How to Teach Your Child to be Open Minded
Children are definitely not inherently closed-minded, but their early developmental stages are characterized by egocentrism, where they naturally view the world only from their own perspective, making it seem as if they are not open to things that contradict their beliefs. While they are naturally curious and eager to learn, this self-focused thinking often limits their initial willingness to accept new viewpoints. Things get even more complicated around the age range of 11 and 14, when they experience increased self-centeredness, a need for peer acceptance, and the “imaginary audience” phenomenon, where they feel constantly judged. During this important phase there is a heightened focus on social rewards, which can make them argumentative and more reliant on peer perspectives over more objective views.
Yes, many (not all) naturally grow out of this as they move on to college (et cetera) but why not give your child a head start by intervening to foster an environment of open-mindedness? Finding open-mindedness early in life can be highly beneficial. It leads to empathy, enhances decision-making, reduces conflict, encourages collaboration, builds resilience, enables an ability to adapt to change, and allows for continuous learning along with the development of a more positive, well-rounded world-view.
Below are recommended activities that teach kids open-mindedness, with a few that also get them into the great outdoors.
4 Things to do That Can Help Teach Your Kids to be More Open Minded in Life
I. Escape the Activity Comfort Zone
There are certain activities that your child enjoys because they are good or competent at them. There are others that they say they do not enjoy because in their brief experiences with them they did not perform as well as they thought they would. There are also activities that you bet they’d enjoy, but because they have no experience with them they are afraid to fail and opt out altogether. It’s the latter two that you need to encourage more of in their life.
Stepping outside of the comfort zone into challenging and/or unfamiliar activities encourages open-mindedness, providing children an opportunity to embrace new challenges and cultivate a growth mindset. It may also make them perform better in the activities that they do enjoy. For instance, if your child loves playing hockey but avoids all other sports, sign them up for basketball at the local community center. Research confirms that engaging in different athletic activities transfers skills like coordination, agility, and speed between sports, which builds better overall physical and mental literacy. The same is true of academics. Learning non-mandatory multiple subjects improves school performance by fostering critical thinking, strengthening memory, and enhancing the ability to connect concepts. This approach engages different parts of the brain, reduces fatigue compared to “mastering” one subject, and helps young students identify their strengths and interests.
II. Collaborative Creative Projects
Collaborative creative projects for kids are endeavors where multiple young artists and makers contribute to a single piece or series of work. They teach kids open-mindedness by getting them to step outside their own perspectives, negotiate ideas, and embrace diverse creative contributions. By working together on a shared piece, children learn to respect, listen to, and integrate different viewpoints.
While they may take place at school in the classroom, parents can be proactive in creating opportunity. It can be done in a household setting by creating a fun family scrapbook where every family member adds whatever they like, without advising one another on a theme. You may also seek out collaborative creative projects in the community, such as a wall mural where youth are invited to contribute. Check local community centers, libraries, and independent galleries for scheduled workshops,, studios, and meetups where these may occur. You can also leverage social media by searching Instagram hashtags or local Facebook groups (e.g., “[your town] art”) to connect with community artists. If no such opportunity currently exists – start one! For example, there is probably a community garden in your area with a fence that could use a colorful touchup by the hands of the kids that live nearby, yours included. Connect to the organizers and pitch the idea!
III. Get Involved in a Kid-Friendly Community Garden
The section above segues perfectly into the concept of collaborative gardening, which is what a community garden creates and fosters an environment for. Community gardens are innately diverse and collaborative, encouraging volunteers to embrace new perspectives, cultures, and ways of thinking. Volunteers are encouraged to think outside of the box (or garden bed) when it comes to the types of crops that can be planted, methods to be used for maintenance (water catchment, etc.), and more. Through shared labor and interaction with a diverse group of people (kids included), everyone involved learns to appreciate different perspectives.
IV. Sensory Scavenger Hunts
In previous articles, such as Teaching Kids to Budget Through Nature, we recommended a forest trail scavenger hunt, using a list of specific items to find. A scavenger hunt can be an imaginative way to teach open-mindedness when a certain twist is added to the concept.
Instead of just listing items to find (pinecones, etc.) the list should instead be categorized into sensations. A sensory scavenger hunt teaches open-mindedness by training the brain to shift from autopilot to active, curious observation, fostering an appreciation for diverse perspectives and experiences. By encouraging young participants to explore their environment using all five senses, rather than relying solely on sight, it promotes a more comprehensive understanding of the world and encourages flexible thinking. Stated sensations may be “something rough,” “something smooth”, ”something that smells sweet,” “something that makes a cool sound when waved in the air”, “three different shades of green” or anything that encourages seekers to focus on subjective details and a broadening of perception. The more people involved the more it encourages open-mindedness, as family members and/or young friends compare what they perceive will check the boxes of the scavenger hunt.
We hope everything above was helpful. Meanwhile, please note that the Plant a Seed & See What Grows Foundation inspires and promotes healthy living and learning for kids across Canada. You can help us help the next generation by pledging your support too! View more on how you can get involved.