Even second graders can reason like scientists—if we ask them the right way

Wait 5 sec.

When a child asks "Why does a blowfish puff up?" we often jump in with facts. But what if we paused and suggested that they ask instead, "How does a blowfish puff up?" It may seem like splitting hairs, but this small shift in phrasing could help reshape future generations' capacity for reasoning and critical thought in science and beyond.