How to Teach Kids to Ask Good Science Questions

Children ask questions all day. Some lead straight to an experiment (“Does a bigger paper plane fly farther?”) and some do not (“Why is the sky blue?”). Both are worth asking. The skill to build is knowing which kind you have, and how to turn a curious question into something you can test at your kitchen table.

Start by welcoming every question

If every question gets a lecture or a “that’s silly,” children stop asking. Try:

“Great question. I’m not sure. What do you think?”
“How could we find out?”
“Let’s write that down.”

A notebook page or a jar of paper slips for questions makes them feel valued. You do not have to answer them all.

“I wonder” starters

Some children freeze when asked to “think of a question.” Starters help:

I wonder what would happen if…
I wonder why…
I wonder which is faster, stronger, bigger…
I wonder how many…
I wonder whether it is true that…

Say them aloud on walks, in the kitchen and in the bath. Your child will copy you.

Testable and not-testable questions

A question is testable when you can do something, measure or count something, and get an answer.

Testable:

Which sinks faster in water, a coin or a grape?
Does warm water dissolve sugar faster than cold water?
Which kind of paper towel soaks up the most?
How far does a paper plane fly with one paperclip on the nose?

Not easily testable at home:

Why is the sky blue? (You can read about it, but not test it with a ruler.)
Which is the best color? (A matter of opinion.)
What happened a million years ago?
Is it fair that…? (A matter of values.)

Many questions in the second list are valuable. They lead to books, conversations and research. A helpful phrase is: “That is a research question. We can look it up. Would you like to turn it into a question we can test?”

Turning a question into a fair test

Take a broad question and narrow it in four steps.

Example: “Do plants like music?” (Hard to test.)

Pick what you will change. Perhaps: the amount of light.
Pick what you will measure. The height of the plant in centimetres (inches) after a week.
Keep everything else the same. Same soil, same pot, same water.
Write the question: “Do bean plants grow taller in sunlight or in a dim room?”

Use the pattern “What happens to ___ when we change ___?” and you will usually get a testable question.

A fair test has:

One thing changed.
One thing measured.
Everything else kept the same.
Repeated at least twice if you can.

Questions to practise with

Pick any everyday object and ask three questions: one you can test, one you can look up, one that is just for wonder. A sponge, an ice cube, a shadow or a bouncing ball all work.

Some ways to practise fair-test thinking:

Ask, “What could we change? What could we measure?”
Ask, “What else might change the result?” (Wind, temperature, how hard you throw.)
Ask, “How would we know we got a fair answer?”

Ages and stages

Ages 4 to 6: Questions will be simple and sometimes silly. Help them compare two things: which is heavier, bigger, faster.
Ages 7 to 9: Start choosing what to change and what to keep the same.
Ages 10 to 13: Predict, repeat tests, think about measurement and write a conclusion.

Keeping it safe

Before testing any question, check with an adult whether it is safe. Avoid tests with heat, mains electricity, cleaning chemicals or tasting. Choose water, paper, food ingredients prepared for eating and household items.

Where to go next

Read our posts on questions to ask during experiments, the three kinds of variables and choosing a good question. The Evidence Lab unit builds these skills step by step.