Children are little curiosity boxes – they want to see, touch and explore everything around them. From throwing food on the floor to see if it sticks to picking up their fortieth leaf on your morning walk, they’re fascinated by the big, brand-new world they’ve just come into.
Giving them new experiences is a fantastic way to encourage their questions and help them learn, but is there a way that you, as parents, can boost this curiosity? This is exactly where learning provocations shine.
Learning provocations are activities or experiences to boost children’s engagement – put simply, they’re spaces where children can pick up, touch and explore different objects. Think of them as an open-ended invitation to explore, wonder and be creative.
If that didn’t convince you, provocations spark interest, stimulate thoughts and ideas, and encourage questioning – all of which help children understand, learn and develop. Oh, and you can create them from objects you probably already own. What’s not to love?
What does a learning provocation look like?
There’s no right or wrong way; they’re completely open-ended. There’s also no prescribed outcome – it’s simply an invitation to explore. The more you experiment, the more inspired you’ll become. You’ll get ideas based on your child’s interests and their engagement, and you can gauge if they’re learning as much as they can as you go along.
Below are a few examples to give you an idea of what these spaces can look like. The aim is to spark interest, and encourage your child to explore and share their thoughts while they play:
Maps
Magnets
Painting and sculptures
Fossils and rocks
A selection of photos
Scented items
An arrangement of flowers with a selection of paints
A pretty tea set
Provocations are extremely flexible – you can base them on your child’s current interests, the weather, the seasons… The possibilities are endless! One of our favourite provocations is to freeze objects in ice and display them in a tuff spot for the children to explore. It’s fascinating to hear the discussions this promotes, as children wonder how the dinosaurs/animals became stuck in the ice or why the coins are now frozen. We then think about how we can melt the ice, what would work best and how long it might take.
Why learning provocations are so beneficial
The aim of a learning provocation is to inspire a child to wonder and think. With that, children are encouraged to talk, to share their ideas and thoughts through hands-on, practical experiences. This has some fantastic benefits.
When they are engaged in their play, children use words to talk about sizes, shapes, textures as well as words related to thinking such as why, how and where. Their creativity and curiosity are sparked in a way that encourages them to continually ask questions.
But it’s not just curiosity and a thirst to learn that makes these spaces incredible learning opportunities – they encourage creativity itself. Because there is no outcome, and the fact that the activities are open-ended, children can freely engage with them. They’re free to test out ideas and explore concepts as they see fit. A win-win!
As an added bonus, these learning experiences also help develop focus and concentration. Uninterrupted play allows children to learn and think independently as they navigate the activity in front of them, and how to focus on one thing at a time.
Unleash your creativity
One of the most amazing aspects of these spaces is how free you can be with them. No need to break the bank or be very extravagant – the point is to inspire and extend thought. Sometimes the simplest of set ups promote the most engagement!
Bring the creativity outdoors! Think about how you can use the weather, and the changing of the seasons. Use leaves to spark a conversation about autumn and why trees shed, or use plants to inspire questions about smells and colours. These won’t last long, but use that to your advantage. Show why watering and taking care of plants matters, and that they wither if they’re neglected or handled roughly.
How long you leave a provocation out for is dependent on how it’s being used. If your child is really involved and enjoying a provocation, think about keeping it out for longer so the play can evolve. You never know where it might lead, and they need some extra time to fully explore and question the objects in front of them.
independent learning
Are these spaces always adult-led? Definitely not! As a parent, you facilitate the experience or activity, but your role is then to step back and leave your child time and space to independently explore.
With limited intervention from adults, children can fully immerse themselves and further their own learning. They might choose to play independently or perhaps invite you to help them investigate – let them explore and decide for themselves.
Some things to think about when making space for independent learning:
Stand back and observe the play. Consider what has worked well in terms of your child’s engagement – what particularly sparked interest? This is a great way to make plans for future provocations and extend their learning.
If your child decides to draw you into their play, this is completely okay. This is the perfect time to engage in sustained shared thinking – wondering and learning together as you both navigate the provocation and question it. Learning provocations and sustained shared thinking go hand in hand as they both promote a child’s innate drive to be curious. Provocations can inspire us to wonder how, why and when which enable us, as adults, to model thinking skills. A learning experience for all.
It’s important to note that you shouldn’t be put off if your space just looks like a pile of scattered objects. This represents something to a child as they independently explore the objects and use their imagination as they play. Just let them use the resources as they choose to.
how to make sure these spaces are safe
Before setting up your learning provocation for your little one to use, you’ll need to ensure it is safe:
Check for sharp edges or broken parts which could cause an injury to little fingers.
You will need to supervise if you’re using small parts, particularly if you’re using loose parts such as glass nuggets, beads and coins – these could all be choking hazards.
Use delicate objects as a learning tool for your child. Playing with a china tea set or maps that need to be unfolded will require a gentle touch, but use this experience to teach your child to adapt their behaviour and treat these objects with care.
Navigating careful play is tricky, as too much input from you takes the activity away from your child and stops them discovering the objects themselves. It’s a learning curve and you might not get it on the first try. Just remember to be patient and take it slowly!
top resources
A tuff tray. These are fantastic for learning provocations which can get a bit messy!
Picture frames are fantastic for displaying provocations and encouraging children to make patterns and arrangements. They can be picked up for a reasonable price from eBay or Ikea.
Try scouring eBay for vintage suitcases, maps, ‘treasure’ related items and fabrics – you never know what you’ll find!
Your local charity shop is the best place to go. Make friends with the owners!
The most important advice is to have fun and enjoy facilitating wonderful learning experiences for the children which impact on all areas of development.
Article adapted from ‘Learning through Provocations’ by Emma Davis (Famly Blog, 27th January 2021)