that ensures flight safety. 10. Old skin is narrow and small. 11. Cleans feather cover from pests. 12. To better capture sounds and cool, waving them, the body. 13. Unnecessarily, since they lick off food (termites and ants) with a sticky tongue. 14. To raise the water level, which will close the entrance to the hut. 15. The hare tries to see everything that is happening around him, and "mows" with his eyes at all sides. 16. So that the cubs do not lose their mother in the dark. 17. Drink plenty of water. 18. He doesn't step on sticky threads. 19. Nostrils exposed to the surface of the water. 20. They lay eggs in water.

For my youngest son, the age of why began with a question "What for? ".

- Mom, what are you doing?

- I am cooking.

- What for?

A little later, this question was partially replaced by "And what can be?" .

- Arseny, don't sit on the ground.

— What could be?

- Son, let's jump more quietly.

— What could be?

And so on ad infinitum. Moreover, this question has become literally a household name in our family. Now everyone: both children and adults on occasion ask: “What can be?”

Ah, this age of why! .. It gives birth to so many pearls, so many wonderful moods and smiles ... And sometimes it even confuses parents. Alas, the parent is not a walker and may not know something. But, for these cases, there are excellent books. For example, fascinating encyclopedia of answers to children's questions

"Why?"

The book is bright, colorful, gives answers to many children's and not only questions. Scott Ritchie's illustrations keep you entertained. Throughout the book there is a plot story about a family with two children. Either with mom, or with dad, they bathe in the bathroom, go to the village, go to the supermarket ... The child is happy to look at and study the pictures while mom reads.

• Questions in the bathroom
• Questions at the supermarket
• Questions before bed
• Questions on the walk
• Questions in the kitchen
• Questions in the village

I really liked that the book can be used not from question to question, but simply as a reference book. Yes, head "Bathroom Issues" we quickly grew into a practical, almost thematic lesson.

And it all started with bathing in the bathroom and a favorite question for children:

Why do fingers get wrinkled if they are kept in water for a long time?

Then followed, perhaps, the most beloved, unloved by many children question:

Ouch! Why does shampoo sting my eyes?

Because the protective system of our eyes perceives the shampoo as a dangerous ... microbe or dust. And the eyes send the brain a signal of danger, which is expressed by a strong pain.

Why is the water leaking with such a funny sound?

And it turns out that this is because air bubbles burst in the water! Moreover, it is very easy to understand this principle if we compare the drain pipe with a straw for cocktails. When you drink the juice to the bottom of the glass and collect the last droplets with a straw, air enters the straw along with the juice, thereby filling the entire tube and making a characteristic sound. The same thing, only in the opposite direction, happens with the drain pipe.

Now our eyes fell on the mirror, which was “sweaty”, covered with water droplets and it became a wonderful canvas for painting!

Why can you draw on a mirror?

Because hot water vapor settles on a cold mirror and turns back into tiny droplets of water. There are many droplets and they form a thin film on the mirror, which makes it look white, like a sheet of paper. And when we draw with a finger, we simply move the water droplets and release the mirror.

Guess we stopped there? But no! The book provides answers to questions such as:

• How does hot and cold water flow from a faucet at the same time?
• Why should you brush your teeth?
• Why is soap so slippery? Etc.

A little later, the book came in handy during a trip to the store. First we read the whole section "Questions at the supermarket" , and then in the store they remembered everything and discussed it. Upon entering, Alyosha immediately found a “special electronic eye” above the store door, which, noticing you, gives a signal to the doors to open.

And Arseniy immediately began to look for “mysterious big doors”, behind which so much is hidden!:

When shopping, we surprised passers-by with the fact that the children told what they know:

• Why does pasta look different?
• Why does lemonade sizzle?
• Why are some eggs brown and others white?

Questions and answers have found another continuation of the house. Ice in our family is an obligatory attribute of tea drinking. Well, how else to quickly cool the tea? But, how surprisingly, it cracks when it comes into contact with hot water. Now we know the answer to this question:

By evening, we learned the answer to the question: Why do I yawn?

