At Montview Community Preschool and Kindergarten, and as an early childhood professional, I know that true learning is fueled by curiosity, creativity, and connection. Play-based learning is the foundation of our approach because it cultivates intellectual, creative, and critical thinking skills that prepare children to be lifelong learners. I want to share one of the most powerful tools in our educational practice; the use of Higher Order Thinking (HOT) Questions—open-ended prompts that spark deeper inquiry and encourage children to think beyond the obvious.

Why HOT Questions Matter

You may wonder why is this important. Just as block play fosters knowledge across multiple domains, HOT Questions lay the groundwork for foundational literacy skills, critical thinking, and meaningful social interactions. These questions posed by teachers and parents alike give opportunities to young learners to explore, analyze, and express their ideas in ways that traditional rote learning simply cannot.

Building Literacy Through Inquiry

Building a strong foundation that supports literacy is one of the many roles of preschool. From recognizing print patterns to developing phonological awareness, HOT Questions strengthen the skills children need to become confident readers, writers, and intellectual risk takers. Engaging with these prompts helps children:

  • Develop print awareness and motivation.
  • Experiment with sentence structure.
  • Recognize the beginning and ending sounds.
  • Build phonemic awareness through rhyming and alliteration.
  • See themselves as readers and writers in a print-rich environment.

More importantly, children begin to understand that what they say can be written and read—one of many of the crucial literacy concepts for early learners to understand.

Cultivating Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is not just about solving problems—it’s about making connections, analyzing situations, and evaluating new information. When children engage with HOT Questions, they:

  • Relate new information to existing knowledge.
  • Compare and contrast different ideas.
  • Predict outcomes and infer causes.
  • Consider multiple perspectives.
  • Think creatively about how to approach challenges.

Through this process, they develop essential life skills, learning to take in information, analyze it, and make informed judgments about their world which is important to the success of our country.

The Teacher-Student Relationship: A Foundation for Deep Learning

At Montview, we understand that the strongest learning happens in the context of deep, trusting relationships between teachers and students. Our teachers don’t just instruct—they observe, listen, and engage meaningfully with each child’s natural curiosity. This allows children to feel safe taking risks, asking questions, and exploring their world with confidence.

In contrast, a philosophy rooted in rote learning of information, children focus on memorization and regurgitation. While this may create the illusion of quick learning, it does not foster understanding, creativity, or problem-solving skills. Play-based learning, on the other hand, ensures that knowledge is deeply understood and can be applied in limitless situations throughout life. The ability to think critically, adapt to new challenges, and connect ideas is far more valuable than simply recalling facts.

Why we make HOT Questions a Daily Practice

We have seen firsthand how powerful these questions can be. Educators have seamlessly woven them into their daily routines, using them to spark inquiry and wonder in unique ways. Whether through photography, storytelling, or structured discussions, HOT Questions are becoming an essential part of how we Montview.

If you’re looking for a place to start on your helping days, consider these open-ended questions:

  • What do you think will happen next?
  • How would you solve this problem?
  • Why do you think that happened?
  • What would you change?
  • How can we make this better?

These prompts not only inspire deep thinking but also encourage children to engage with the world in meaningful and imaginative ways.

Evidence of Impact: Learning from Thanda

We have long believed in the power of HOT Questions, and now we have data to support it. When I introduced this approach to Thanda, a South African early learning program, in the Zulu nation, they integrated it into their curriculum. The children who attend Thanda come from the poorest families in South Africa. Their latest assessment results were staggering, showing the effectiveness of our practice:

  • 95% of their children were on track for kindergarten (compared to 31% of Zulu children and 45% nationwide)
  • 81% met cognition and executive functioning milestones (national average: 41%)
  • 100% met emergent literacy and language benchmarks (national average: 55%)
  • Creativity levels increased dramatically, with 85% of students on track by year’s end.

These results validate what we’ve always known: engaging children in meaningful inquiry fosters a love of learning, builds essential skills, and prepares them for lifelong success. These fantastic results are not just for Thanda, Montview children are beneficiaries of this practice as well.

A Gift for a Lifetime: The Montview Advantage

By being part of the Montview community, you are giving your child an extraordinary gift—the building blocks for lifelong success. Studies have shown that children who learn through play, by third grade, surpass those who were in more traditional, structured early childhood programs. At first glance, Montview’s playful learning approach may look different from what some expect in a school setting. Because we don’t drill facts into children, some may not immediately see the deep learning taking place. But this is not superficial learning—it is profound and rigorous in a very deep way.

It takes a conscious effort to slow down and truly witness the magic our teachers create as they weave meaningful learning into each child’s play. By supporting your child’s education through play, you are setting them up to soar—not just through first and second grade, but beyond. They will become the thinkers, problem-solvers, and innovators of their generation.

Looking Ahead: How Can We Support You?

HOT Questions are not just a good idea; they are an expectation at Montview because they are that powerful. They transform teaching and learning, creating an environment where children question, explore, and innovate daily.

As we continue to embed this practice into our classrooms, I want to encourage you to use HOT Questions in your interactions with children on your helping days.

By making HOT Questions a daily habit, we are not just teaching children; we are equipping them with the intellectual and creative tools to educate themselves for life.

I will leave you with a HOT Question to answer:

What learning skills do you want your child to have their whole lives?

With love,
Kim