How Inquiry-Based Preschool Helps Kids Think For Themselves

When we send our kids to preschool, we do it with a lot of hopes. They range from the practical and emotional (I hope he eats his lunch. I hope she doesn’t cry at drop-off.) to the big and life-expanding (I hope he learns to love learning. I hope she becomes a curious person. I hope they emerge as confident thinkers who engage kindly with the world around them.).

And despite what you may think, no, preschool is not too early to be thinking about those bigger hopes. Nearly 90% of a child’s brain develops before age five. That means that preschool isn’t just a time-filler; it’s a foundational experience for school readiness and lifelong success.

At The Goddard School, their inquiry-based education program, Wonder of Learning®, was intentionally designed with those goals in mind. In short, inquiry-based learning is a teaching style that lets each child’s interests guide their learning, which in turn helps them develop the critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills that last into adulthood.

Ahead, Dr. Lauren Loquasto, senior vice president and chief academic officer at The Goddard School, shares more about what makes the approach so special.

How Inquiry-Based Learning Works

With inquiry-based learning, teachers intentionally build learning experiences around children’s questions, interests, and ideas. Rather than telling their classrooms what they should know and how to think, they guide children through meaningful exploration, encouraging them to investigate, collaborate, reflect, and problem-solve.

For example, children may say they want to make lemonade. Instead of finding a recipe and helping them follow it, a teacher might ask the students how they think lemonade is made. The class will then gather supplies and test out strategies. “Young children are naturally social learners. They are wired to observe others, ask questions, share ideas, and make meaning together,” says Dr. Loquasto. The Goddard School’s approach encourages these natural inclinations — which helps kids begin to see learning as a way to express themselves, bond with their peers, and understand the world around them.

How Inquiry-Based Learning Promotes Independent Thinking

Think back to your own schooling experience. Remember the days of memorizing information at school and regurgitating it on a test, quiz, or on-demand when asked? Yeah, not so fun. With inquiry-based learning, that’s off the table. Instead, children are encouraged to speak their minds, ask all their questions, and make connections between what they’re learning in the classroom and the world around them.

In the long-term, the goal of this style of learning is to help children become confident, curious thinkers. “The aim is to nurture strong communicators and thoughtful problem solvers who are willing to listen, contribute, and lead,” says Dr. Loquasto.

Where Joy Comes In

As a parent, seeing your kid genuinely excited to go to school makes you feel like — hey, I must be doing something right! And it’s true that excitement about learning — especially at the start of your child’s academic life — is huge. In fact, Dr. Loquasto says it’s one of the most powerful ways to shape their entire educational journey. It presents a shift: when young learners are excited, they start to see learning not as something they have to do, but something they want to do. And that can create an emotional connection that fosters a lifelong engagement with education. At The Goddard School, excitement stems naturally from a joy-filled classroom that’s designed to promote curiosity. That joy can have a positive effect on social skill-building, too. “Joyful classrooms strengthen social development, helping children learn how to communicate and connect with others through shared discovery,” Dr. Loquasto notes.

How Excitement About Learning Can Show Up At Home

You’re not alone if you’ve wondered whether your little one is in the right school environment. After all, without being physically present, it can be hard to know. But Dr. Loquasto says there are signs to look for, like a child talking about their day and sharing stories about activities, teachers, or friends. It may also be more subtle. “Engagement may appear in small ways, such as singing songs learned at school, asking new questions, repeating new vocabulary, or wanting to recreate classroom activities at home,” she says.

Goddard School parents consistently report that the school’s learning style comes home with their kids. They notice their children becoming more interested in how things work, for example, asking questions during routine tasks like cooking dinner or when they spot something unique out in nature. Kids also bring classroom investigations home, testing out ideas through simple experiments or building elaborate structures. Dr. Loquasto says the rest of the family benefits, too: “Quite excitingly, parents often report that they find themselves acting as a more curious learner based upon following the lead of their child.”

In other words, parents get the chance to rediscover the beauty of the world alongside their kids — and that sounds pretty good to us.