Inquiry-led drama begins with children’s ideas, questions and discoveries. Instead of deciding exactly how the story will unfold, the educator creates a starting point and supports children to investigate it through movement, role play, imagination and talk.
For a short starting point before a longer inquiry, try these drama games for preschoolers aged 3–5. Follow children’s ideas to extend a game into shared investigation.
Featured Book: Drama Start – Inquiry and Play
Drama Start: Inquiry and Play by Julie Meighan offers imaginative, inquiry-led drama starting points that follow children’s questions and discoveries. A practical companion for early years educators exploring an emergent curriculum through role play, movement and storytelling.
Start here
- Inquiry-Based Drama in the Early Years
- Mysterious Footprints: Inquiry-Led Drama for Young Children
- From Bear Hunt to Child-Led Inquiry
- The Three Little Pigs: Child-Led Drama Inquiry
Build your inquiry practice
- Open-Ended Questions and Creativity in the Early Years
- Learning Dispositions in the Early Years
- Process Drama and Product Drama: What’s the Difference?
- Drama Techniques for Teachers
Take the next step
For more resources, join Drama Start for a free book of children’s plays plus free subscriber-only drama resources.