Your child has entered the age of why and is bombarding you with questions, but you do not always know how to properly explain this or that phenomenon to him? Well ... Be patient and ... a suitable book! In front of you - just like that.

Why do they have so many "whys"?

Children's encyclopedia "Why?" written for children from three to seven years old and is designed to help parents answer such simple and such complex children's questions.

What is the psychological role of the age of why?

If earlier the baby explored the world by feeling and licking objects, then at the age of 3-5 years a new stage begins. The speech activity of the child is growing, he already knows a lot of words and begins to guess that the things surrounding him are not as simple as they seem. The time has come for theoretical knowledge.

Simple rules for parents of why

1. Show respect and genuine interest.

Photo © Cat Johnson

In the world of adults, the question of a three-year-old may sound ridiculous, but in the world of a child at this moment there is a serious search for truth. The formation of his personality will depend on how parents react to the interest of the baby.

In addition, the need for knowledge of the world in children is associated with the need for respect from adults. When you are attentive to why questions, the child feels that you show respect for his personality. Why? book - a good way to answer the questions of the baby, show respect and praise for curiosity.

2. Remember: he should get an answer no matter how many times he has already asked this question.

Photo © Spiegel

Why does the child repeat the question over and over? It is unlikely that he forgot the answer. Most likely, he checks himself: did he understand you correctly, did he miss something important? If earlier the child relied on visualization (to touch an object, pick it up, lick it), now he is moving into the realm of the speculative. It's normal to feel insecure in a new field and ask the same questions dozens or even hundreds of times.

If you are tired of the child asking the same question, invite him to find together the page of the book that contains the desired answer.

3. The answer should not give rise to more questions

Photo © Anek-Worlds.ru

If a child ever asks you why the sky is blue, look them in the eyes and say, "It's due to quantum effects in Rayleigh scattering along with the lack of violet receivers in our retinas."

Consider the characteristics of children's perception. The explanation should be simple, clear, without unnecessary details and abstruse phrases. Not every parent manages to find a good explanation that a child of three to seven years old will understand. That's what this book is for.

Questions and answers in the book are woven into the story and are accompanied by visual illustrations. Children are creative, they have imaginative thinking, so they will remember the comparisons and illustrations from the book well.

4. Set aside background tasks

Photo © Safewithulli

The child may be dissatisfied with the fact that you answer him, continuing to go about daily activities. In this case, he will begin to demand that you devote your undivided attention to him.

Start a ritual. Sit the child next to you, answer his question and offer to look together for answers to other interesting questions “according to the situation”. For such a case in the book "Why?" there are several sections:

• questions in the bathroom
• questions at the supermarket
• questions before bed
• questions on the walk
• questions in the kitchen
• questions in the village

This situational division of questions will help you comprehensively develop the initial erudition of the child.

5. Invite the child to put forward their version

Photo © Em.Pelle

Let him fantasize. Why do trees have leaves? Why do cats meow?

If the child cannot answer, just tell him how things really are. Encourage him to come up with his ideas. After all, one of the main tasks of the stage of how-tos is to form the ability to discuss phenomena and things. From time to time, the child’s confidence will grow stronger, and from “why?” you will go to “I know!”.

Five of the most confusing children's questions

View this list. Has your child asked any of these questions? If so, then you will surely remember how difficult it was to find a simple and precise explanation. But the author of "Why?" finds a suitable answer to any question - see for yourself:

1. Where does the sun hide at night?

Illustration from the book

It doesn't hide anywhere. In fact, it continues to shine even when we cannot see it. We live on the Earth. It revolves around the sun, and so do we. Every day our planet makes one revolution around its axis. The sun illuminates that part of the Earth that is closer to it. When the part of the Earth where we live turns towards the Sun, we have daylight. And when the Earth turns to the Sun on the other side, we have night.

2. Why do fingers get wrinkled if they are kept in water for a long time?

Illustration from the book

Because they are not protected by anything! Our skin is covered with a thin, thin layer of fat. When you sit in warm water for a long time, this fat is washed away. Water seeps under the skin, it swells, and wrinkles appear. On the palms and feet, the skin is thicker, so it wrinkles more.

