Applying experiential learning methods can build your child's confidence and thinking skills.
Looking in a kindergarten classroom where children are building bridges with blocks, testing which materials float in water, and creating their own mini-businesses selling handmade crafts. Students ask questions, experiment with solutions, and learn from their mistakes. This isn't chaos—it's experiential learning in action. But what is experiential learning exactly, and why does it work so well for young minds?
At Acton Academy Calgary Central, we've seen how this approach transforms education for kindergarten through grade 5 students. Children develop confidence, critical thinking skills, and a genuine love for learning when they engage with concepts through direct experience rather than passive instruction.
What is Experiential Learning? Defining the Approach
Experiential learning is an educational method where students learn through direct experience, reflection, and application. Rather than simply hearing about concepts, children engage with materials, test ideas, and draw conclusions from their own observations.
Educational theorist David Kolb developed the most widely recognized model of experiential learning. His cycle includes four stages: concrete experience (doing something), reflective observation (thinking about what happened), abstract conceptualization (understanding the principles), and active experimentation (trying new approaches).
This approach fits naturally with how young children learn. Children are naturally curious, hands-on learners who make sense of their environment through exploration and play. Our curriculum leverages this natural tendency by creating structured opportunities for discovery and growth.
Core Principles of Experiential Learning
Learning by Doing
Young children learn best when they can touch, manipulate, and experiment with materials. Instead of reading about buoyancy, learners design and build boats out of straws, popsicle sticks, and rubber bands to see how many pennies their creations can hold before sinking. Before the competition, learners experiment with different raft shapes, materials, and constructions, applying principles of displacement and buoyant force. After a first trial, they revise their designs based on real data, aiming for improvement in the second round. This iterative, hands-on process, testing, observing, and refining, mirrors how real scientists and engineers work, and showcases how learners at Acton Central engage deeply with scientific concepts by solving tangible, meaningful problems.
Nature walks become geography and biology lessons. Building challenges with blocks teaches engineering principles and spatial reasoning. Cooking activities introduce fractions, measurement, and chemical reactions. Each hands-on activity creates lasting memories and deeper understanding than textbook explanations alone.
Reflection and Feedback
Experience without reflection leads to shallow learning. Young students need guided opportunities to think about what they've discovered and connect their experiences to broader concepts.
Storytelling circles allow children to share their discoveries and listen to peers' perspectives. Simple reflection journals help students document their learning through drawings and basic writing. Teachers guide discussions with open-ended questions: "What happened when you changed the angle of your ramp?" or "How did working with your partner help you solve the problem?"
This reflection process helps children develop metacognitive skills—learning how to learn—which serves them throughout their educational experience.
Collaboration and Social Interaction
Learning happens in community. Children working together on projects develop communication skills, learn to negotiate different viewpoints, and discover that multiple solutions often exist for the same problem.
Peer collaboration takes many forms in experiential learning environments. Students might work in pairs to conduct simple experiments, form teams for building challenges, or collaborate on creative projects that combine their individual strengths. These interactions develop social skills while deepening academic understanding.
Contextualised Real-World Applications
Young children learn best when they can connect new concepts to their daily lives. Experiential learning creates meaningful contexts that help students understand why their learning matters.
Classroom jobs teach responsibility and basic economics. Mini-business simulations introduce math concepts through real transactions. Community service projects connect learning to social impact. These authentic applications help children see themselves as capable contributors to their communities.
How Experiential Learning Differs from Traditional Classroom Methods
Teacher-Centred vs Learner-Centred
Traditional education often positions teachers as the primary source of knowledge, delivering information to passive students. Experiential learning shifts this dynamic, making students active participants in their education.
Teachers become facilitators or guides who create rich environments for exploration. Students make choices about their learning paths, pursue questions that interest them, and take ownership of their educational experience. This autonomy develops intrinsic motivation and self-direction skills.
Passive Absorption vs Active Engagement
Sitting quietly and listening works for some learning, but young children need movement and interaction to fully engage their developing minds. Traditional methods often require students to absorb information without opportunities for immediate application or experimentation.
Experiential learning recognizes that children learn through multiple senses and learning styles. Visual learners benefit from charts and diagrams they create themselves. Kinesthetic learners thrive when they can move and manipulate objects. Auditory learners engage through discussions and presentations.
