Exploration is important in the life of each and every person, but most importantly in the lives of our children. Life does not really exist without exploration. Exploration is at the core of learning, successful relationships, and hopefully our work and schooling. Children are little exploring machines. Before they ever enter school, they manage to learn to talk, to walk, and to relate to the people around them. All of this is mastered through exploration.

Exploration and Mistakes

Because we cannot do something new perfectly the first time we attempt it, failure is critical to the learning process. When children fail, they discover they need to expand and explore more. Although they may be frustrated by initial failures, they are rarely so frustrated that they don't try and try again. The willingness of young children to make mistakes is critical to their ability to learn. The loss of the willingness to make mistakes is highly detrimental to the very curiosity that drives learning.

Levels of Exploration

Exploration not only occurs in many areas of our lives but also at different levels. Children explore their physical world, their intellectual world, and their emotional/spiritual world. As parents and caregivers, we can encourage children and give them opportunities to explore all of their worlds. Also, when we view our children as "explorers" rather than "troublemakers," it encourages them to be learners. A two year old standing in the middle of the dining room table may be simply exploring what it feels like. Our responsibility to that child is to help him or her identify how it feels and celebrate that finding. We then can help them to understand when that behavior is appropriate and when it is not.

Exploration in School

When parents are supportive of a child's need to explore and fail, the child becomes a lover of learning. When it is time for your child to enter school, or if they are already in school, you may want to evaluate how well exploration is fostered.

Exploration is at the heart of joy. Discovery, enthusiasm, and passion all can be found in the process of exploration. It is a great gift—pass it on to your children.