3. What is a shadow?

Illustration from the book

This is a place where there is no light. Light cannot pass through all the objects that are in its path. When the sun shines on you, your body blocks some of the rays, while other rays pass by and reach the earth. Where you prevent the sun's rays from reaching the earth, a dark outline is formed - your shadow. Therefore, the shadow is shaped like you! And on sunny days she goes everywhere with you. If the sun is behind you, then the shadow will be in front, and vice versa.

4. Why are peaches hairy?

Illustration from the book

The hairs on the skin protect the peach. All fruits have different skins: apples are smooth, oranges are bumpy, pineapples are prickly, and peaches are hairy. The peel protects the fruit pulp from insects and various diseases - in general, from everything that can harm them. And the villi of a peach, for example, help it protect itself from an infection called brown rot. It is she who causes the fruit to rot in those places where the skin is damaged. Therefore, the hairier the peach, the longer it does not spoil!

5. How do bees make honey?

Illustration from the book

They dry the nectar. Nectar is a sweet, colorless liquid that bees collect from flowers. The bees bring the nectar to the hives and put it into honeycombs - tiny boxes. With the help of wings, the bees blow over the honeycombs with nectar. Then they mix the new nectar with the old, shifting them from comb to comb. Gradually, the nectar dries up and thickens. When the honeycombs are filled with nectar, the bees seal them with a wax cork. Mmmm - it turns out honey!

Video taken from youtube.com
User Alexey Tkachev

This book is not only for children, but also for parents. It teaches us not to make excuses for being busy, to encourage children's curiosity, and to take a few minutes to fully satisfy the child's needs for knowledge, approval and respect.

Article provided publishing house "MIF.Childhood"

Katherine Ripley "Why? The most interesting children's questions ... " To buy in Labyrinth.ru Buy on Ozon.ru To buy in Ukraine To buy in Belarus To buy in Kazakhstan To buy in MYTH

Activities with children

Why. Answers to children's questions.

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“Mom, where do babies come from?”, “Why does it rain?”, “Why does a camel have a hump?” or “Why do I walk in boots, but the dog does not?”; “Why does this aunt have huge eyes?” - these are the questions sometimes asked by children. It's just that your child has grown to the age when he wants to know almost everything! This is the age of why!

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To these and many other questions, sometimes adults are lost and cannot find answers. To arm you with knowledge, we offer you answers to some of your "why" questions.

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Why do spiders fly on cobwebs in autumn?

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In autumn, many young spiders go on distant wanderings. Sitting on the top of a blade of grass, on a leaf or on a knot, the spider releases a cobweb. The wind picks it up, the spider stops clinging to the leaf and flies away with the cobweb. It is still so small and light, this spider, that it is held in the air by a barely noticeable cobweb thread.

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Running across the flying cobweb, lengthening and shortening it, the spider either takes off higher, then goes down lower. He can absorb the entire web, and then descend to the ground. The autumn web is the work of thousands of young spider-pilots. So young spiders move to a new place of residence!

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Why is one squirrel called a skydiver?

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Lives in India and Ceylon taguan squirrel. It is about the size of a domestic cat, and its front and hind legs are connected by a thick membrane. The membrane is not simple. Stretching out its legs, the taguan jumps from the top of the tree. The membrane serves as a parachute for him, and the animal seems to fly from top to bottom along an oblique line.

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A thick and fluffy tail serves as a rudder for the squirrel. The taguan's eyes are keen: it descends without error on the branch it needs. We also have flying squirrels. There is a flying squirrel in the taiga. It is smaller than our usual squirrel and makes jumping flights of twenty to thirty meters.

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Why are autumn flies evil?

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They say that by the autumn the flies become angrier - they begin to bite painfully. Our common housefly does not bite either in summer or autumn. She can't bite - she has nothing. Look at the head of a housefly - the proboscis sticks out in front. The end of this proboscis is wide and flat, like a child's slipper. Such a proboscis can suck up liquid, but it is impossible to pierce the skin with it.

