TAKE-HOME STRATEGY

Supporting Active Exploration at Home

Aerial view of child-sized shoes beside backpack

What It's About

Active Exploration is all about hands-on learning. This can mean watching, listening, smelling, touching, or tasting. It can also mean building, taking things apart, and making things happen.

You can support your child to actively explore their world by giving them plenty of chances to dig in and figure things out in their own way.

ACTIVITY CHOICE BOARD

Here are some ways you can support Active Exploration at home. Keep in mind that you can change these activities to work for you and your child based on their current abilities, interests, and what you have available at home. Make sure to use safe materials and watch your child closely during these activities.

Take a look, and try out your favorites!

Outdoor Play

If it's possible, play outside. Feel the grass, tree bark, or the breeze. Count the bugs, look at tire wheels, or anything that interests your child.

Adventure Path

Go for a walk, or set up a path in your home using furniture, etc. Let your child climb, balance, push and pull, or crawl even if it means they take a small tumble. Allow children to test and push their limits.

How Does it Work?

Take apart something in your home to see how it works. For example, remove the batteries from a toy to see if it works. Help your child understand that it works with them and doesn't work without them.

Curiosity Box

Fill a box with objects from around your home. Choose simple things like a brush, tongs, fabric scraps, or a jar with a lid. Watch to see how they use things in new ways.

Safe Zone

Make a safe zone for exploration in your home. It doesn't need to be large or permanent. Just an area where everything is fair game for children. That way you can relax and help them explore without worry.

Wonder Walk

Go for a "wonder walk." For younger children, notice and describe what they pause to look at. For older children, have them draw or write about the interesting things they see. Or, take note of questions they have.

Quick Cues for Supporting Active Exploration

Some things you might do or say to help strengthen your child’s Active Exploration skills

Narrate

Describe both your own and your child’s curiosity and exploration.

This can sound like:

“I wonder what happens when you press that button? Wow, music started playing! Let’s do that again.”

“I see that you’re looking at the bird over there. Now you’re moving closer to get a better look.”

“You’re watching to see where that ant goes. I think you are wondering where it lives.”

Ask Exploration Questions

Encourage your child to explore the world and find out how things work.

This can sound like:

“I see you’re looking at the pinecone here; do you want to touch it? How does it feel when you run it against your hand?”

“What do you think will happen?”

“You want to know what squirrels eat. How can we find that out?” 

Pause

Give your child time to puzzle, wonder, and try so they can reach their own conclusions.

This can sound like:

Silence. It may feel like a long time to wait or seem that your child isn’t “getting it.” But let things unfold to see where it goes.

Our Book Recommendations for Active Exploration

Engaging stories that support children's Active Exploration skills
Flashlight Book Cover Image

Flashlight

Written and illustrated by Lizi Boyd, this story uses detailed scenes, instead of words, to tell a story of discovery on a dark night.

Have fun with it:
Go on a flashlight adventure! Use a flashlight to look closely around your house or outside and see what you spot.

Cover image for Ziona's Rain Forest

Zonia's Rain Forest

Written and illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal, this story follows a girl as she explores the lush setting of her home in the rain forests of Peru.

Have fun with it:
Take a walk, or a look outside. What do you notice on the ground, in the sky, and anywhere in between?

More Take-Home Strategies

We’re creating a library of resources like these so families and other caregivers can quickly and easily promote children’s development at home. Be sure to see all the strategies we have available!

visit our take-home strategy library