EYFS Thinking Skills

What are thinking skills in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

Thinking skills in EYFS include cognitive functions like planning, comparing, categorizing, and problem-solving that help children learn how to think rather than just what to think. These skills form the foundation for later learning and are developed through everyday activities like sorting objects, exploring sensory materials, and solving simple problems during play. The focus should be on developing systematic thinking processes rather than just completing task-oriented activities.

Rethinking the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS): putting the foundation back into the early years curriculum.

The first five years of a child's life are a time of rapid change and development. The illustration below shows the large differences in the development of synapses in the developing brain. Synapses are the way in which the neurons in the brain send messages to each other.

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These connections are crucial for learning and development and can be affected by factors such as adverse environmental factors such as ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) or genes. Note especially the small difference between the age 2 and adult illustrations.

Source: Urban Child Institute, www.urbanchildinstitute.org

Therefore, what happens in the early years is crucial for later learning and development. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is a wide-ranging curriculum that seeks to support development and learning in the first five years of life. The non-statutory guidance 'Development Matters' includes guidance about creating and thinking critically.

However, when examined in detail, this section of Development Matters has very little to say about how children learn, focussing on task-orientated activities (such as sorting or sharing out strawberries).  If we dig a little deeper into the non-statutory guidance, it is possible to find a section that deals with 'observing how children learn'.

This is not part of the statutory framework and can be overlooked. Given the emphasis in the statutory guidance on the products rather than the processes of learning, it is perhaps unsurprising that all too often there is a very narrow focus in the early years curriculum which, in my opinion, is due to an over emphasis on content rather than process.

A consistent feature of my frequent observations in Nurseries and early years settings is that much of the learning is task orientated. An over-emphasis on the early learning goals, which are just one element of the EYFS, is a contributory factor here. Overall, therefore the ‘foundation’ in the EYFS is lacking because children are mostly taught what to learn, not how to learn.

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What are examples of cognitive thinking skills for early years children?

Examples include sensory exploration skills (touching, looking, listening), comparison skills (finding similarities and differences), categorization (sorting objects by color, size, or shape), and planning skills (thinking ahead about what materials are needed for an activity). Children also develop elaboration skills like cause-and-effect reasoning and output skills such as explaining their thinking or demonstrating solutions. These skills can be observed and developed through everyday play activities like building blocks, water play, or sorting natural materials.

The ‘how’ of learning relates to the cognitive thinking skills that are important for children to develop because these are a foundation for accessing the ‘what’ of learning. The table below suggests some of these cognitive thinking skills.

One important aspect of learning is creative learning, which encourages children to explore and experiment with different ideas and concepts. This type of learning helps children to develop their problem-solving skills, as well as their ability to think outside the box. By developing creative learning environments, children are able to approach tasks and challenges in a more innovative and imaginative way, which can lead to greater success in their future academic and personal endeavors.

The cognitive thinking skills in the table are drawn from the work of Professor Reuven Feuerstein. Feuerstein suggested that cognitive functions, or thinking skills, can be divided into three phases:

• Input: the cognitive thinking skills that the learner needs to gather all the information that they need to complete a task or solve a problem.
• Elaboration: the cognitive thinking skills that the learner needs to complete a task or solve a problem
• Output: the cognitive thinking skills that the learner needs to show what they have learned



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Input

Focussed perception: using all the senses to explore and gather information

Exploring a toy using hearing, sight, touch, taste.

Playing reciprocal games where baby/child has to use all senses in order to look and then imitate

Playing and exploring characteristic of effective learning: finding out and exploring

Listening and attention (ELG 01)

Spatial concepts

During outdoor play, running round and round or going up and down

Mathematics development (ELG 12)

Physical development (ELG 04)

Systematic search

Looking carefully at objects and materials in the environment (for example, sand, water)

Playing and exploring characteristic of effective learning: finding out and exploring

Listening and attention (ELG 01)

Labelling

Using labels and language to assist/direct play

Communication and language development (ELG 02)

Mathematics development (ELG 11/12)

Planning

Deciding what to do first, second....etc

Choosing ways to do things and finding new ways (creating and thinking critically)

Need for precision and accuracy

Being skilful in use of tools

Moving and handling (ELG 04)

 

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Elaboration

Cause and effect, logical and inferential thinking

Use of switched toys

Ask ‘what would happen if………..’ questions during play/exploration of materials (what would happen if I put some white paint into the red paint?)

