What Do You Do About Constant "Why"?

[Blackcat31]

I agree with both you and BlackCat. It may seem like opposite answers, but I think, like you said, it depends on the situation.

Ask me why the sky is blue...we'll find out. Ask me why the birds are making so much noise...we'll find out. Why is it snowing? I don't know...let's look it up.

Ask me who I'm on the phone with (while I'm talking) after I've told you (kindly) that Miss Heidi's conversations are priivate (none of your beeswax! ), or ask me just to get in between a conversation I am having with someone else ...then no, we are not going to study it. We are going to hear "GO PLAY!"

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There is always going to be different answers for different scenarios.

[sahm2three]

I am going to ask why.....

Why are you trying to stop them from asking?
Why are you trying to stop their natural curiosity?
Why not use it to your advantage?

Children who ask "Why?" aren't always looking for a concrete answer. Just because they ask what color something is doesn't always mean they want to know if it is green or red.

Children who are in this phase of knowledge-gathering are trying to process the world around them. They are beginning to understand cause and effect. They are understanding processes and actions that are neither caused by them or are done to them but that happen in the environment in which they live in.

What children are really saying when they ask why is "Hmm, that is interesting to me. We should talk more about it." They aren't necessarily so concerned about the actual answer as they are about the subject itself.

A recent study done by LiveScience says that children were more than twice as likely to re-ask their question after a non-explanation answer was given compared with a real answer containing detail and discussion about the topic.

If you want to stop your kids from continually asking "why?", you should answer them. I think that redirecting the answer back to them such as when a child asks why the sky is blue and then saying "why do you think?" should lead into a discussion not just signify the end of the conversation.

If you just turn the question back on them and say nothing more, they will continue to ask. Just like thirst or hunger, the need MUST be satiated before you can stop focusing on it.

Personally, I would take these "Why?" moments and use them as teachable moments and let the child tell you what it is they are interested in learning about and go with it.

This is exactly how I do NOT use a pre-planned curriculum and let the child(ren) lead me to the subjects and topics they want to learn more about.

Sometimes a question a child asked on Monday becomes our entire week long theme. Sometimes those little inquisitive questions can open doors to unknown topics. I think the more questions a child ask, the more in-tune with the world and environment they are.

I want them to stop asking because it is just habit. Why follows every other question they ask. You can tell by the way they say it, it is a total habit. And they can have just asked me why and they ask why again. It's the habit. I LOVE when they ask because they really want to know.

[nanglgrl]

Do you ban the word? Or do you answer them every time? What do you do?? OMG, the why is going to drive me bonkers! UGH!

Why?::::::

[littlemisssunshine]

Why?::::::

Hahah . This made my day