Inquiry-Based Learning: How Young Children Learn Through Questions and Exploration

Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) in early childhood is not simply a method, but a mindset where children’s questions drive their growth. Unlike traditional “teacher tells – child repeats,” IBL invites children to observe, wonder, predict, test, and explain their ideas. At HEI Schools Saigon Central, this philosophy is woven into daily routines: children are encouraged to test their own hypotheses, whether by mixing colors in the art studio or experimenting with light and shadow in the rooftop playground. Teachers act as facilitators, designing environments and scaffolding curiosity while documenting the learning journey. For preschoolers, whose brains thrive on hands-on exploration, IBL naturally supports attention, memory, and agency, helping them believe that their ideas matter and that evidence gives strength to their voices.

A real-life experiential learning session of the Tiny Tots class.

The approach takes different forms depending on the level of support. In a confirmation inquiry, children verify a known concept—such as checking that circles roll more easily than squares. In structured inquiry, teachers provide the question and method, while children explain results, for instance, testing which materials absorb water. Guided inquiry gives children the freedom to choose how to investigate a teacher’s question, such as “How can we keep our rooftop cooler?” Finally, open inquiry allows children to pose and design their own investigations—like exploring “Where does flour come from?” by comparing different doughs and presenting findings to peers.

The inquiry cycle typically follows four stages: Wonder & Plan, Explore & Discover, Organise & Explain, and Reflect & Extend. Teachers first provoke curiosity through questions, predictions, and visual prompts. Children then explore through hands-on trials, measurements, and observations, supported with tools such as droppers, scales, or magnifiers. In the organising stage, findings are represented through drawings, posters, role plays, or simple graphs. Reflection closes the loop, with children comparing predictions to results, sharing insights, and formulating new questions. Documentation—photos, quotes, artefacts—makes this process visible to both children and families.

Questions can arise from a simple play activity.

The benefits of IBL extend across domains of development. Cognitively, children practice comparing, predicting, and reasoning. Language grows as they use sequencing words (“first… then… after”) and evidence phrases (“I think… because…”). Socially, they learn to take turns, collaborate, and present ideas. Fine- and gross-motor skills are exercised through pouring, building, or balancing. Most importantly, children learn that their voices matter: they become confident problem-solvers who see connections between classroom exploration and the wider world.

IBL also supports differentiation and inclusion in diverse early-years classrooms. Children with varied learning styles can access content through visual supports, gestures, hands-on tools, or oral storytelling. Extensions are easy to design: older or more advanced learners can measure with timers or graph results, while younger children may simply sort or describe. Multilingual learners benefit from visuals, home-language connections, and sentence frames. Families, too, are partners, providing real-world expertise, artefacts, or simply encouraging curiosity at home with open-ended questions like “What makes you think so?”

At HEI Schools Saigon Central, inquiry is woven into daily routines and longer projects. Toddlers explore sound jars or floating objects, nursery children test colour mixing and magnets, and pre-primary groups take on multi-week projects such as designing bridges or reducing plastic waste. Each inquiry is purposeful, safe, and documented for growth. Ultimately, IBL is not about producing the “right” answer but nurturing children who think, question, and construct meaning—skills that will accompany them long beyond preschool.