Early curiosity can boost maths, reading skills in young kids
New York, April 27: Let your child be curious for learning new things as it may help him or her to grasp basic math and improve reading skills from an early age, a new study led by an Indian-origin researcher suggests.
Curiosity in young children was defined as a trait for the joy of discovery, and the motivation to seek answers to the unknown.
But, the current early learning interventions just focus on improving a child's effortful control which includes their ability to concentrate or control impulses, the researchers rued.
The findings, published in the journal Pediatric Research, suggest that even if a child manifests low effort control, high curiosity can lead to higher academic achievement.
This is why children who have developed a wide range of socio-emotional skills such as invention, imagination, persistence, attentiveness to tasks, as well as the ability to form relationships and manage feelings, are generally more successful when they start school, the researchers said.
"Our results suggest that while higher curiosity is associated with higher academic achievement in all children, the association of curiosity with academic achievement is greater in children with low-socioeconomic status," said lead author Prachi Shah, from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
For children from poorer communities, curiosity is even more important for higher academic achievement, because it can help them close the achievement gap associated with poverty, the researchers added.
For the study, the reading and math skills and behaviour of 6,200 children in kindergarten were measured.
Their parents were interviewed during home visits and the children were assessed when they were nine-months and two-years-old, and again when they entered pre-school and kindergarten.
"Our results suggest that after controlling for other factors associated with higher achievement, curiosity continues to make a small but meaningful contribution to academic achievement," Shah explained.
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Nepal's top leadership stresses unity, peace on Buddha Purnima
Kathmandu (PTI): National unity can be strengthened by following Lord Buddha's guiding principles of tolerance and mutual goodwill, Nepal President Ramchandra Paudel said on Friday, on the occasion of Buddha Purnima.
The Himalayan nation is observing the 2570th Buddha Jayanti, or the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha, who was born in Lumbini, Nepal, around the 6th century BC.
Buddha Jayanti is celebrated on Baishakh Poornima or the full moon day in the month of Baishakh of the Lunar calendar every year.
The birth anniversary of the Buddha, regarded as the messenger of non-violence and peace, is being celebrated across the country with hopes for peace.
Traditional pujas are performed by Buddhists, with lamas and Buddhist gurus conducting ceremonies in Chaityas, monasteries, viharas, and other sacred sites.
Various programmes are being organised at important pilgrimage sites like Lumbini, Swayambhu, and Bouddha to commemorate the day.
In his message on the occasion, President Ramchandra Paudel said that national unity could be further strengthened by maintaining tolerance and mutual goodwill amid religious, social and cultural diversities, abiding by the messages and guiding principles of Lord Buddha, the proponent of non-violence and peace.
Extending his greetings to all through social media, Prime Minister Balendra Shah said that Nepal, blessed by the birth of Buddha, has always been in favour of non-violence and peace.
"The path shown by the Buddha is the path to end suffering by seeking knowledge," he said.
"As a ray of light enters, darkness automatically disappears; likewise, our journey should be in search of the light of knowledge, should be on the path to solve problems,” said Shah.
Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and Mahaparinirvana (death) all occurred on the full moon day of Baisakh. Thus, Buddhists worldwide, including those in Nepal, celebrate Buddha Jayanti with deep reverence and devotion.
Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Nepal on Thursday celebrated Buddha Jayanti in Lumbini in collaboration with the Lumbini Development Trust and Lumbini Buddhist University.
The celebration held on the eve of Buddha Jayanti featured a painting exhibition by school students, chanting of prayers by monks from Nepal and India and a vibrant cultural evening.
On the occasion, a Buddhism-themed Kathak dance was performed by a troupe from ICCR, India, headed by Deepti Gupta and a musical presentation by a Nepali band led by sarod maestro Suresh Raj Bajracharya.
Lumbini Province Governor Krishna Bahadur Ghartimagar was the chief guest on the occasion.