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And yet, at the end of summer, flies bite. It's not the housefly that bites, it's Zhigalka autumn. This fly is called a fly because it hurts very painfully with its proboscis. - as if it burns, burns. And this fly is called autumn because it is more common in late summer and autumn.

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The fly is similar to a housefly. It is the same size, the same color. So they think that this is a simple fly bites. But it is not difficult to distinguish a stinger from a simple fly. The Zhigalka has a sharp proboscis and sticks out forward. Her body is wider and shorter.

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In a simple fly, when it sits, the wings are directed backwards, while those of a stinger are set apart. Zhigalka flies quickly and deftly, does not buzz. In rooms, it often flies low, near the floor.

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Take a closer look at the flies in the rooms at the end of summer, you will immediately notice that they are different. You will not see a burner on the table, on bread or near milk. She does not even sit down on jam. All this is not her food. The food for the burner is blood. She sucks it like a mosquito.

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Why is the boletus so called?

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In the forest, a red cap of a mushroom peeps out from under the old fallen leaves of an aspen. It's a boletus that came out. And a little further away, under that birch, a brown cap of a boletus sticks out. I carefully pluck the fallen leaves. Yes, there is a whole family of boletus boletus: two, three, four ... One less than the other In order not to spoil the cap of the mushroom, I take up the bottom of the leg. The root of the mushroom sits tightly in the ground. I quietly remove the top layer of the earth and see: thin white threads-mycelium go from the root into the ground in different directions. These threads are so intertwined with each other that it is difficult to keep track of where they go next.

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It turns out that the whole family of my boletus boletus is connected to each other underground by these white threads, and all these boletus babies are siblings that have grown from one ball of threads, from one mycelium. The threads of the mycelium, making their way in the ground between the roots of flowers and trees, suck up water and food along the way. Their food is fallen old leaves, last year's rotting grass. The threads give water and feed the stem and cap of the mushroom. But what is it?

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Separate strings of mycelium come very close to living birch roots. They braid the roots from all sides, they penetrate into the root itself. The food that they get from the old rotting remains of plants is not enough for them, and they extract juice from living trees, sticking to their roots.

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But the tree itself does not lose from this neighborhood: the threads of the mushroom serve as additional roots for it and feed it in turn. The threads of the boletus "are friends" most often with birch roots, the boletus is "friends" with aspen, camelina with a Christmas tree, and so on; therefore, each mushroom is found mostly around one specific tree.

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There were no butterflies in Sweden. And when larch was transplanted there, then new mushrooms for Sweden appeared in these new forests - larch boletus.

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Why does the snow creak?

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Try to catch one snowflake and you will see that this beautiful star is made up of many small crystals.

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No matter how small these crystals are, but when they break, a crack is heard. When one crystal breaks, it is impossible to catch the sound. And when many of these crystals break at once, the crackling becomes audible, and we say that the snow creaks.

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Why do skates slide on ice?

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Misha was told that the skates glide because the ice is smooth. Misha stood on the glass, even smoother than ice, and the skates don't slip. Why is this?

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The skates slide because the ice melts under the weight. A thin layer of water forms between the ridge and the ice. This water, like a lubricant, allows the skater to glide. The layer of water turns out to be so thin that before the skate has time to pass, the water freezes again and only a trace remains on the blue surface of the ice.

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If it's very cold, the skates don't glide so well. Every skater knows this. Now neither Misha nor his comrades will try to slide on the glass, no matter how smooth it may seem.

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Why do crab flowers grow on the shell?

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There are crabs in nature, on the shell of which flowers grow. How can this be, you ask? But like this. Algae, polyps, sea worms, sea anemones live on the crab shell. It seems to be just a moving island. It is hard to guess that this island, inhabited by animals and plants, is a crab. When such a crab wants to eat, he takes one of his cohabitants from the shell with a claw and sends it into his mouth. This crab is not only well hidden from enemies by a living tire, but also always carries a ready-made lunch with him!

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Where do migratory birds fly?

