Inquiry-based learning in early childhood

One of the things you'll hear in any quality early childhood centre is the rhythm of questions. Children asking. Educators asking back. Children testing, observing, asking again.

This is inquiry-based learning, and it's one of the most powerful ways young children learn. It's also closely connected to the Reggio Emilia approach used at our St Ives Chase Kindergarten, and to the broader Australian framework guiding all four of our centres.

What is inquiry-based learning?

Inquiry-based learning is teaching that starts with the child's own questions, observations, and curiosities. Rather than the educator deciding what the lesson is, the child's wondering becomes the starting point.

It's not loose or unstructured. The educator's role is significant: noticing the question, helping the child sustain it, providing materials, asking better follow-up questions, documenting what's emerging. The structure is just different from traditional teaching.

What it looks like

A child notices ants on the path. The educator doesn't move on. She crouches down too. “What do you notice?” The child says they're carrying things. “Where do you think they're going?”

By the next day, the educator has put out a magnifying glass and a book about ants. By the end of the week, the children have built an ant trail with twigs and pebbles, drawn pictures of where they imagine the ants live, and started asking why ants don't fall when they walk on the wall.

That's inquiry-based learning. It often looks like nothing in particular for the first few minutes. Then it goes somewhere unexpected.

Why it works

Children remember what they've discovered for themselves much longer than what they've been told. They build deeper understanding when they've worked through the problem themselves. They become more curious learners over time, because they learn that their questions matter.

It also works because it follows children's actual interests. A three-year-old who's captivated by ants will engage more with a week of ants than with a curriculum-mandated topic chosen by an adult.

The educator's role

Inquiry-based learning depends on educators who:

• Notice the small moments of curiosity (most adults walk past)
• Resist the urge to give the answer
• Ask open questions that extend thinking
• Provide materials and time to sustain the inquiry
• Document what's happening so the children can revisit it
• Are themselves curious, not just performing curiosity

Inquiry-based learning at our centres

The most explicit version of inquiry-based learning at Eikoh is at St Ives Chase Kindergarten, where the Reggio-inspired practice is built around children's questions. Director Tina trained at the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre in Reggio Emilia in 2025.

But the principles run through all four of our centres. The Early Years Learning Framework includes inquiry as part of its approach to play-based learning. Across our rooms, educators are trained to follow children's questions and turn them into projects.

If this resonates and you'd like to see it in practice, book a tour.