Standardised Pacing vs Individualised Exploration
Traditional classrooms often move all students through the same material at the same pace, regardless of individual readiness or interest. Some students feel rushed while others become bored waiting for classmates to catch up.
Experiential learning allows for flexible pacing and personalized pathways. Students can dive deeper into topics that fascinate them while receiving additional support in areas where they need more time. This individualized approach respects each child's unique learning style and developmental timeline.
Benefits of Experiential Learning in Early Education
Young children who learn through experience develop stronger engagement and intrinsic motivation. When learning feels like play and exploration, students develop positive associations with education that last throughout their academic careers.
Critical thinking and problem-solving skills develop naturally through experiential learning. Children learn to ask questions, form hypotheses, test ideas, and draw conclusions. These thinking skills transfer to all areas of learning and life.
Confidence grows when children see themselves as capable learners and problem-solvers. Success in hands-on projects builds self-efficacy and encourages students to take on new challenges. Mistakes become learning opportunities rather than failures.
Social and emotional development flourishes in collaborative learning environments. Children learn to communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, and appreciate diverse perspectives. These skills form the foundation for healthy relationships and community participation.
Bringing Experiential Learning to Life at Acton Academy Calgary Central
Studio-Based Curriculum for Kindergarten to Grade 4
Our studio-based approach creates mixed-age learning communities where children work at their own pace toward mastery goals. Students earn badges for demonstrating competency in various skills, creating a game-like progression that maintains engagement and motivation.
Rather than traditional grade levels, students advance based on their individual readiness and achievement. This system allows for natural differentiation and prevents the artificial constraints of age-based groupings.
Real-World Projects and Daily Adventures
Our students engage in meaningful projects that connect learning to real-world applications. Community garden projects teach botany, nutrition, and environmental stewardship. Design challenges integrate math, science, and creative problem-solving.
Local field explorations turn Calgary into our extended classroom. Students might visit the Calgary Zoo to study animal habitats, explore Prince's Island Park to learn about ecosystems, or interview local business owners to understand economics and community roles.
Role of Guides in Facilitating Reflection
Our guides don't lecture or provide answers. Instead, they ask powerful questions that help students think more deeply about their experiences. "What patterns do you notice?" "How might you approach this differently?" "What connections can you make to previous learning?"
Guides help students set personal learning goals and reflect on their progress. This metacognitive support helps children develop self-awareness and take ownership of their educational experience.
Family and Community Engagement
Learning extends beyond school walls through family involvement and community partnerships. Parent-student showcases allow children to present their projects and demonstrate their learning to authentic audiences.
Volunteer opportunities connect learning to service, helping students understand their role as community members. Local partnerships provide real-world contexts for learning and help students see the relevance of their education.
Assessing Growth and Success through Experiential Learning
Traditional grades don't capture the full picture of student growth in experiential learning environments. Instead, we use portfolios that document student work over time, showing progress and development across multiple dimensions.
Project presentations allow students to demonstrate their learning to authentic audiences. Observational checklists help guides track skill development and identify areas for additional support.
Narrative feedback provides specific, actionable information about student progress. Rather than letter grades, students receive detailed descriptions of their achievements and next steps for growth. Milestone celebrations recognize significant accomplishments and motivate continued learning.
Practical Tips for Parents and Educators
You can incorporate experiential learning at home through simple activities. Sensory bins filled with rice, beans, or water beads provide tactile learning opportunities. Cooking experiments teach measurement, fractions, and chemical reactions while creating delicious results.
Nature journaling encourages observation skills and scientific thinking. Children can document weather patterns, track animal behaviour, or sketch plant growth over time.
Reflection prompts help children think more deeply about their experiences. Ask questions like "What surprised you today?" or "How did you solve that challenge?" These conversations help children develop metacognitive awareness and communication skills.
Community workshops, museum programs, and library activities provide additional experiential learning opportunities. Many organizations offer hands-on programs designed specifically for young learners.
So what is experiential learning? It's an educational approach that recognizes children as natural scientists, artists, and problem-solvers. By providing rich environments for exploration, reflection, and application, experiential learning develops confident, capable, and curious learners who are prepared for future challenges.
At Acton Academy Calgary Central, we've designed our entire program around these principles, creating transformative educational experiences for kindergarten through grade 4 students. If you're interested in learning more about how experiential learning could benefit your child, we invite you to contact us and explore our innovative approach to early education.
