Activities to develop exploration and investigation skills

Children are the masters of exploration and investigation, showing a curiosity about their environment. These skills are an important factor in learning about themselves and the world in which they live. Areas and objects can spark a child’s curiosity and allow them to use a range of senses to investigate. This leads them to gain knowledge and experience, supporting their development further.

Here are 10 fun activities to develop a child’s exploration and investigation skills

Keys and Locks

Allowing children to experience everyday resources, such as keys and padlocks, will spark their investigation skills. Simply use a number of padlocks and using coloured stickers match them up to the correct keys, leave them in a tray and let the children enjoy investigating which key belongs to which padlock. To extend this activity you could put the padlock along a fence or gates, letting the children experience the difference between open and shut.

Feely boxes

Feely boxes are great way for children to explore a range of materials and textures using their senses. Feely boxes are easy to make, simply collect some shoe boxes and cut a hole in the top or the side of the box. Let the children decorate the boxes and use a thin material and loosely attach to the inside of the box, partly covering the hole. Then collect some items to put in each box and let the children put their hands through the hole to feel the item and guess what it is. Natural items such as pine cones, conkers and shells are great items to use as they have distinctive textures.

Bug hotels

Bug hotels are great for investigation! To make a bug hotel you can use recycled resources such as wooden pallets, bricks, plant pots and foliage. This creates a habitat for all the tiny creatures and mini beasts that live in the outdoor environment. Provide magnifying glasses and clear pots for children to inspect the creatures closely.

Pond hunt

Ponds are full of life and a great way to investigate living things. Ponds can be dangerous for young children and require a great deal of supervision; however taking a small amount of the water from a pond or a local lake and transferring this to a small tray is a great way for the children to explore safely. Children can observe the tiny pond life and talk about how they live. Frog spawn is a great addition to pond life in the spring, and allows children to experience life cycles as they watch the tadpoles turn into frogs.

Bird feeders

Bird feeders are easy and fun to make with the children. You can make bird food for very little money using lard and bird seed. This can then be made into balls or added to empty yoghurt pots for the birds to access. Children can observe the birds as they land to feed, talking about the different types of birds found.

Bug hunt tuff spot

Tuff spots are a great way for children to investigate. Creating real life scenes such as a bug hunt can capture children’s imagination and support investigation skills. Cover a tuff spot in sawdust and add natural materials such as leaves, grass and dirt, finally adding a range of plastic mini beasts and creatures. They children will love serching for the mini beasts and investigate the different textures of the materials in the tray.

Mud kitchens

Mud kitchens are becoming more popular now and can be handmade at a very little cost. Adding everyday cooking resources such as saucepans, wooden spoons and weighing scales can enable children to explore the mud and use imaginative skills to recreate experiences. Access to water in the mud kitchen also supports children to investigate the changes between liquid and solid through play.

Sensory bottles

Sensory bottles are a fun way for young children to explore and investigate. Sensory bottles can be filled using a range of materials such as oil, water, Syrup, sequins, twigs or pasta. Sensory bottles can also be created around a story such as the bear hunt, using different materials in each to signify the different aspects of the story. Cotton wool can be used for the snowstorm; whereas twigs and stones can be used for the forest. Children will enjoy exploring the bottles, moving them to create different sounds.

Light boxes

Light boxes are a good way for children to investigate light and dark. Covering a light box in sand can allow children to use their fingers to make marks and see the light shine through the gaps. Using different coloured shapes can also teach children about creating shadows.