---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Preschool kids learn best when exploring…"
description: "\"Preschool kids learn best when exploring, but kids in school learn best when they do things, interacting with a master. Unfortunately, our schools don'..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac9/alison-gopnik-4163_education_preschool-kids-learn-best-when-exploring_2289216.jpg"
---

#  Preschool kids learn best when exploring, but kids in…

![“Preschool kids learn best when exploring, but kids in school learn best when they do things, interacting with a master. Unfortunately, our schools don't do much of either. Also, kids do need to learn how to deal with technology, and online education and otherwise using electronic devices as…” quote by Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac9/alison-gopnik-4163_education_preschool-kids-learn-best-when-exploring_2289216.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac9/alison-gopnik-4163_education_preschool-kids-learn-best-when-exploring_2289216.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac9/alison-gopnik-4163_education_preschool-kids-learn-best-when-exploring_2289216.jpg)

> “Preschool kids learn best when exploring, but kids in school learn best when they do things, interacting with a master. Unfortunately, our schools don't do much of either. Also, kids do need to learn how to deal with technology, and online education and otherwise using electronic devices as learning tools facilitates that.”

[Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Children learn best through hands‑on exploration and guided interaction, yet schools often lack both, while technology literacy is essential.

**In simple terms:** Kids need active, guided learning and tech skills, but schools fall short.

Key Takeaway

Integrate experiential and tech‑focused teaching.

Themes

education technology developmental psychology

Mood

optimistic reflective

Type

educational inspirational

When to use this quote

- classroom design
- teacher training
- curriculum reform
- online platforms

Key Concepts

constructivism digital literacy teacher mentorship

Questions to Reflect On

- How can schools balance hands‑on and digital methods?
- What role should teachers play in tech integration?

A Different Perspective

Over‑reliance on tech can reduce deep learning.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Kids In School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids-in-school/) [Preschool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preschool/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/)

## Related quotes

> [“All the electronic devices are powered by white smoke. When smoke goes out, device is dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-nikolic/all-the-electronic-devices-are-powered-by-white-smoke-when-smoke-goes/)

Milan Nikolic

> [F1 has to keep appealing to sports fans and not only to motor racing fans but to possibly a wider public... I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ii-prince-of-monaco/f1-has-to-keep-appealing-to-sports-fans-and-not-only-to-motor-racing/)

[Albert II, Prince of Monaco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ii-prince-of-monaco/)

> [“The Japanese see the seasons as signposts, visible reminders of our own natural rhytms. In modern life, these often get disrupted, as we extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-kempton/the-japanese-see-the-seasons-as-signposts-visible-reminders-of-our/)

[Beth Kempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-kempton/)

> [I just think we need to find a way, because we don't dispose of them very well; they have very bad chemicals in them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-makosinski/i-just-think-we-need-to-find-a-way-because-we-don-t-dispose-of-them/)

[Ann Makosinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-makosinski/)

> [“Back then, things were plainer: less money, no electronic devices, little fashion tyranny, no girlfriends. There was nothing to distract us from our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/back-then-things-were-plainer-less-money-no-electronic-devices-little-2/)

[Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/)

> [Electronic devices dislike me. There is never a day when something isn't ailing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/electronic-devices-dislike-me-there-is-never-a-day-when-something-isn/)

[Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/)

> [We live in a profoundly nonintellectual culture, made all the worse by a passive hedonism abetted by the spread of wealth and its dissipation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/we-live-in-a-profoundly-nonintellectual-culture-made-all-the-worse-by/)

[Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/)

> [“Computers, iPads, and DVDs have their place, but for small children through to teens, these electronic devices can warp the senses and affect brain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-biddulph/computers-ipads-and-dvds-have-their-place-but-for-small-children/)

[Steve Biddulph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-biddulph/)

> [“Unlike most electronic devices, we wanted to keep Kindle simple. Kindle is wireless and ready to use right out of the box – no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/unlike-most-electronic-devices-we-wanted-to-keep-kindle-simple-kindle/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [As our various electronic devices gain more and more sensory awareness, we open up the potential for entirely new forms of interaction. Not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamais-cascio/as-our-various-electronic-devices-gain-more-and-more-sensory/)

[Jamais Cascio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamais-cascio/)

> [“Alex was enlivened by his father's love and felt energized. He knew he would return home; he had felt his strength return a soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-b-ceallaigh/alex-was-enlivened-by-his-father-s-love-and-felt-energized-he-knew-he/)

L.B. Ó Ceallaigh

> [Back then, things were plainer: less money, no electronic devices, little fashion tyranny, no girlfriends. There was nothing to distract us from our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/back-then-things-were-plainer-less-money-no-electronic-devices-little/)

[Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/)

> [“I described living cells as being crammed full of protein molecules. Acting individually or in small assemblies, they perform reiterated molecular processes that can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-bray/i-described-living-cells-as-being-crammed-full-of-protein-molecules/)

