The Wonder Approach

Why are our children so astonished by simple, everyday things when they are young, but less interested in learning just a few years later. Is this a natural consequence of growing older, or could we be extinguishing their sense of wonder. Children of the last twenty years have grown up in an increasingly frenzied and demanding environment which has led to them feeling unmotivated, bored, unable to adapt to reality and suffering from hyperactivity and inattention. In order to ensure their future success, we fill our children's schedules with endless activities that mean leisure, spontaneous activity and the experience of nature, beauty and silence fade out of their lives. In this veritable race toward adulthood, a constant stream of loud and flashy stimuli disturbs the only true and sustainable form of learning: that of calmly and quietly discovering the world for themselves and at their own pace, with a sense of wonder that goes beyond mere curiosity for the unknown or interest in novelty. In a world such as this, it can be a daunting task to discern how to best raise our children. Catherine L'Ecuyer offers clarity, drawing attention to the findings of many studies of the last few decades on the effects of screen use, overstimulation and mechanistic approaches to education on young children, and suggests more respect for children's pace and rhythms, and a 'wonder approach' that focuses on their natural innocence, sense of mystery and thirst for beauty. Catherine L'Ecuyer. has a doctorate in education and psychology, and is a researcher, consultant, public speaker and a much-respected authority on children's education. A sought-after international speaker, she currently collaborates with the Mind-Brain Group of the University of Navarra and is a columnist for El País. , one of the most read newspapers in Spanish. The Wonder Approach. is her internationally bestselling first book, now translated into eight languages in more than 60 countries.