Early science inquiries and experiences increase young children’s awareness and interest for science. The importance of promoting science process skills which bolster children’s confidence to formulate and communicate personal ideas have been emphasised by international guidelines. As Loose Parts Play (LPP) is a form of free play involving open-ended play materials, its flexible nature promotes active exploration with materials that encourages children’s interaction with science-related experiences. This teacher action research aims to explore the influence of open-ended questions on children’s science process skills, as well as the scientific concepts that children are capable of exploring independently during play experiences. Analyses draw on video- and audio-recorded observation, child observation notes, and teacher journals. A total of 180 open-ended questions were employed by the teacher-researcher and 155 instances of science process skills were observed in a group of five-year-old children. Findings revealed that periods of uninterrupted play time followed by open-ended questions, extend children’s science process skills, and add complexity to their scientific exploration. Furthermore, children were observed to self-initiate exploration of scientific concepts, such as transforming materials and changing motion, during these uninterrupted play periods. Overall, this teacher action research highlights the pivotal role that educators play in young children’s playful learning experiences, where their timely use of open-ended questions has the capacity to facilitate children’s early science learning during LPP. This study serves to define an educator’s role within student-driven or child-initiated learning experiences, as well as guide educators in the utility of loose part materials, provision of uninterrupted play periods, and planning of open-ended questions to stimulate children’s science exploration.

早期的科学探究和体验可以提高幼儿的科学意识和兴趣。国际指南强调了促进科学过程技能的重要性，这种技能可以增强儿童形成和交流个人想法的信心。由于松散部分游戏 (LPP) 是一种涉及开放式游戏材料的自由游戏形式，因此其灵活的性质促进了对材料的积极探索，鼓励儿童与科学相关的体验互动。这项教师行动研究旨在探讨开放式问题对儿童科学过程技能的影响，以及儿童在游戏体验中能够独立探索的科学概念。分析利用视频和音频记录的观察、儿童观察笔记和教师日记。教师兼研究员总共提出了 180 个开放式问题，并在一组 5 岁儿童中观察了 155 个科学过程技能实例。研究结果显示，一段时间不间断的游戏时间和开放式问题可以扩展儿童的科学过程技能，并增加他们科学探索的复杂性。此外，我们还观察到孩子们在不间断的游戏过程中主动探索科学概念，例如变换材料和改变运动。总体而言，这项教师行动研究强调了教育工作者在幼儿有趣的学习经历中发挥的关键作用，他们及时使用开放式问题能够促进儿童在 LPP 期间的早期科学学习。 这项研究旨在定义教育者在学生驱动或儿童发起的学习体验中的角色，并指导教育者使用松散的部分材料、提供不间断的游戏时间以及规划开放式问题以刺激儿童的科学探索。