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It turns out that storks, cranes and swallows flew to Africa; in the very middle of Africa, they climbed to visit the hippos. The starling also flew to Africa, but not so far - he got to Egypt, and that's enough. Wild geese flew to Africa, India, while others stopped in Persia. Although the cuckoo does not fly well, but as it began to fly away from the winter, it also reached Africa. They live there in the forest, but they don't cuckoo. Our cuckoo in Africa is silent, as if she has become dumb at a party.

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Bird nests in a foreign land do not build chicks do not take out. Who flies for ten thousand kilometers, and who only for a thousand.

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The rook does not fly far. It is good for him in the winter and in the south of Ukraine, and in the North Caucasus it is not bad either. It is satisfying here, and not very cold, and close to home. He is not in a hurry to fly away in the fall: it is not far for him to fly. And in the spring, of all the birds, it is the first to fly: it’s within easy reach from the south of Ukraine to Moscow: it waved its wings for three days, and at home.

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What birds winter near us?

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Late autumn came, the guys noticed that no more cheerful wagtails, fast swallows, tireless starlings were visible. Migratory birds flew south. And what birds stay with us for the winter?

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Who can feed themselves: black grouse, hazel grouse, partridges. Flocks of tits fly through the forest, and among the tits there is a woodpecker. Like a leader: where he is, there are tits. The woodpecker pecks the bark on the tree with its beak, and the tits jump in the snow, picking up the fallen larvae. They feed near the woodpecker, so they fly after him.

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Near a man sparrows, jackdaws, crows, pigeons, and in the village and yellow buntings keep. Goldfinches fly through copses and wastelands - they feed on burdock.

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But among familiar birds, an unknown bird suddenly flashes by in winter. We didn't have those in the summer. Who is this? It turns out that some birds come to us for the winter.

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Which of the birds flies to us for the winter?

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In winter, flocks of plantains fly along the roads; like sparrows digging in horse manure. In the forest, on birch branches, tap-dancers hang, and red-breasted scuras sit on the mountain ash. It is quiet in the northern forests, from where these birds flew to us for the winter. And these fools are so calm that you wonder. You go up to him, and at least he will. You can knock it off a tree with a stick. But the smurk will live with us for a little while, and then he won’t let him get close - he will fly away.

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What birds build nests in winter?

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Of course, you will not find a nest in every forest in winter, but if you try, look, you will see. Spruce; at the top - a nest; in the nest are eggs, and on the eggs is a bird.

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Her beak is curved, crossed. It is good to peel spruce cones with such a beak. This is a crossbill, a tramp. So crossbills roam all their lives from forest to forest. They will get into the forest, where there are already a lot of cones, they will linger - they will build nests, they will bring out the chicks. And they don't care about winter. Frost, jackdaws freeze on the fly, trees crack, and they have chicks sitting in the nest. There are many spruce seeds - the chicks are full. The nest is deep, with down, warm in it. And in the cold, the mother will cover herself. Then it's really good.

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How do you know which birds fly where?

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How to find out where which bird flies? Make a mark on a bird with paint? It is forbidden. Rain will wash away the paint. That's what the scientists came up with. A light ring is put on the bird's leg. There is a number on the ring. The number is written in the book. Such a bird will fall into the hands of a person, by the number you can find out where its homeland is.

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They put on, for example, a ring for a crane in a swamp near Tver. And they killed this crane in the autumn near Odessa. This means that the crane flew from Tver to the south through Odessa. They usually mark the chicks on the nest with rings - this is the easiest. Bird rings told a lot of different things about birds: what roads do birds fly to the south, where do they spend the winter, do they fly back to the same forest from where they flew away.

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Which fish has eyes on the side?

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Yes, it's a flounder fish! There is such a couch potato, its name is flounder. She lives at the bottom of the sea. It swims little, and never rises to the surface of the water. The flounder lies at the bottom not on the abdomen, but on its side: its side is wide, it is good and comfortable to lie on it. She always lies on the same side.

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Why do flounders have eyes on one side?

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On its side, one eye will look into the sand. What is the use of such an eye? And here the eyes of the flounder are arranged in a special way. Not like all fish, one on the right, the other on the left. She has both eyes on one side, and the other side is blind. The one she's on.