What happens if………..I turn this upside down, put my hand in it, take my socks off

The world (ELG 14)

Literacy development (understanding what is read ELG 09)

Creating and thinking critically (mentions cause and effect)

Using what they know if their play

Comparison

Being able to label and talk about toys and materials being used, using words such as ‘same’, ‘different’

Literacy development (ELG 09/10)

Mathematics development (ELG 11/12)

The world: similarities and differences in relation to places…(ELG 14)

Planning and sequence

Planning play, following a sequence

Role play area play, where play sequences can be demonstrated (making a cup of tea, booking an appointment for the doctor)

Mathematics development (ELG 11)

Language: narrative sequence (ELG 03)

Creating and thinking critically (mentions sequence)

Choosing ways to do things

Categorising

Activities that involve sorting and classifying such as grouping animals in a zoo or farm, sorting out the crayons into colour groups

Finding out and exploring

Mathematics development (ELG 11/12)

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Defining the problem

Setting up a problem solving situation: for example, after hearing the Billy Goats Gruff story, think of ways to cross a river, how to cross the bridge without disturbing the troll.

Using what they know in their play

Choosing ways to do things

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Output

Language (with increasing precision and accuracy according to age/stage)

Labelling and talking about experiences

Labelling what they have made or done, telling practitioner about what they have made

Communication and language development (ELG 03)

Restraining impulsivity (reducing trial and error behaviour)

Giving time to think about an activity before doing it

Offer choices of toys and materials to promote comparison and encourage thought before choosing

Being involved and concentrating

Managing feelings and behaviour (ELG 07)

Need for precision and accuracy

Dependent on level of motor development, making a precise and accurate imitation

Communication and language development (ELG 03)

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How do you develop positive learning behaviours in early years?

Positive learning behaviours are developed by focusing on the thinking processes children use during activities rather than just the outcomes. Teachers can model systematic thinking by talking through their own thought processes, encourage children to plan before acting, and ask open-ended questions that promote reflection. Creating opportunities for children to practice persistence, curiosity, and problem-solving through play-based learning helps establish these behaviours as habits.

There are also a number of behaviours that can affect learning and the use of the above cognitive functions. Feuerstein called these non intellective factors. They include behaviour such as:

• Persistence: Active learning: keeping on trying
• Motivation: Active learning: enjoying achieving what they set out to do (task intrinsic motivation)
• Openness to intervention/mediation: Self confidence and self awareness
• Frustration tolerance: Being willing to have a go, self confidence and self awareness

How has this skewed approach to learning in the early years happened? I would suggest that it’s because there is too little knowledge about or recognition of the importance of developing children's thinking, reasoning and problem solving skills, what we might call ‘cognitive skills’.

It might be argued that many of these cognitive skills are developed through the rich variety of play activities that are offered in early years settings. However, because many adults in early years settings are not trained in how to support these skills, their emergence is more by chance than due to any structured, intentional input, or shared thinking and problem-solving.

Whilst this might not be an issue for typically developing children, it can leave children with additional needs lagging behind as they are less able to benefit from incidental learning through play and thus are less likely to develop critical thinking skills or creative thinking. 

 

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How can practitioners develop children's thinking skills in EYFS?

Practitioners can develop thinking skills by using Feuerstein's three-phase framework of Input (gathering information), Elaboration (processing and connecting ideas), and Output (expressing understanding) during everyday activities. This involves observing how children approach tasks, providing scaffolding that targets specific cognitive functions, and gradually increasing complexity as skills develop. Simple activities like sorting strawberries can become powerful learning opportunities when practitioners focus on the thinking processes involved rather than just the task completion.

Mediation is an important way of supporting and promoting the development of cognitive thinking silks. This is a very specific and intentional way of developing these skills.

There are specific characteristics of mediation that distinguish it from teaching. The essential characteristics are that the interaction is intentional, responsive to the needs of the child, emphasises meaning (‘we’re doing this because....’) and makes links to past and future problem solving (bridging).

Here are some examples of what these essential characteristics might look like in an interaction with a young child:

• Mediation intention by making sure that interacting with the child is deliberate and not accidental. Offer a particular toy or activity, face the child and make eye contact, place an object in front of the child but just out of reach;
• Mediate meaning by showing interest and enthusiasm. Words can be used: ‘look at this beautiful…….’ or facial expressions (for example opening eyes wide); and
• Mediate in order to bridge; that is, to help the child to use their thinking skills in lots of different situations. Bridging helps children to make links between ideas and concepts,

Mediation shares some common ground with sustained shared thinking (SST). SST was identified as one of the characteristics of effective pre school learning by a large scale research project. The EPPE (Effective Provision of Pre school Education) project comments:

‘Sustained shared thinking’ occurs when two or more individuals ‘work together’ in an intellectual way to solve a problem, clarify a concept, evaluate an activity, extend a narrative etc. Both parties must contribute to the thinking and it must develop and extend the understanding. It was more likely to occur when children were interacting 1:1 with an adult or with a single peer partner and during focussed group work. In addition to sustained shared thinking, staff engaged in open-ended questioning in the settings where children made the most progress and provided formative feedback to children during activities. Adult ‘modelling’ skills or appropriate behaviour was often combined with sustained periods of shared thinking; open-ended questioning and modelling were also associated with better cognitive achievement.’ (Sylva et al, 2004).

