This prompt is for generating ideas for high quality questioning. When copy and pasting the advanced prompt below, you should edit the items in orange to suit your context. Remember you should always review AI outputs for accuracy. AI outputs should always be adapted to best suit your needs and the needs of your learners. 

Basic prompt:

‘When children are engaging in [[ TOPIC ]] what kinds of questions could I ask them?’ 

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This prompt does not give enough contextual detail and may yield low quality, generic results.

Use the advanced prompt in place of a basic prompt to get better results from the AI model.

Advanced prompt:

You are an expert early years practitioner working in the Scottish education system. You are planning an activity based around [[ TOPIC ]] which also includes [[ ADDITIONAL SPECIFIC SKILLS OR CONCEPTS YOU’D EXPECT TO SEE DURING THE ACTIVITY ]] with children aged [[ age ]] in a play-based learning environment. Please suggest a range of high-quality, developmentally appropriate questions I can use during interactions with children. These questions should:

• Encourage curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking

• Support sustained shared thinking and meaningful conversations

• Be open-ended and adaptable across different contexts (e.g. construction, role play, outdoor learning, small world)

• Reflect the guidance from “Realising the Ambition” on adult-child interactions and building on children’s thinking

• Be appropriate for a range of communication abilities and learning needs

• Include a note on how to observe and respond sensitively based on a child’s cues or level of engagement

• Include examples of how to scaffold thinking without leading or closing down a child’s idea.

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This prompt has a clearly defined goal, gives details of the context, specifies expectations of the output and gives a clear indication of the constraints such as limitations or boundaries that the AI model needs to take into account when preparing and output. You should edit the items in orange to suit your context.

Example:

Below is an example of the advanced prompt in action using Google Gemini. You will see the prompt input followed by Google Gemini’s corresponding output for this prompt.

Prompt (what we input to Google Gemini):

You are an expert early years practitioner working in the Scottish education system. You are planning an activity based around exploring sinking and floating which also includes playing with water, experimenting and hypothesising with children aged 3-4 in a play-based learning environment. Please suggest a range of high-quality, developmentally appropriate questions I can use during interactions with children. These questions should:

• Encourage curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking
• Support sustained shared thinking and meaningful conversations
• Be open-ended and adaptable across different contexts (e.g. construction, role play, outdoor learning, small world)
• Reflect the guidance from “Realising the Ambition” on adult-child interactions and building on children’s thinking
• Be appropriate for a range of communication abilities and learning needs
• Include a note on how to observe and respond sensitively based on a child’s cues or level of engagement
• Include examples of how to scaffold thinking without leading or closing down a child’s idea.

Gemini Output (what Google Gemini responded with):

You’re setting the stage for some wonderful scientific exploration with your 3-4-year-olds! Water play, sinking, and floating activities are fantastic for encouraging natural curiosity and hands-on investigation, perfectly aligning with “Realising the Ambition” and the Early Level of the Curriculum for Excellence. The key is in the power of your questions and how you respond.

Here’s a range of high-quality, open-ended questions designed to foster curiosity, critical thinking, and sustained shared thinking during your sinking and floating water play, along with guidance on observation and scaffolding.

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Questions to Spark Curiosity and Critical Thinking

 

These questions are designed to be flexible and can be adapted based on the objects children are playing with, their actions, and their verbal responses.

Before/During the Experimenting Phase (Hypothesising & Predicting):

1. “What do you think will happen when you put that in the water?”

   • Follow-up: “Why do you think that?” or “What makes you say that?” (This encourages them to articulate their reasoning).

2. “Do you think it will sink all the way down, or stay on top?”

   • Follow-up: “What’s your prediction?”

3. “Which one of these do you think will go down first/stay on top longest?”

   • Follow-up: “How could we test that?”

4. “Is there anything in our tray that you think won’t sink?”

   • Follow-up: “Why do you think that one will float?”

During the Observation & Exploration Phase:

5. “What’s happening to [object]? Can you describe what you see?”

   • Follow-up: “Where is it now? Is it moving?”

6. “Look at the water around [object]. What do you notice?”

   • Follow-up: (If they notice ripples) “What made those ripples?”

7. “Is [object A] doing the same thing as [object B]?”

   • Follow-up: “What’s different about them?” or “What’s the same?”