This does not happen right away, the flounder will hatch from the caviar - it swims, like all fish. And she has eyes on both sides at this time. The flounder grows little by little and more and more often lies on its side. And at this time, the bones on her head begin to grow in different ways. They grow so much that the head is twisted: on one side they grow stronger, on the other weaker. And it all ends with the fact that both eyes are next to each other. By this time, the flounder is already becoming completely couch potato.

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What kind of fish can shoot?

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Don't think that the fish are shooting from a gun. Fish shoot water out of their mouths. He takes water in his mouth and squirts. Accurately sprays, does not miss. The most accurate shooter in fish - archer fish. He lives far from here - on the island of Java.

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The fisherman sees a fly on a leaf above the water, takes water into his mouth, sticks his head out above the water, splashes. Fuck! The fly fell: a sprayer knocked it down with water. Swallow the fly, start looking for another. A meter and a half shoots a archer and always without a miss.

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Why is the worm all naked?
Why is the dove cooing?
Why does water gurgle under the faucet?
Why are hedgehogs in thorns?
Why am I Why?
Why am I never silent?
(N. Kostarev)

Oh those little whys! What questions do they harass their mothers and fathers, grandparents, older sisters and brothers, and even educators, teachers, casual acquaintances ... Sometimes these questions simply lead us to a dead end, because we don’t have an answer to them or too complex for children to understand. Who are they - little why-"pristavuchki"? Why are they asking questions? How can parents survive under a flurry of children's "Why?", "How?" and why?" And how to answer children's questions correctly? Let's find answers together!

Why these "why"?

The period of obstinacy, when the baby defends its "I" by all acceptable (and not so) methods, is hardly over, when a new era in the development of the baby is just around the corner - the age of "why". A holy place is never empty! Babies get into it in different ways. Someone earlier, at 2.5-3 years, someone closer to 4-5 years. In fact, this age is not a terrible phenomenon, but incredibly interesting! The kid grows, develops, his speech becomes stronger, vocabulary expands, and the unknown, mysterious surrounding world gradually reveals its secrets ... And it begins! What is ticking in the clock? Why does a cat need a mustache? Why does the wind blow? Why is the sky blue during the day and black at night? Where does the sun go to sleep? The kid, like the baby elephant from Kipling's fairy tale, wants to know about everything in the world. Even about what the crocodile eats at dinner. Remember?

I have six servants
Agile, remote,
And all that I see around -
I know everything from them.
They are at my behest
Are in need.
They are called: How and Why,
Who, What, When and Where.

Yes, all these “whats” and “whys” are nothing but a way of knowing the world. And this way for the baby so far is practically the only one. It is later that he will learn to use reference literature, draw information from books, TV shows and the Internet. In the meantime, the main source of information is close people, mom and dad. Now they are smarter and more significant for the baby than all the scientists and professors combined. And such a high trust must be justified!

Do not be surprised if the baby sometimes asks the same question several times. In this way, he tries to make sure that he understands you correctly, that over time the answer to his question remains the same. And then all of a sudden today this dog is called a boxer, and tomorrow - somehow differently? The kid discovers the law of constancy, no more, no less. Answering questions creates new questions. After all, every new knowledge expands the boundaries of the world, and there are still so many interesting and unknown things in it. So the best thing for developing children's curiosity is to diligently answer the questions of the baby. After all, right now, at the age of "why," a love for knowledge (that is, that same curiosity), a research interest is laid, and this is the basis for further successful schooling.

