What kind of questions does your 4/5 yr old ask?

[Spookygoose]

There’s always been this stereotype of 4-5 year old kids asking constant questions like why is the sky blue? Where do babies come from? Why is my poo brown 🤣? Etc etc. I have a very nearly 5 yo DD and she never asks questions like this out of the blue. If we’re talking about something eg. If I say “Hedgehogs spikes are sharp” she might ask why but she never asks big questions off her own back. She’s never asked what my job is or what I do all day when I’ve been at work. I’ve told her that she was in my tummy and how she got out of there and she just goes “oh”, never asks any further questions. She’s smart and switched on and observant and is curious about things when they’re there in front of her (eg. She’ll bend down and watch an ant moving about for ages) but she doesn’t seem that curious about anything if it’s not right there. Just wondering how “normal” this is, those who have/had kids a similar age, did they ask a lot of big questions? Or does the questioning stage come later?

I just think all children are different. Some ask questions and some don't. I don't think not asking constant questions is necessarily a bad thing. My just turned 4 year old wants to know the ins and outs of everything. She asks questions all the time. I try to answer most as I know she's just curious, but it's sometimes exhausting. If she gets too much I tell her we need to stop for a while. Like for example I took her to the pictures and she started as soon as it came on. Who is that? Why is he doing that? What's her name? Where did the dog go? Etc. So I had to say OK, we don't need to ask any questions right now, just watch the movie and it will all become clear! 🤣

I think it's probably just personality. And I also do think girls ask less 'silly' questions.

My son has been asking questions non-stop since he was 2.5 - all kinds, some genuine curiosity and some just nonsense, and sometimes very repetitive.

My daughter is more deductive and didn't need every single thing explained, and therefore asked less questions but her understanding is excellent .

Mine once woke me up in the early hours to ask if tigers had collarbones so you may want to count your blessings! Jokes aside, she sounds like a lovely, switched on little girl and as a PP has said, everyone is different

My DS was more process-driven - how does that work? OK but how does that fit in? OK but why is that bit there?.....

My DD started the deep thought questions at around 2.5 - there was definitely why is the sky blue. Also where does the wind come from? What's behind the sky?... These were always completely out of no where, usually at the most awkward of times. I often had to say, I don't know - we'll look it up when we get home.

DS is now working as a Quantity Surveyor - very process driven.
DD got 3 A*s at A level and is still asking strange questions which come out of nowhere! At least now, she doesn't really expect and answer 😂

I think this is a social media warp. Some accounts share kids asking funny questions, it makes it seem like a bigger phenomenon than it is.

My 4 year old must be asking all the questions yours isn’t and then some of his own.

Some questions from this week alone:

Do caterpillars have a soul?
Do butterflies have a soul?
Is a caterpillar’s soul different from a butterfly’s?
Where was I before I was in your tummy?
Why can’t I see my eyes?
What’s in poo?
Where does the toilet take the poo?
Can we rescue and fix the titanic?
Do stars die?
Will I die?
Will you die?
Are dragons real?
How do I stay a boy forever?
Do I have to grow up?
Can you take a squirrel to the vet?

I love his questions but they are also draining. One question answered is never enough. There are always a lot of follow up questions for bonus points.

DS is 10 now and between about 4 and 7 asked about 50 questions a day! It was slightly exhausting but a lot of them were ‘silly’ so it was fun. He has always been a talkative child.

He still asks questions now but not quite as many

“Do caterpillars have a soul?” 🤣 that’s a great one! I think it’s a sign of high intelligence, to even wonder at that age about the souls of insects. My DD is intelligent though, she’s great with numbers and could write her name from a very young age. Maybe she’s just less of a creative thinker and more of a logical one. It’s just surprising for me because I’m very much a creative thinker and wonder about all sorts of random things, even now

DS2 age 7 asks these kinds of questions constantly, I'm not sure what age he started. He comes up with them out of the blue as well, not only in relation to things he can see.

DS3 age 4 doesn't really ask them, he might say funny things like "I wonder if that duck has a family" but mostly he is similar to what you describe your DD as being like. He will make connections between things he's seen or heard before perhaps. He is curious about things, and loves to listen to stories or be shown something new, but it's different to the intense, burning nature of DS2's curiosity. DS2 can't seem to rest until he has found out the answer to something, which frustrates his teachers because it's only his own questions he wants answers to - he couldn't give a shit about what someone else is trying to teach him. He would rather examine every item in the stationery cupboard or explore the physical properties of paint or something.

My 8YO is like that. Never asks questions really, never has, unless you count practical ones like ‘can I watch TV’ or ‘whats for dinner’. She is quite logical i.e. never really bought into Father Christmas but not particularly academic. My 4YO on the other hand never, ever stops.

My four year old has somehow built 'question time' into his bedtime routine and I'm not allowed to leave the room until I have answered 10 questions he has come up with. They range from why specific things happened in the book we've just read, to how old his brother will be when he is 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 etc., to why dinosaurs are extinct. Last night he wanted to know how old you have to be to sleep on the top bunk of a bunk bed (7, according to me). He then called me back (not technically allowed) to ask how you get up to the top bunk (ladder). Oh, and question 8 was 'why is it called a coat of paint?'

This is my son. In response to “does anyone have any questions?” when someone came in to the nursery to talk about Diwali, he put his hand up and said “is there really a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow?”

I'm jealous. This week alone from my 3.5 yr old....

Where was i before I was here?
How did i get in mummy's tummy?
How did i get out?
Why did the dr cut you?
Did it hurt?
Do all mummys get a cut?

A lot of this imo in her working out "her place" in the world / time and space. She is inquisitve and sometimes gets annoyed about us existing / doing anything without her

What is prison like?
What does perceive mean?
How do you "suspect" someone?
Where do judges live?
(Police and crime is a hot role play area... we do a lot of trials and prison sentances!!!)

My friends dd does similar but make statements often doleful that imply a question..
I bet you were looooonely before I was born...
I wonder if I will eveeeer have a sister
The dark is scary

These invite/seek info without being a direct question imo