The Intellectual Lives of Children

ISBN 9780674278646

Publication date: 09/06/2022

“A remarkable book. Whether you are an educator, parent, or simply a curious reader, you will come to see, hear, and understand children in new ways.”
—Howard Gardner, author of Multiple Intelligences

Adults easily recognize children’s imagination at work as they play. Yet most of us know little about what really goes on inside their heads as they encounter the problems and complexities of the world around them. Susan Engel brings together an extraordinary body of research to explain how toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary-aged children think.

A young girl’s bug collection reveals how children ask questions and organize information. Watching a boy scoop mud illuminates the process of invention. When a child ponders the mystery of death, we witness how ideas are built. But adults shouldn’t just stand around watching. When parents are creative, it can rub off. Engel shows how parents and teachers can stimulate children’s curiosity by presenting them with mysteries to solve, feeding their sense of mastery and nourishing their natural hunger to learn.

“A fascinating read for parents who wonder, simply, what is my child thinking? Why do they love collecting? Where did that idea come from? A celebration of children’s innovation and sense of wonder.”
—Emily Oster, author of Expecting Better

“Combining insight, scientific acumen, and exquisite narrative, The Intellectual Lives of Children allows readers to peer into the minds of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers as they explore and learn in everyday moments, emphasizing what constitutes real learning.”
—Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Science

Praise

Combining insight, scientific acumen, and exquisite narrative, The Intellectual Lives of Children allows readers to peer into the minds of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers as they explore and learn in everyday moments, emphasizing what constitutes real learning.

—Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Science
Weaving together personal observations and experiences, findings from psychological experiments, and powerful organizing concepts, Susan Engel has written a remarkable book. Whether you are an educator, parent, or simply a curious reader, you will come to see, hear, and understand children in new ways.

—Howard Gardner, author of Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences
A fascinating read for parents who wonder, simply, what is my child thinking? Why do they love collecting? Where did that idea come from? A celebration of children’s innovation and sense of wonder.

—Emily Oster, author of Expecting Better
Who knows what problems our children will need to tackle, but we adults can help them along by asking questions and unlocking possibilities from their earliest days. Susan Engel’s enchanting mix of academic studies and astute observations of children figuring out how their world works makes for an engrossing, illuminating read. Any parent, teacher—anyone who loves watching children question, explore, and wonder—will want to read this guide to stoking children’s ‘intellectual fires.’

—Ann Friedman, Founder, Planet Word

Author

Susan Engel teaches developmental psychology at Williams College, where she is the founding director of the Program in Teaching. She is the author of eight books, including The Hungry Mind. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, The Nation, Salon, and The Atlantic.