November 05, 2025 // Franchising.com // Iselin, N.J. - Lightbridge Academy is releasing its research findings that explored how parents are trying to walk the line between keeping their child safe while still fostering their innate curiosity and resilience ahead of National STEM Day (11/8).
The “Curiosity Crisis” refers to the growing trend of parents unintentionally stifling their children’s natural sense of wonder by constantly urging them to “be careful” or “slow down.” While well-intentioned, this overprotection can limit kids’ confidence to explore, experiment, and take healthy risks. Today’s parents, aware of this tension, are striving to break the cycle, raising curious, resilient innovators who aren’t afraid to ask questions or try something new.
Research conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Lightbridge Academy, reveals 91% of parents polled believe it’s important to foster their child’s natural curiosity and interests. The data also reveals that 92% of parents say it’s important for their child to develop STEAM skills. According to the data, parents navigate 46 questions per day from their child, though they find themselves without an answer 35% of the time. Most often, parents’ initial reaction to these questions surrounds where they came up with them (52%), while others seek out the answer with their child (42%) or find some information on their own (27%). Still, parents find themselves saying “be careful” an average of 27 times per day and “don’t touch that” an additional 25 times.
“Every parent wants to protect their child, it’s instinctive. But what truly prepares children for life isn’t shielding them from every challenge, it’s giving them the space to explore, get curious, and problem-solve on their own,” said Gigi Schweikert, Chief Executive Officer at Lightbridge Academy. “When parents nurture that sense of wonder through hands-on learning, they’re not only building resilience, they’re helping spark passions that can grow into the skills and careers of the future.”
Almost every parent (97%) underscores the importance of their child understanding why they told them to “be careful.” More than half (55%) have that conversation immediately following the incident, while another 30% follow up within a few minutes. When they were growing up, parents polled most often heard the phrase “because I said so” (61%). Only about half (49%) admit they had a positive reaction when they heard this response. But today, approaches are changing. Only 22% often say “because I said so,” and “be careful” (71%) is most common. This shift is for the better, as three-quarter of parents polled report positive reactions from their child.
To further inspire children’s natural curiosity, Lightbridge Academy hosted a week-long Big Innovators, Big Ideas curriculum event, which featured hands-on activities designed to inspire exploration, problem-solving, and creativity ahead of National STEM Day. The event included a variety of activities for each age group that introduced STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) themes, and culminated with Little Innovators, Big Ideas! Innovator Showcase where children unveiled their STREAM projects to parents and family.
SOURCE Lightbridge Academy
Lightbridge Academy provides early education and child care to children ages six weeks through kindergarten, as well as special programming for children up to 10 years old during school holidays, breaks and summer camp.