8. “What do you think made it sink/float?”

   • Follow-up: “Was that what you expected?”

9. “How does [floating object] stay on top of the water?”

10. “If you push [floating object] down, what happens?”

Encouraging Further Experimentation & Problem-Solving:

11. “Can you make [sinking object] float?”

    • Follow-up: “What could we add to it? What materials could help?”

12. “Can you make [floating object] sink?”

    • Follow-up: “What could we put inside it? What if we push it down differently?”

13. “What if we add more water/less water? Do you think it will change what happens?”

14. “Can you make something else float/sink that isn’t here?”

    • Follow-up: “What kind of things might float/sink?”

15. “How could we make a boat that floats all by itself?”

    • Follow-up: “What materials would you choose for your boat?”

Connecting to Prior Knowledge & Real-World Experiences:

16. “Have you seen anything float/sink before? Where did you see that?”

17. “What kind of boats float on the water? What are they made of?”

18. “If you fall into water, do you float or sink?” (Use sensitively, focusing on safe water play).

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Observing and Responding Sensitively

 

“Realising the Ambition” heavily emphasises the importance of responsive interactions.

• Observe First: Before asking any questions, spend a moment just watching. What is the child doing? What are they focused on? What are their non-verbal cues (pursing lips, furrowed brow, pointing, smiling)?

• Listen Actively: Pay attention to their murmurs, exclamations, or questions to themselves. They might be thinking aloud.

• Respond to Cues:

  • Engaged & Deeply Concentrating: Acknowledge their focus (“You’re really concentrating on that stone!”) before asking a gentle, open-ended question that respects their current train of thought. Don’t interrupt if they’re in a flow state.

  • Struggling/Frustrated: Offer empathetic support (“That’s a bit tricky, isn’t it?”). Ask questions that invite problem-solving without giving the answer (“What else could we try?”).

  • Looking for Adult Validation/Attention: Offer genuine praise for their effort or observation (“Wow, you noticed that!”). Then, extend their thinking with a question.

  • Limited Verbal Communication: Use gesture, visual aids, and model language. Point to objects as you ask. Accept non-verbal answers (nods, shakes, pointing). Use simpler vocabulary.

  • Moving On: If a child is clearly finished or moving to another activity, don’t force further questions. Respect their play choices. You can always revisit the concepts later.

• Wait Time: Crucially, provide ample wait time after asking a question. Young children need time to process the question, formulate a thought, and then articulate it. This is vital for all communication abilities.

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Scaffolding Thinking Without Leading or Closing Down Ideas

 

Scaffolding involves providing just enough support to help a child move to the next level of understanding or skill, without doing the thinking for them.

• Rephrasing/Simplifying: If a child doesn’t understand your question, try phrasing it differently or using simpler words. “What do you think will happen?” could become “Will it go down, or stay up?”

• Offering a Choice (Limited): If a completely open question is too broad, offer two options based on their current actions. “Do you want to try the big stick or the little stick next?” (Still allows choice, but narrows the field).

• Pointing to a Resource/Tool: “Hmm, that plastic isn’t floating. I wonder if there’s anything else in our basket that looks light that might float?” (Directs attention without telling them what to pick).

• Modelling Curiosity: “I wonder if…?” “I’m curious about…”. This shows them how to be a scientist without telling them what to think.

• Connecting to Their Actions: “You put a lot of water in that boat. What happened then?” (Links cause and effect from their own play).

• Paraphrasing & Extending Their Ideas:

  • Child: “It gone down!”

  • Practitioner: “Yes, it sank! You put the pebble in and it went right to the bottom. I wonder if this little leaf will do the same as your pebble?” (Acknowledges, validates, introduces scientific vocabulary, and then extends their thinking to a new comparison).

• “What if…?” Scenarios: “What if we tried filling this cup with water before we put it in? Do you think it would still float then?” This encourages hypothesising without giving the answer.

• Reflecting Their Emotions/Intentions: “You look a bit surprised that floated!” or “You’re trying really hard to make that [object] sink, aren’t you?” This builds rapport and shows you’re engaged with their inner experience.

By using these questions and responsive interaction techniques, you’ll be fostering rich, child-led learning experiences where children are encouraged to be active investigators, building deep conceptual understanding of sinking and floating through play.