Thinking skills in early years: Brain games to make children think! Use games to help babies and toddlers, two-year-olds and the three- to five-year-olds to develop creative and critical thinking. Linda Thornton and Pat Brunton discuss ideas you can use Creative and critical thinking has now been embedded in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) for some years. This means that early years practitioners need to focus on the skills children need to help them develop the skills and dispositions to become good thinkers. What do we mean by thinking skills in the early years? We have all watched young children find ways to make sense of the world around them. having their own ideas, thoughts and opinions exploring, investigating and enquiring making links between things they learn and discover choosing ways to do things solving problems and working things out for themselves communicating what they think. Here are some ideas you can use to make children think. Babies and toddlers Mirror games Sit a baby in front of a full-length mirror and sit down next to her.
Early Years Maths Digital technology and the early years | National Literacy Trust Technology can play a role in supporting early communication, language and literacy. It can offer new learning opportunities, through ebooks, apps, and even video calling. We strongly advise that, just like a book, technology is used as a tool for learning and play, rather than as a replacement for adult interaction. Our research shows that, when used appropriately, technology can be an important route in to reading for certain groups of children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds and boys. For parents Our Words for Life website has advice and tips for parents on how to use technology with their child in the early years.Our Literacy Apps website also helps parents find the right apps to help children develop good communication and literacy skills. For early years practitioners Along with these downloadable resources, we have created these videos on using technology in early years settings.