Which preschool activity is good for teaching scientific inquiry discovery?

• A. Memorizing the names of many objects improves inquiry.
• B. Only adult-led demonstrations foster inquiry.
• C. Comparing similarities and contrasting differences in objects are good activities.
• D. Inquiry should be avoided until children are older.

Answer: (C)

Promoting scientific inquiry in preschool centers on inviting children to observe, compare, and reason about the world. When kids look at objects and describe attributes like color, size, shape, and texture, they begin to notice similarities and differences and think about how things are alike or different. This hands-on comparing builds key inquiry skills: asking questions, forming ideas, testing them through exploration, and explaining what they observed based on evidence.

Memorizing names focuses on memory rather than exploring phenomena; adult-led demonstrations can support learning but shouldn’t replace children’s active investigation; and delaying inquiry ignores the valuable discovery process that happens even with preschoolers. So, comparing similarities and differences provides a natural, effective way to foster early scientific inquiry.