How to destroy children's curiosity

It's easier than ever! Do not answer a couple of times. Wave a couple of times ("I'm busy, wait, later, not now, another time, I don't know..."). A couple of times to laugh at the absurdity said by the child. A couple of times the question "why?" answer "on the head!", even better "on the head and cabbage!". And the most appropriate answer would be a weighty "Why? Because!". Just don’t be surprised if a little later you also get a “bang” in response to some of your questions ... Not getting answers to questions, the child will sooner or later stop asking them altogether. Curiosity is the norm for a child, a sign of his giftedness. And if he asks questions - it's very good! Much worse if you don't ask! And no matter how hard it is for you, no matter how the little why-do-it-yourself torments you with his “what” and “how”, be patient and satisfy his curiosity in all possible ways. Otherwise, it may turn out, as in the story about the boy Igor from the story of V. Veresaev. Igor plagued everyone with the question "why?" A familiar professor advised parents: "When you get bored, answer him:" Because it's perpendicular! This is what the parents did:

- Why?
- Because you can not climb on the table.
- Why can't you climb on the table?
Because you're soiling it with your feet.
- Why do you get your feet dirty?
Strictly and weightily:
- Because the perpendicular!
Igor was silent. He opened his eyes wide.
- Peck...per...cular?
- P-e-r-p-e-n-d-i-k-u-l-i-r! Understood? Go!"

A few days later, an unexpected reaction occurred (although, in my opinion, quite natural). The boy began to answer all difficult questions: "Because it's perpendicular!" But what, why look for answers, get to the bottom of the truth, if everything can be simplified, made "perpendicular"?

What happens? At first, children's curiosity is not properly satisfied, and later, at school, on the contrary, they begin to answer questions that the child did not ask, to put ready-made knowledge into it. And the kids stop asking questions. At all. They just don't see the point...

He plagued adults with the question "Why?".
He was nicknamed "The Little Philosopher".
But as soon as he grew up, they began to
Present answers without questions.
And since then he is no one else
Does not ask questions "Why?"
(S. Marshak)

Is it because the age of why children often ends with our kids right at the beginning of schooling? Is it because modern teenagers are not interested in much? Answers without questions kill curiosity. The question and the search for an answer to it are much more important than the answer itself! Think about it...

How to answer children's questions

On this occasion, I immediately remember a very old and very favorite anecdote. Dad and a five-year-old son are walking, the son is chewing an apple:
- Dad, why does the apple darken?
- You see, son, our atmosphere contains free active oxygen. At the same time, an apple contains calcium, magnesium, and, most importantly, iron. Iron reacts with free oxygen. The result is ferric oxide, which has a characteristic brown color.
There is a long pause.
- Dad, who are you talking to now?

So let's not be like this dad, but let's answer the kids' questions in such a way that the baby would understand. This is not always easy, especially if a child asks about quantum theory after hearing it on TV and memorizing the sonorous phrase. Or how do you like the philosophical question of where the very first egg came from? Children are amazing creatures, in order to understand them, you need to become a little bit of a child yourself, try to put yourself in the place of a baby, look at the world through his eyes. The child is somewhat similar to an alien. Every day he discovers new laws that we, adults, have known and understood for a long time. And we even forgot that once we ourselves did not know all this. If you find it difficult to translate something from an adult language into a childish one, pick up some good encyclopedias for the smallest with clear pictures and texts accessible to children's understanding. True, if you can still find good pictures, then the situation is more complicated with texts. Encyclopedias are written by adults! And authors, just like us parents, often find it difficult to find simple words for difficult things. So sometimes you have to "translate" even baby encyclopedias. But to master the language of children, I'm sure everyone can. You just need to really want this, to descend from the height of your adult and intelligent vision of the world to the small sprout of a child. In fact, even complex things can be explained in simple terms. Just do not confuse simplicity with primitivism! A child is a very smart, thoughtful little man, even wise in some ways. He is very capable of understanding and comprehending.

Yes, children's questions need to be answered. But… not for everything. This does not mean that you should avoid answering. There are just a lot of questions that a child can answer for himself if he thinks a little. Learn to isolate such questions from a flurry of all sorts of whys and whys. By doing this, you will do your son or daughter a good service by teaching them to think, help you draw an important conclusion: it is not possible to know everything, but there are many things and phenomena that you can understand and realize on your own. For example, a toddler, like Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's Little Prince, asks why flowers need thorns. Agree, quite a common children's question. And we can easily satisfy children's curiosity. And the kid will know the answer to his question. But how much will this knowledge be of any use to him? But what if you gently ask: "And what do you think?" The kid will begin to put forward his own versions, perhaps very fantastic ones. And, perhaps, very faithful. And our task now is to follow his reasoning, and slightly push them in the right direction with leading questions. Together, the answer will be found easily and quickly. It makes sense to say after that: “You see, what a great fellow you are! I didn’t know, but I thought - and I found the answer myself!” And it doesn’t matter at all that you led him to this answer. The important thing is that the child is aware of his capabilities, understands that through reasoning you can really figure out a lot!

