Project Based Learning in Preschool: Learning Through Curiosity
A child finds a snail in the garden and asks where it lives. Another wonders why the puddles have disappeared. A group becomes fascinated by the diggers working on the road outside. In many preschools, questions like these become the starting point for a project: an in-depth investigation that can last days or weeks, with children leading the way. Project based learning in preschool builds on children's natural curiosity and turns it into rich learning across language, maths, science, art and social skills. This guide explains what the project approach in early childhood is, how a project unfolds, preschool project ideas, how children's projects are documented and how families can support project learning at home.
7 min readAltın Anahtar Eğitim Kurumları
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What is project based learning in preschool?
Project based learning is an approach in which children investigate a real topic in depth over a period of time. Instead of a teacher delivering a set of lessons on a theme, children ask questions, make predictions, explore, try things out and share what they have found. Teachers guide the process, offer materials and experiences and help children reflect on their learning.
In early childhood, this is often called the project approach. It is closely associated with educators such as Lilian Katz and Sylvia Chard, and with the long projects typical of Reggio Emilia preschools in Italy. Our guide to the Reggio Emilia approach explains how projects fit into that philosophy.
How a project differs from a theme
Many preschools organise learning around themes, such as autumn, transport or animals. Themes can be enjoyable, but they are usually planned in advance by adults, with activities decided before children arrive. A project is different in a few important ways.
- It starts from children's interests and questions, rather than a fixed calendar.
- It goes deep rather than wide, exploring one topic thoroughly instead of touching briefly on many.
- Children help shape the direction, deciding what to find out next and how.
- It involves real investigation, such as observing, visiting, interviewing experts, experimenting and building.
- It ends with sharing, where children show what they have learned to others.
The three phases of a project
Phase one: getting started
The teacher notices a strong interest among a group of children, perhaps through their play, conversations or questions. The group talks about what they already know, shares experiences and makes a list of questions they want to answer. Children might draw what they think the topic looks like at the start, which gives a useful picture of their ideas.
Phase two: investigating
This is the heart of the project. Children explore their questions through first-hand experiences: looking closely at real objects, going on short visits, inviting a visitor such as a parent with a relevant job, experimenting, reading books, drawing, building models and role playing. Teachers add materials and experiences to extend children's thinking.
Phase three: concluding and sharing
As interest begins to fade or questions are answered, the project draws to a close. Children review what they have learned and share it with families or other classes, perhaps through a display, a model, a book they have made together or a short presentation.
Preschool project ideas
The best projects come from real interests, so these ideas are starting points rather than a fixed list. Topics that children can see, touch and explore directly usually work best.
- Snails, insects or birds found in the garden.
- Water and puddles: where water comes from, where it goes and what floats or sinks.
- Building and diggers, inspired by construction work nearby.
- Bread or cooking, from grain to loaf, including a visit to a bakery if possible.
- Shadows and light, exploring how shadows change through the day.
- Our street or village: shops, houses, jobs people do and how to get around.
- Growing plants, from seed to harvest.
- The sea and the beach, from shells and waves to boats and fish.
A project in practice: the snail project
Imagine a group of four-year-olds who discover snails in the garden after rain. They wonder what snails eat, where they sleep and why they leave shiny trails. The teacher helps them list their questions. Over the following days, children watch snails closely with magnifying glasses, offer them different leaves to see which they prefer, measure how far a snail travels on a piece of paper and draw snails in careful detail. They look at books, build a snail home from a box and invent snail stories in the role play area. At the end, they make a class book about snails and share it with their families, full of their own drawings, words and discoveries.
What children learn through projects
- Language and communication: asking questions, discussing ideas, learning new vocabulary and explaining findings.
- Early maths: counting, measuring, comparing, sorting and recording information in simple charts.
- Science: observing, predicting, testing ideas and noticing cause and effect.
- Creativity: drawing, painting, modelling and building to represent ideas.
- Social skills: working together, listening to others, sharing tasks and solving problems as a group.
- Learning dispositions: curiosity, persistence and confidence that questions can be investigated.
Because projects combine many areas at once, they mirror the way young children naturally learn. They also overlap with early STEM and sensory exploration; see our guides to STEM education in early years and sensory learning in early childhood.
Documenting children's projects
Documentation means recording children's learning as a project unfolds. It is not simply taking photos for families; it helps children, teachers and parents see how thinking develops over time.
- Photographs of children at work, with short notes on what they were doing and saying.
- Children's drawings and paintings at different stages, showing how their understanding changes.
- Transcripts of children's questions and conversations.
- Charts, lists and maps made by the group.
- Models, constructions and other creations.
- Displays or class books that bring the story of the project together.
Looking back at documentation with children helps them remember what they did, reflect on what they learned and plan what to find out next. For families, it offers a window into the classroom and a starting point for conversations at home.
The role of the teacher
In project based learning, teachers are guides and co-researchers rather than lecturers. They observe closely, ask open questions, provide materials and experiences, help children plan and record, and gently move thinking forward. They also make sure that all children can take part, including quieter children and those still learning the language of the classroom.
Supporting project learning at home
You can encourage the same curiosity at home without planning a formal project. When your child asks a question, explore it together: look at books, go and see the real thing, draw what you find or build a model. Ask your child's teacher about current projects and look for chances to connect them with family life, such as noticing insects on a walk or baking bread together.
Keep a simple scrapbook of your child's interests, with drawings, photos and their own words. Over time it becomes a lovely record of how their thinking grows.
Questions to ask a preschool
- How do you decide what children will explore?
- Do children ever investigate a topic in depth over several weeks?
- How are children's questions and interests followed up?
- How do you record and share children's learning with families?
- How can parents contribute to projects?
At Altın Anahtar in Alsancak, we follow a play-based, child-centred approach for children aged 12 months to 6 years, where children's curiosity and hands-on exploration are part of everyday play. We are not a Reggio Emilia preschool, though following children's interests is shared by many child-centred approaches. To see our classrooms, you can arrange a visit by appointment.
Frequently asked questions
What is project based learning in preschool?
It is an approach in which children investigate a real topic in depth over time, asking questions, exploring, experimenting and sharing what they learn, with teachers guiding the process.
How long does a preschool project last?
It depends on children's interest. Some projects last a few days, others several weeks.
What are good preschool project ideas?
Topics children can explore first-hand work best, such as snails or insects, water, building work, bread, shadows, plants, the local street or the beach.
Why is documentation important in project learning?
It records how children's thinking develops, helps them reflect on their learning and gives families a window into the classroom.