Dennis Bray

> [“I don't share John Gottman's distaste for the pursuit of self actualization through marriage, but I do share his view that there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-finkel/i-don-t-share-john-gottman-s-distaste-for-the-pursuit-of-self/)

Eli Finkel

> [You buy a new iPhone, a few months later, another new iPhone comes out, and you get online to buy another one. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-smoove/you-buy-a-new-iphone-a-few-months-later-another-new-iphone-comes-out/)

[J. B. Smoove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-smoove/)

## More by Alison Gopnik

> [Philosophers and psychologists have long puzzled over the question of how we know as much as we do despite our limited experiences. One way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/philosophers-and-psychologists-have-long-puzzled-over-the-question-of/)

[Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/)

> [Adults often assume that most learning is the result of teaching and that exploratory, spontaneous learning is unusual. But actually, spontaneous learning is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/adults-often-assume-that-most-learning-is-the-result-of-teaching-and/)

[Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/)

> [Adults tend to think they have much free will. Kids younger than six are less sure. They may be more realistic!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/adults-tend-to-think-they-have-much-free-will-kids-younger-than-six/)

[Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/)

> [From an evolutionary perspective children are, literally, designed to learn. Childhood is a special period of protected immaturity. It gives the young breathing time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/from-an-evolutionary-perspective-children-are-literally-designed-to/)

[Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/)

> [We don't wife our husbands and we don't child our parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/we-don-t-wife-our-husbands-and-we-don-t-child-our-parents/)

[Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/)

> [There is a tension between our desire to get our kids to turn out a particular way versus letting them develop to be their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/there-is-a-tension-between-our-desire-to-get-our-kids-to-turn-out-a/)

[Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/)

> [“Instead, it may be that experience itself has changed our brains so that we perceive and interpret the world in a certain way. Once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/instead-it-may-be-that-experience-itself-has-changed-our-brains-so/)

[Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/)

> [Caring for children has always been one of the deepest and most satisfying things that a human being does, and yet it is hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/caring-for-children-has-always-been-one-of-the-deepest-and-most/)

[Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/)

> [Imaginary friends are one of the weirder forms of pretend play in childhood. But the research shows that imaginary friends actually help children understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/imaginary-friends-are-one-of-the-weirder-forms-of-pretend-play-in/)

[Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/)

> [“Like their parents, the Korean children used more verbs than the English-speaking kids, while the English-speaking kids used more nouns. But in addition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/like-their-parents-the-korean-children-used-more-verbs-than-the/)

[Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/)

> [“We decided to become development psychologists and study children because there aren't any Martians. These brilliant beings with the little bodies and big heads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/we-decided-to-become-development-psychologists-and-study-children/)

[Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/)

> [Each new generation of children grows up in the new environment its parents have created, and each generation of brains becomes wired in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/each-new-generation-of-children-grows-up-in-the-new-environment-its/)

[Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/)

> [I'm the oldest of six children and I had my own first baby when I was 23. So I've always been interested in babies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/i-m-the-oldest-of-six-children-and-i-had-my-own-first-baby-when-i-was/)

[Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/)

> [“‎Literature is the equivalent of the climate scientist’s computer simulations: set up some new starting conditions, run the whole complicated process and see what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/literature-is-the-equivalent-of-the-climate-scientist-s-computer/)

[Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/)

> [The brain knows the real secret of seduction, more effective than even music and martinis. Just keep whispering, 'Gee, you are really special' to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/the-brain-knows-the-real-secret-of-seduction-more-effective-than-even/)

[Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/)

[Explore all 115 Alison Gopnik quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/)

## More Education quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

Ted Martinez

> [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. Otherwise the world would be full of millionaires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/in-school-you-are-taught-to-obey-and-not-to-think-straight-for-your/)

[Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/)

[Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/)

> [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/)

[Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/)

> [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/)

Ioannes Amos Commenius

> [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/)

H.D. (Hilda Doolittle

> [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/)

[Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/)

> [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

[Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Preschool kids learn best when exploring, but kids in school learn best when they do things, interacting with a master. Unfortunately, our schools don't do much of either. Also, kids do need to learn how to deal with technology, and online education and otherwise using electronic devices as learning tools facilitates that.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alison Gopnik"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/preschool-kids-learn-best-when-exploring-but-kids-in-school-learn/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Education"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/preschool-kids-learn-best-when-exploring-but-kids-in-school-learn/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac9/alison-gopnik-4163_education_preschool-kids-learn-best-when-exploring_2289216.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac9/alison-gopnik-4163_education_preschool-kids-learn-best-when-exploring_2289216.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac9/alison-gopnik-4163_education_preschool-kids-learn-best-when-exploring_2289216.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Preschool kids learn best when exploring, but kids in school learn best when they do things, interacting…” — Alison Gopnik",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Alison Gopnik",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Preschool kids learn best when exploring,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/preschool-kids-learn-best-when-exploring-but-kids-in-school-learn/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/preschool-kids-learn-best-when-exploring-but-kids-in-school-learn/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
