K–2
Why do plants grow?
What makes a good friend?
How to Use Essential Questions
in Play-Based Learning
Why Essential Questions Matter
Like play-based learning, essential questions increase student engagement, make learning more meaningful to students and help students connect skills and knowledge from one subject to another. By using essential questions as a tool, teachers are not simply covering the curriculum, they are also asking students to delve deeper and fully engage with what they are learning for a stronger understanding and knowledge transfer.
What Makes a Question Essential?
Essential questions share certain qualities:
They are open-ended and cannot be answered with a simple yes or no.
They are thought-provoking and often spark debate, discussion, and additional questions.
They require support and justification in answers.
They connect material to significant themes or concepts.
They are often interdisciplinary, linking history, math, science, literacy, and more.
They help students make sense of important concepts within the curriculum.
They cannot be answered by recall alone—they ask students to observe, analyze, evaluate, predict, and engage in higher-order thinking.
Checklist: Is your question open-ended? Does it connect across subjects? Does it invite multiple perspectives?
Examples of Essential Questions
By Grade:
Grades 3–5
How do communities depend on water?
What makes a story powerful?
Middle School
How do scientific discoveries change society?
What does fairness mean in a democracy?
By Subject
Literacy
How do stories shape the way we see the world?
Science
How do living things adapt to survive?
Math
Why do numbers matter in everyday life?
Social Studies
How do communities work together to solve problems?
Why Essential Questions Work
in Play-Based Learning
Essential questions act as a north star. While children actively explore content and apply skills, these questions tie their discoveries to larger concepts and help solidify a deeper understanding of the curriculum. They:
- Help students make sense of important concepts within the curriculum, rather than rote recall
- Create relevance between classroom learning and real-world issues
- Support critical thinking, collaboration and discussion, often leading to more questions
- Deepen communal learning while honoring individual curiosity
- Provide multiple entry points for different learners
Tips from Educators
We asked Seedlings Educators Collaborative facilitators to share their thoughts on essential questions, based on many decades of developing them in their own classrooms:
"Essential Questions are big, open-ended questions that don't have just one right answer. They often begin with words like who, what if, or how. For example, if we are learning about trees, we might ask: Why do trees matter? Or, How do trees help us and animals? These kinds of questions invite young children—and us, as teachers—to wonder, explore, and keep thinking. It's okay not to know the answer right away. That's the point! These questions guide our whole learning journey."
— Winnie Naclerio, Pre-School Facilitator and Educator
"An essential question is an open-ended question. You can't answer it with a simple yes or no. An essential question invites students to think and explore and discover. With a well-crafted essential question, children will give many different answers, which will lead to a deeper conversation of how birds thrive in different environments."
— Donna DaCosta, Pre-School Facilitator and Educator
"Think about these question-starting words when crafting essential questions: Why? How? What if? This helps you stay in keeping with what makes for effective essential questions—they are open ended, require higher-order thinking, and cannot be answered with yes or no."
— Eva Kibby, Seedlings Science Facilitator and Educator
Essential Questions and Standards
Essential questions are not just engaging–they also help teachers cover curriculum and meet standards such as Common Core or NGSS. For students, essential questions embed inquiry and curiosity into required content and encourage a sense of ownership of their own learning.
How to Design an Essential Question
- Identify a big idea, curriculum topic or standard to address.
- Ask: What do I want students to keep wondering about even after the unit ends?
- Write a draft question using “Why,” “How,” or “What if.”
- Test it: Can it be answered in a single sentence? If yes, revise.
- Connect it to activities, projects, or play invitations.
Tips for Using Essential Questions in the Classroom
- Post the question visibly in your classroom
- Return to it often across lessons and subjects
- Let student answers evolve and change over time
- Use it to spark debate, stories, or projects
- Keep a “wonder wall” where students add related questions
- Incorporate questions into student reflection journals
- Share them in parent communication so families can engage at home
Further Reading and Resources
- Essential Questions: Opening Doors to Student Understanding by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins — examples across subjects and planning tools
- Making Learning Whole by David Perkins and Kath Murdoch — practical advice for younger grades about fostering inquiry
- Creating Cultures of Thinking by Ron Ritchhart — from the Harvard Project Zero team, with strategies for inspiring inquiry