Inquiry-Based Learning in Early Childhood Education and Care

Inquiry-based learning places children’s curiosity, questions, and thinking at the centre of the learning process.

It is built on the understanding that children learn best when they are:

• exploring ideas that matter to them
• asking questions
• testing theories
• revisiting and refining their understanding

For many educators, the challenge is not implementing inquiry-based learning — it is documenting it in a way that shows progression, depth, and intentional teaching.

The Butler Method supports this by helping educators capture:

• what children are wondering
• how investigations develop
• how educators respond over time

Starting With Children’s Questions

At the heart of inquiry-based learning are children’s questions.

These may be:

• verbal questions
• repeated actions
• problem-solving attempts
• patterns of curiosity

Educators can capture these using the:

• Children’s Voices Diary 
• Individual Observation Duplicate Book 
• Weekly Programming and Reflection Diary

This shifts programming from:

• only pre-planned experiences

to:

• responding to what children are already trying to understand

Programming as an Investigation, Not a Plan

In inquiry-based learning, programming is not fixed.

It evolves as:

• questions emerge
• ideas are tested
• understanding deepens

Using the Weekly Programming and Reflection Diary, educators can document:

• the focus of the investigation
• key questions being explored
• possible directions for inquiry

Rather than listing unrelated activities.

The program can change and adapt, it is not fixed, and follows children's investigations as they emerge.

What This Looks Like in Practice

Inquiry-based learning is driven by curiosity and testing ideas.

For example:

• Inquiry: children investigating why some objects float and others sink during water exploration (record under Cognitive or Environment box prompt)
• Children’s Questions: “Why does this one go down?” “Can we make it float?” 
• (record under Language box prompt)
• Intentional Teaching: introduced a range of materials with different weights and textures, encouraged prediction before testing (record under Cognitive box prompt)
• Reflection: children began grouping objects based on outcomes, revising predictions, and testing ideas repeatedly

This example shows:

• questioning
• testing theories
• refining understanding

Not just a water play experience.

Using the Program Page to Capture Inquiry

Within the Weekly Programming and Reflection Diary, the program page can include:

Investigation Focus

• What are children trying to understand?

Children’s Questions

• What are they asking or exploring?

Provocations and Materials

• What is being offered to support investigation?

This allows the program to reflect:

• depth
• continuity
• evolving learning

Intentional Teaching Within Inquiry

Intentional teaching within inquiry-based learning is about extending thinking — not directing it.

Educators may:

• ask open-ended questions
• introduce new materials
• encourage prediction and testing
• revisit previous ideas

Within the Diary, this can be documented as:

• educator responses
• reasoning behind decisions
• how thinking was extended

Reflection: What Changed in Children’s Thinking?

Reflection is where inquiry becomes visible.

Rather than documenting:

• what children did

Reflection should capture:

• what children discovered
• how their thinking shifted
• what new questions emerged

For example:

• Are children predicting outcomes?
• Are they revising their ideas?
• Are they making connections between experiences?

The Extension Column: Deepening the Investigation

In inquiry-based learning, extensions are not about moving on.

They are about:

• deepening the investigation
• introducing new variables
• offering new perspectives

This might include:

• changing materials
• exploring the same concept in a different way
• revisiting an idea with increased complexity

Showing Learning Over Time

Inquiry-based learning unfolds over time.

Using the Butler Method, educators can:

• revisit the same investigation across multiple weeks
• track progression through reflection
• link learning across experiences

This ensures programming reflects:

• continuity
• depth
• meaningful engagement

Aligning with EYLF v2.0 and the National Quality Standard

Inquiry-based learning aligns strongly with:

• Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners
• Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators

The Butler Method supports educators to:

• make learning visible
• document intentional teaching
• show the cycle of planning

Providing strong evidence for:

• QA1: Educational program and practice

You Don’t Need All the Answers

A key shift in inquiry-based learning is recognising that educators do not need to have all the answers.

Instead, the role is to:

• support exploration
• guide thinking
• learn alongside children

The Diary becomes a space to document:

• the process of learning
• not just the outcomes

Final Thought

Inquiry-based learning is not about following a plan.

It is about following thinking.

The Butler Method supports this by helping educators document:

• children’s questions
• the investigations that follow
• how understanding develops over time

So your program reflects not just what was explored — but how children came to understand it.

Related Articles

• Reggio Emilia–Inspired Practice and the Weekly Programming & Reflection Diary
• Play-Based Learning — Moving Beyond ‘Activities’
• What Intentional Teaching Actually Looks Like (And How to Show It)
• Moving Beyond ‘Activities’: How to Show Depth in Your Program
  
• The Cycle of Planning Doesn’t Have to Be Weekly