Why do children like dinosaurs?

From diplodocus, triceratops to velociraptors or tyrannosaurs rex. Whatever the spice, somehow, dinosaurs attract the attention of the little ones (and many adults too). In fact, it is likely that you also liked them during your childhood or perhaps one of your friends was a great fan of dinosaurs… Now, what is it about this type of animals that is so attractive?

The devotion to dinosaurs that many children experience is more than just a hobby. They know the scientific name of different species, despite being rare, they know what they ate and where they used to be or what their peculiarities were. Their interest is even so great that they are able to distinguish the different geological eras by the type of dinosaurs that lived in them. Incredible true? But why do children like dinosaurs?

Let’s see the reasons why these animals attract the attention of the little ones and what they can tell us about it. Let’s dig deeper.

Passion and curiosity: the importance of intense interests

From psychology, a concept known as intense interests to refer to the preference, motivation or passion on the part of children for very specific objects, activities or topics. This phenomenon usually develops at very early ages and, in addition, is usually more common in boys than in girls.

Now, intense interests do not consist of a general and passing taste for a specific object such as a costume, a toy airplane or dinosaurs in this case. Rather, they are characterized by the experimentation of a certain attraction, with large doses of passion, towards that object.

It is as if children felt an excessive curiosity to know everything about something very specific.. In some cases, this attraction can even have certain obsessive traits. Thus, these types of interests usually have a series of common characteristics:

They tend to be relatively durable. Does not fade in a matter of hours or days. Focus on different objects with similar characteristics or common traits.They favor a conceptual domain on that specific topic.

Parents usually identify this type of behavior in their children quickly, since children As soon as something appears related to their topic of interest, they immediately want to investigate and delve deeper. about it. For example, they ask multiple questions to find out more, they look for information that is within their reach to satisfy that kind of intellectual curiosity, or once they have gathered enough information and have learned something new about the topic, they explain it to the people around them.

Children with intense interests are like those researchers who are constantly searching for information to learn more about a specific topic. They are usually on alert to increase the knowledge they have about their object of interest, They are interested in staying up to date and, in addition, they care that others know about their “new discoveries.”

In an investigation, carried out through surveys and interviews with 117 parents of children between 11 months and 6 years, it was found that almost a third of children between these ages show these types of interests. Therefore, if we take this phenomenon into account, the fact that children like dinosaurs is no coincidence.

Cognitive development and understanding of the world

The fact that children like dinosaurs so much can also be explained by the evolutionary moment they are going through. At this stage of cognitive development the little ones are trying to understand how the world works and they want to feel like they can be in control through their thoughts and knowledge.

Still They are elucidating and delimiting the border between the real and the imaginary, and dinosaurs perfectly combine both aspects. It is known that they existed, but since children do not handle the concept of time well, it may be difficult for them to understand that they no longer exist.

Thus, dinosaurs walk between the world of fantasy and reality, they present qualities that make them very striking and allow children to imagine, explore, learn and achieve a better understanding of the world.

Young children associate dinosaurs with strength, power, control and ferocity, an idea that fits well with fantasy, magic and everything impossible. “The child works at all times to try to understand how this world works,” says Fernando Mata Rosas. Thus, by the third year of life he has built a reality that allows him to understand that there is a real world and a fantasy world, although he is not always clear about the border between one and the other.

Why do children like dinosaurs? Cognitive benefits

The results of the study The development of conceptual interests in young children, carried out by the Universities of Indiana and Wisconsin, revealed that intense interests that demand conceptual mastery, as is the case with dinosaurs, are very beneficial for children’s cognitive development.

The reason is that in addition to enriching vocabulary and increasing knowledge about a specific topic, they contribute to improve the development of complex skills related to information processing, attention, concentration or perseverance.

In addition, the interest in dinosaurs on the part of children also provides information about what strategies they use to approach both topics of interest and those that are yet to be discovered. And this provides clues about how they will cope on a day-to-day basis with the challenges that life poses.

Somehow, children who have this passion do not limit themselves to superficial knowledge, but prefer to go further and investigate. They tend to be more autonomous and have an easier time developing critical thinking.

These types of interests usually disappear between 6 months and 3 years, according to research carried out by the universities of Virginia, Yale and Queensland. In fact, Only 20% of children actively maintain their intense interests over the years.

The reasons are usually the decrease in children’s free time for research and the demand for broader knowledge on various topics. by the school, but at the same time less profound.

Although it is true that Parents can keep this great passion at homesince they can continue to feed their children’s curiosity as well as give them time to investigate what attracts them.

For it, Parents can create spaces or use resources with which the child can learn about what interests him.Encourage conversations about topics that children are passionate about. For example, talk about the different types of dinosaurs, explain how they differ, etc.In turn, encourage learning about other topics. In this case, you can start with topics related to the main one.Show interest in what they tell us. The child has to perceive that we listen to him and are attentive. This is a way to feed his interest and desire to know to continue growing.

If children like dinosaurs, let’s support their interest

As you see, hehe fascination that your child may feel for dinosaurs is natural and also beneficial. It allows you to discover more about the world, develop skills and abilities and define your own tastes and personality. Therefore, do not hesitate to encourage and accompany your child in this interest.

Go to museums, read books, or watch movies together about dinosaurs. Talk about it, let him tell you everything he knows. It doesn’t matter if it is a temporary interest, You will be helping them feel heard, validated and taken into account.

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