Stop Giving Students All Those Worksheets!

Rethinking Academic Challenge in the Classroom

We’ve all heard it before: “If the kids are quiet and busy, they must be learning.” It sounds reasonable. But when you really think about it, does busy always mean meaningful? Here’s a truth that I’ve learned: silence, speed, or stacks of worksheets are not indicative of academic rigor. It’s about provoking thought. It’s about engagement. It’s about challenge that actually makes sense for young learners.

What Rigor Actually Looks Like

Rigor means giving them more to think about; not more to do.

In a truly rigorous classroom, students aren’t just completing tasks. They’re exploring ideas, asking questions, and trying things out. It’s an inquiry cycle. They’re making mistakes and learning from them. They’re making connections between what they’re doing and what they already know.

A few things you might see in an academically rigorous classroom are:

• A group of kids building something together and problem-solving as they go.

• A child revisiting a drawing to add more detail after a class discussion.

• Students choosing how they want to show their understanding of a topic.

Some things you may say as a facilitator in this environment are:

• “I wonder if there’s a better way to solve this.”

• “What other methods have you tried?”

• “I wonder why that happened.”

Yes, Little Kids Deserve Rigor Too

Sometimes people think rigor is only for older students. Not true. Young children absolutely benefit from rigorous learning experiences—they just look different.

Ways to facilitate rigor in early childhood classrooms:

• Open-ended questions that spark thinking.

• Opportunities to explore through play, storytelling, hands-on activities, and experiential learning.

• Tasks that feel meaningful and connected to their world.

Rigor at this age is not about pushing kids beyond their developmental level. It’s about meeting them where they are and gently stretching them forward.

So, What Can We, As Facilitators, Do Instead?

Next time you're planning, ask yourself:

• Does this task require real thinking or just filling in blanks? Try and keep higher-order thinking in mind.

• Could kids show their learning in a different, more creative way? Try and think outside the box.

• Am I giving them opportunities to wonder, talk, build, or reflect? Real-world connection is important.

Real rigor invites curiosity. It builds confidence. It shows kids that their ideas matter.

Let’s debunk the myth and stop equating rigor with more work. Instead, let’s focus on more depth, more voice, and more purpose—because that’s the kind of learning that lasts.