7 Tips for Guiding Young Learners to Engage in Research

A first-grade teacher recently emailed me the following question: “With older students, you can guide them to informational resources and they can research independently. With my younger students… how can I guide them to do research without spoon-feeding information?”

This is a common and valuable question. Teachers of young learners—pre-K through second grade—often wonder how to engage children in research when they are still emergent readers and writers. But answering this question begins with thinking about our definition of research.

In school contexts, we often envision research as students reading texts—books, websites, articles—and then synthesizing what they’ve learned and sharing it in some way: a report, a Google Slide show, a presentation.

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

Merriam-Webster gives the following definitions of research:

• A careful or diligent search.
• A studious inquiry or examination, especially investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts.
• The collecting of information about a particular subject.

Nowhere does it say anything about reading a book, browsing a website, or citing sources.

When we expand our understanding of research, we begin to see how young children already engage in research every day—through their questions, observations, play, and investigations. In this definition of research, a teacher is a facilitator of learning experiences who honors the inquiry process, rather than just a provider of facts.

Three Forms of Research

For children in pre-K through second grade, research can take the form of investigation, experimentation, or exploration. While these often overlap, it’s helpful to look at each individually.

Investigation happens when children look closely, ask questions, and gather information through relevant, authentic experiences. They might observe a worm bin to learn about composting, take a walk to learn about local businesses, or talk to longtime residents to learn how the neighborhood has changed over time.

Experimentation builds on children’s questions by offering opportunities to test ideas and take risks. Children might try building a structure that doesn’t fall, mix ingredients to make paint, or explore which materials make the most water-resistant roof. Even a predesigned experiment like celery and food coloring supports learning through trial and error.

Exploration often happens through play. Children might set up a pretend store, design products or inventions, or test possible solutions to problems. Through playful exploration, they engage deeply with concepts and systems. When we notice and support these moments, we make space for research that feels meaningful, developmentally appropriate, and joyful.

7 Practical Ways to Support Young Researchers

When designing meaningful inquiry-based learning experiences for young children, consider the following:

1. Expand the entry points. Young children learn deeply when they have the chance to explore ideas through a variety of formats—not just text. While engaging read-alouds are valuable, expert visitors, podcasts, videos, images, and hands-on materials offer additional ways into a topic and can be especially supportive for emergent readers. Consider setting up gallery walks of photographs, offering time to listen to child-friendly audio clips, or watching short videos that relate to children’s questions.

These modalities can spark new lines of inquiry, offer background knowledge, and create shared experiences that build excitement and understanding. Play-based centers are also ideal places to introduce hands-on, authentic materials for children to explore and investigate.

2. Use multiple modalities for demonstrating understanding. Given young children’s emergent literacy skills, consider having them represent and express their learning through drawing, building, dictation, dramatization, or storytelling. Literacy involves more than reading and writing—it's also about speaking, listening, asking questions, and making sense of the world. When children are supported in expressing their understanding in accessible ways, the learning sticks.

3. Model the inquiry process. Although young children are naturally curious, they may need support in seeing what curiosity looks like. Model this often by engaging in co-research alongside your students. For example, in a unit where children were designing accessible playground equipment, I brought them out to our school playground and walked around, wondering aloud, “How could a child who uses a wheelchair enjoy this swing?” and “What features might make this play structure welcoming for everyone?”

4. Make thinking visible. Use shared journals, anchor charts, photo documentation, and bulletin boards to help children revisit and build on their ideas. These tools also support emerging literacy as children begin to connect their thoughts with written language. Thinking routines like See-Think-Wonder and Parts-Purposes-Complexities help organize and document ideas while building cognitive capacity. When children actively participate in this process, engagement deepens. For example, give children iPads to photograph a growing garden or support them in creating pictures or bar graphs after conducting classroom surveys.

5. Bring in experts and plan fieldwork. Meeting experts and visiting workspaces beyond the classroom is one of the most powerful research tools available. These experiences give children the chance to engage with adults who can answer their questions directly and share authentic tools and tasks. Before the visit, invite children to think about their questions; during the visit, support their curiosity; and afterward, take time to debrief together. These practices help deepen inquiry and support thoughtful, sustained exploration of a topic.

6. Make space for child-led inquiry. As adults, we’re driven by our own interests and passions, so it’s essential to do the same for children. Honor children’s questions and create space for them to follow their curiosities. One way to do this is by introducing a “Wonder Wall” or an “Inquiry Board” at children’s eye level where they can post questions or dictate them to you.

Build moments into your day when the curriculum is flexible and spacious enough to review these questions and support students in exploring ideas that may not be tied to a set curricular unit. These opportunities let children know that their ideas and questions matter and are worth researching.

7. Support collaborative research. Give children chances to learn alongside each other—asking questions, sharing ideas, and figuring things out together. When children are curious about the same topic or working toward a shared goal, collaboration not only deepens the learning but also makes the process more joyful. Teachers can support collaborative research by carving out time for small group work while others are engaged in more independent work—for example, during centers or Choice Time.

Research with young learners doesn’t have to look like note-taking or reading lengthy texts. When we redefine research as exploration, investigation, and experimentation, we not only honor what young children are already doing—we also expand what’s possible.