A preschooler asks up to 300 questions a day. You, the adult? About five to ten.
The discovery. Around age three, they realise other people carry knowledge inside them — and that you can unlock it just by asking. A "why" isn't noise. It's a door they just found.
The volume is real. Roughly 40,000 questions between the ages of two and five. It is the most curious any human will ever be, and it peaks around four or five, then falls away as school begins.
The heartbreaking part. School rewards knowing the answer, not asking the question. Asking starts to feel like admitting you don't know. We are, quietly and with the best intentions, trained out of curiosity — until by adulthood only a handful of questions a day survive.
Answer with warmth, not "because I said so." Ask back: great question — what do you think? Keep the fire lit that the world will try to put out. It's the most valuable thing they'll ever lose.