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general knowledge 9 yr olds

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  • toshkininny
    toshkininny Posts: 1,189 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Thanks for your replies.


    I asked the question because I was surprised that she didn't know something - then realised it wasn't really something that they would cover at school and that it was my responsibility to teach her, and it made me wish she'd ask me more questions at home than she does!
  • olgadapolga
    olgadapolga Posts: 2,327 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    It's difficult, isn't it? My children are constantly asking me things, even things that I think that they should know but then I've got a good few years on them :rotfl: I also try thinking about what I knew as a child their age and realise that what I knew then was largely around what I'd seen, heard and learned in my environment - I knew lots about horses, self-sufficiency and keeping rabbits because these were things I was exposed to on a daily basis. My children know very little (compared to my knowledge) about rabbits or horses because we don't have any.

    My children read loads, either books, or from the internet and ask me lots of questions. I don't have all of the answers and if I cannot answer their questions then if we can, we look it up together (that way I learn as well). My children also love "fact cards" that are inexpensive and absorb the information like they are sponges - small snippets of information that can spark an interest.

    My oldest son, who has just had his 10th birthday has extensive, and I mean extensive, knowledge of the Romans and archaeology - his knowledge impresses me and is far beyond anything I have learned over the course of my lifetime so far. He engages with adult experts in long and detailed conversations and can hold his own with them. All of this he has learned through reading (he has read every single book about the Romans that our local libraries have available), research on the internet and watching a few programs on Discovery and the like. However, his knowledge in other areas may be slightly lacking, for example he has very little interest in English literature and couldn't tell you who wrote "Great Expectations" whereas at the age I could because by that age I had started reading the classics. I'm not overly concerned about his general knowledge level as he has a lifetime ahead of him for that. As long as he develops into an independent adult, I don't think it matters whether or not he knows who wrote Great Expectations.

    I think that what I'm trying to say is that there is no particular "level" of general knowledge for any age and a lot of it depends on the child's/person's own interests.
  • Frith
    Frith Posts: 8,743 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Mortgage-free Glee! Name Dropper
    My sons have the "First News" every week which is useful for round the world events and politics. The only other time they pick up info like that is from Newsround!


    http://www.firstnews.co.uk/
  • I know it sounds like a stupid idea but tv quiz programmes may be an alternative way of learning things.

    By that I mean programmes such as the chase or perfection.

    tbh I've always thought that general knowledge can't be 'learnt' but its something you know but don't know how you know......if that makes sense
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  • Hermia
    Hermia Posts: 4,473 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I know it sounds like a stupid idea but tv quiz programmes may be an alternative way of learning things.

    By that I mean programmes such as the chase or perfection.

    tbh I've always thought that general knowledge can't be 'learnt' but its something you know but don't know how you know......if that makes sense

    I think my general knowledge was just picked up from my parents. They would watch the news every day and would often ask me what I thought about particular stories which would encourage me to ask questions etc. Whenever we went out they would point out facts about the things we saw (e.g. if we drove past a church they would explain to me what century it was from and how I could tell, if we walked past a street sign they would explain the origin of the name etc). So, I learned all this stuff without officially being taught anything.
  • Person_one
    Person_one Posts: 28,884 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I picked up loads of tidbits of general knowledge from reading fiction, as well as 'fact' books. A good story would be a motivator to find out about the reality. Today's kids are lucky to have the internet for that, rather than having to cart heavy books to and from the library!

    I do think that the amount of 'general knowledge' an individual can retain is down to memory a lot of the time though. If you're lucky enough that you can retain information without effort to memorise it, then you're at an advantage.
  • ViolaLass
    ViolaLass Posts: 5,764 Forumite
    As a teacher, I find the idea of a list of 'general knowledge 9 year olds should know' just appalling but according to my husband, it should include all the managers of Premier league football sides, whereas I would want my children to be able to converse in Italian (i.e. we're all different).

    Honestly, isn't it about talking to your child and spending time with them i.e. parenting? You can't and shouldn't expect school to cover everything!
  • fluffnutter
    fluffnutter Posts: 23,179 Forumite
    Where would you start?? Anything and everything is general knowledge. The idea that you should know *this* by such and such an age and *that* a few years later is prescriptive and frightening.
    "Growth for growth's sake is the ideology of the cancer cell" - Edward Abbey.
  • wiogs
    wiogs Posts: 2,744 Forumite
    ViolaLass wrote: »
    As a teacher, I find the idea of a list of 'general knowledge 9 year olds should know' just appalling but according to my husband, it should include all the managers of Premier league football sides, whereas I would want my children to be able to converse in Italian (i.e. we're all different).

    Honestly, isn't it about talking to your child and spending time with them i.e. parenting? You can't and shouldn't expect school to cover everything!

    Exactly.

    It is about encouraging your child(ren) to be inquisitive and to have a desire to learn.

    For example as a child any time I heard a new word I was off to the dictionary to find out more about it which would then lead me on to other words and subjects.
  • fluffnutter
    fluffnutter Posts: 23,179 Forumite
    wiogs wrote: »
    Exactly.

    It is about encouraging your child(ren) to be inquisitive and to have a desire to learn.

    For example as a child any time I heard a new word I was off to the dictionary to find out more about it which would then lead me on to other words and subjects.

    I used to read the dictionary. Still do on occasion :D
    "Growth for growth's sake is the ideology of the cancer cell" - Edward Abbey.
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