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How do you integrate thinking skills into the EYFS curriculum?

Integrating thinking skills involves shifting focus from what children learn to how they learn by embedding cognitive development into all areas of the curriculum. This means transforming routine activities into opportunities for developing systematic thinking, planning, and problem-solving skills through intentional questioning and observation. Practitioners should document and assess thinking processes alongside traditional learning outcomes, using frameworks like Feuerstein's cognitive functions to guide planning and evaluation.

A Cognitive Curriculum for young children (Haywood et al, 1992) is one approach to supporting and promoting cognitive thinking skills. Bright Start is aimed at children aged 3 to 6 years and its focus is on the processes of learning.

In contrast to the EYFS, Bright Start teaches and promotes cognitive thinking skills very explicitly, using mediation. Therefore, the children who are less likely to ‘pick up’ these skills incidentally through play are given enhanced opportunities to develop their critical thinking, reasoning and problem-solving skills. The Bright Start website notes:

‘The primary goal of a cognitive curriculum in EYFS is to "stretch the mind:" to help children understand how they learn and think. It can help them to learn new information, skills and attitudes towards learning.’

This type of approach can be used with both typically developing children and with children who have additional needs. It is delivered to groups of 4 to 6 children for twenty to thirty minutes at least twice a week (daily is preferable).

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It is delivered in small groups and focuses on developing thinking skills through various activities and exercises. The curriculum is designed to improve children's problem-solving, decision-making, and creative thinking abilities.

 It can therefore be easily fitted into the group time model that is often used in early years settings. Bright Start helps children to:

‘acquire effective tools of systematic, logical thinking, self-regulation, social interaction, and learning. These tools are essential for young children as they enter the early grades (about age 5-6) so that they effectively learn reading, writing, and mathematics, as well as, thinking through and understanding science, social sciences, arts, etc.’.

Bright Start consists of eight Units:

• Self Regulation
• Number Concepts
• Comparison
• Role Taking
• Classification
• Sequence and Pattern
• Letter Shape Concepts
• Transformation

Each Unit consists of up to 20 lessons. All lessons have a consistent structure. Cognitive functions (thinking skills) are identified for every lesson, as well as a rationale.

There is a main activity, sometimes with additional activities that provide some variation. All lessons contain a ‘bridging’ activity or discussion. This final part of the lesson delivers an important characteristic of mediation, where the child is assisted to make links to past and future learning.

Here is an example: In Unit 1, Self Regulation is introduced by playing a game with rules. The bridging activity and discussion is about other games that have rules and why rules are needed for certain activities.

This type of approach actively encourages shared thinking where there is a collaborative approach to learning. It provides opportunities for children to develop and apply problem-solving skills, using a range of learning opportunities and approaches (such as open-ended questions)

In conclusion, the curriculum currently delivered in many early years settings lacks an emphasis on the ‘foundation’ element of the EYFS. It’s a little like building a house without digging the foundations; sooner or later the house will collapse.

Learning without the foundations of cognitive thinking skills is like a house with no foundations. If we give children the foundations for learning by using an explicit cognitive curriculum such as Bright Start then we might help to prevent later learning failure.

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What resources support understanding cognitive development in early years?

Key resources include research on brain development showing that by age 2, children have nearly adult levels of neural synapses, highlighting the critical importance of early cognitive stimulation. Feuerstein's cognitive functions framework provides practical guidance for identifying and developing specific thinking skills through everyday activities. Additional resources include studies on how adverse childhood experiences affect cognitive development and evidence-based approaches for supporting thinking skills through play-based learning.

