As adults, we often say that we are going to do various things, but most of us never get around to it, even when it’s important.

Children have more opportunity in that regard: In addition to being more open to ideas when they are young, children have more free time to spend learning, and, perhaps most importantly, they can be forced to spend time studying something—whether it is math, science, religion, etc.—that they would never have spent the effort on as an adult.

They are much better off for learning it, but, ironically, they would have never taken the time to learn it on their own.