You can also answer a question with a question when the baby "gets" you with meaningless chatter. Although this needs to be sorted out. Even meaningless children's questions actually carry a certain meaning. Perhaps the baby is just bored, you talk little to him, and he wants to communicate. So he is looking for ways to somehow "hook" you. The little psychologist knows, he knows perfectly well what exactly brings the mother out of balance! Often this results in a chain, where each subsequent question clings to the answer. "What are you doing?" "Wash the dishes". "Why are you washing the dishes?" "To be clean." "Why would that be clean?" "Whatever it would be nice to eat." "Why would it be nice to eat?" Well, etc. Familiar? Here, at the very beginning of the dialogue, instead of answering, you can ask the baby: "What do you think?" And then divert the topic of conversation a little in a different direction. Sometimes it makes sense to answer a question that a child knows the answer to with a bit of humor. "What are you doing?" "Dancing!" "No, mom, you're washing the dishes!" We laughed together, and no irritation ...

It is very important for an adult to learn to understand children's questions correctly, to delve into their essence. This is sometimes not easy: children's thinking is arranged quite differently than adults. Often children ask inaccurate questions, saying one thing and meaning something else. Here is a simple example. Masha, 3.10, asks on a walk: "Mom, why does this poplar have such long branches and grow in different directions?" What is the answer here? Such is the shape of the branches of this poplar, nature created it this way ... But the daughter does not like the answer and she says her own: "No, the tree pulls water and food from the ground with its roots, therefore HIS BRANCHES AND GROW!" Here the child himself answered his own question! Or even almost a classic. When one of my nephews was 4 years old, he came to his mother with a question where the Firebird lives. The kid listened for a long time to his mother's lengthy story about the Kingdom of Far Far Away and the Far Far Away state, and then interrupted with annoyance: "No, no! She lives in a nest!" That's childish logic for you. Indeed, where else can a bird live (even if it’s Heat), if not in a nest? And in order to better understand what exactly your why child wants to hear in response to his “why” question, you need to be more attentive to the child, communicate with him more, take into account his characteristics and by all means pay attention to how he reacts to your answers, what to him more to your liking.

How to teach children to ask questions

The ability to ask questions is an art that we learn all our lives. Each of us many times faced with questions and tactless, and stupid and frankly stupid. We will serve the baby well if we teach him to ask questions correctly and not be afraid to do this. It may seem strange to some, but there are many adults who are afraid to ask something incomprehensible again or ask the interlocutor a question of interest. As a result, they make a lot of mistakes that could easily have been avoided. Such people are often obtained from children who, in childhood, were discouraged from asking anything or simply were not taught. Therefore, it is very important to convince the baby that not knowing something is not a shame. It's a shame not to look for an answer if it's possible to find it. And, of course, never, under any circumstances, laugh at children's questions, no matter how naive they may seem to you! For a child, what he asked about can be very important. And an adult with his ridicule not only destroys trusting relationships, but also deeply offends the child.

In order for the baby not to be afraid to ask, force him to ask all sorts of questions in the game. Try playing a simple and fun game where you ask questions first, and the child answers them, and then switch places: "What is the mouth for? What is the nose for? Why do we need ears?" Answers can be both serious and comical: "The nose is needed to breathe. The nose is needed for dad to kiss him. The nose is needed to smell the flowers." Such a game develops the child's imagination and speech, shows that often you can find a lot of different answers to the same question. Play "why" on the contrary, asking questions in a "chain": "Why do you need a bike?" "To ride" "Why ride?" "Because I like it" "Why do you like it?" etc.

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