Here are five key studies looking at thinking skills in the Early Years Foundation Stage, with a summary of each:

1. Designing Unplugged and Plugged Activities to Cultivate Computational Thinking: An Exploratory Study in Early Childhood Education by Anika Saxena et al. (2020): This study uses Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development to explore computational thinking skills like pattern recognition, sequencing, and algorithm design in young children. It shows that with appropriate unplugged (tangible) and plugged (digital) activities, preschoolers can master complex computational concepts, emphasizing the role of tangible experiences in developing early cognitive thinking skills.
2. ThinkerTools: Causal Models, Conceptual Change, and Science Education by B. White (1993): White challenges the notion that children must reach a certain developmental stage to learn physics, showing that with the right instructional design, even younger children can grasp basic physical concepts. This supports the idea that early exposure to scientific concepts can foster higher-order thinking and critical thinking skills in young learners.
3. Measuring inhibitory control in children and adults: brain imaging and mental chronometry by O. Houdé and G. Borst (2014): This research highlights the importance of inhibitory control, a key executive function, in children’s cognitive development. It suggests that the ability to inhibit less sophisticated solutions supports conceptual insights and critical thinking, underlying the cognitive shifts described by Piaget.
4. Critical Thinking in Psychology: The Nature and Nurture of Critical Thinking by D. Halpern (2006): Halpern’s work underscores the importance of fostering critical thinking from an early age, challenging the reliance on rote memorization in favor of promoting higher-order thinking skills. This study emphasizes the need for educational strategies that encourage children to apply knowledge in novel and applied settings.
5. Encouraging creative thinking by J. Graham (2004): Graham highlights the underpinning of creative thinking in early years education, essential for personal, social, and emotional development. The study advocates for incorporating activities that promote open-ended questions and give children time to explore, thereby enhancing active learning and physical development alongside cognitive skills.

Each of these studies contributes to our understanding of how thinking skills can be developed from a young age, stressing the importance of active learning, social and emotional development, and the strategic use of open-ended questions and exploration to foster cognitive growth.

References

Haywood, H. Carl, Brooks, P. and Burns, S. (1992). Bright Start. Watertown MA, USA: Charlesbridge Publishing. Revised edition 2021 available via https://www.brightstart-ccyc.com

Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P., Siraj, I and Taggart, B. (2004). The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) Project: Findings from Pre-school to end of Key Stage1. University of London Institute of Education.

 

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Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly are thinking skills in EYFS and why are they more important than content learning?

Thinking skills in EYFS are cognitive functions like planning, comparing, categorising, and problem-solving that teach children how to think rather than just what to think. These skills form the foundation for all later learning because they develop the mental processes children need to access and understand content, which is why the article argues EYFS currently lacks a proper 'foundation' by focusing too heavily on task completion rather than thinking processes.

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How can I move beyond task-orientated activities to develop children's thinking skills during everyday play?

Instead of simply having children sort strawberries as a task, focus on the thinking processes involved by encouraging systematic searching, comparison skills, and planning. Use Feuerstein's framework to observe and develop input skills (like focused perception during sensory exploration), elaboration skills (such as cause-and-effect reasoning), and output skills (like explaining their thinking or demonstrating solutions).

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What are practical examples of input, elaboration, and output thinking skills I can observe in my setting?

Input skills include focused perception (using all senses to explore toys), spatial concepts (running round during outdoor play), and systematic searching (carefully examining materials like sand or water). Elaboration skills involve cause-and-effect thinking (asking 'what would happen if' questions), comparison (using words like 'same' and 'different'), and categorising (sorting animals or crayons). Output skills include defining problems and communicating solutions through role play sequences or demonstrating their thinking.

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Why does the article suggest that current EYFS guidance is missing the foundation, and what should practitioners do differently?

The article argues that EYFS focuses too heavily on what children learn rather than how they learn, with even the 'Creating and Thinking Critically' section emphasising task-orientated activities over thinking processes. Practitioners should shift focus from early learning goals completion to developing systematic thinking processes through everyday activities, using the non-statutory guidance on 'observing how children learn' more actively.

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How does brain development research support the emphasis on thinking skills in early years?

Research shows minimal difference between age 2 and adult brain synapses, indicating that the early years are crucial for developing neural connections that support learning. Since synapses are how neurons send messages and can be affected by environmental factors, focusing on thinking skills during this critical period creates stronger foundations for all future learning and development.

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What should I look for when observing children's thinking skills during play, and how can I support their development?

Observe how children gather information (input phase), process and work with that information (elaboration phase), and communicate their learning (output phase). Support development by providing open-ended materials for sensory exploration, asking process-focused questions during activities, and encouraging children to explain their thinking rather than just complete tasks.

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How can I use creative learning environments to develop children's cognitive thinking skills?

Create environments that encourage exploration and experimentation with different ideas, allowing children to approach challenges in innovative ways. Provide materials and activities that stimulate problem-solving skills and 'thinking outside the box', such as building blocks, water play, or sorting natural materials, whilst focusing on the thinking processes involved rather than the end product.