Key Terms
Early years language can sometimes feel overwhelming or unclear. This page gently explains key terms you may hear in training, inspections, or professional discussions — in a way that feels practical, calm, and rooted in real practice.
These ideas aren't checklists. They are lenses that help us notice, understand, and support children's learning more deeply.
Understanding Children's Play
Schemas
Schemas are repeated patterns of behaviour children use to explore how the world works. You might notice children wrapping objects, carrying resources, lining things up, spinning items, or building enclosures.
Schemas are not something we teach. They are something we notice.
When practitioners recognise schemas, play begins to make sense. Behaviour becomes communication. Repetition becomes learning. Children begin to feel understood rather than redirected.
Schemas support deep thinking, problem solving, physical development, and emotional security.
Explore practical ways to support schemas →Child-Led Play
Child-led play happens when children follow their own interests, ideas, and motivations rather than adult-directed outcomes.
This doesn't mean adults step away. It means adults observe, support, extend, and scaffold without taking control.
Child-led play often looks repetitive, exploratory, and deeply immersive. Through this process, children build confidence, independence, and strong learning foundations.
Invitations & Provocations
Invitations and provocations are thoughtful ways of presenting resources that encourage children to explore, investigate, and follow their own ideas.
An invitation usually offers materials in an open and accessible way, allowing children to choose how they use them. For example, placing natural loose parts beside playdough or arranging mark-making tools neatly on a table invites children to explore creatively, without being told what to make or do.
A provocation gently introduces an idea, question, or new possibility. This might involve adding an unfamiliar material, presenting resources in an unexpected way, or linking play to something children are curious about. Provocations are designed to spark thinking and conversation, rather than guide children towards a fixed outcome.
Both invitations and provocations focus on possibility rather than product. They allow children to experiment, problem-solve, and express ideas in their own way, helping build confidence, independence, and deeper learning.
There is no single "correct" result. The value sits in the process, exploration, and thinking that happens along the way.
The Learning Environment
Continuous Provision
Continuous provision refers to resources and areas that remain available every day, allowing children to revisit learning, deepen interests, and build confidence over time.
Rather than constantly changing themes or activities, continuous provision supports sustained learning through familiarity and independence.
Small changes or enhancements can refresh areas without disrupting children's exploration.
Open-Ended Resources / Loose Parts
Open-ended resources are materials that can be used in many different ways without one fixed purpose.
Examples include:
- Natural materials
- Recycled objects
- Loose parts
- Real-life household items
These resources encourage creativity, problem solving, and imagination because children decide how materials are used.
Often, fewer carefully chosen resources lead to deeper, more meaningful play.
Environment as the Third Teacher
The environment communicates expectations, supports behaviour, and influences how children feel and learn.
A calm, well-considered space can:
- Support independence
- Encourage curiosity
- Reduce overwhelm
- Invite exploration
The environment works alongside the adult and the child as part of the learning experience.
The Role of the Adult
Sustained Shared Thinking
Sustained shared thinking happens when adults and children think together to explore ideas, solve problems, and deepen understanding.
It often looks like:
- Wondering alongside children
- Listening carefully
- Narrating observations
- Exploring ideas together
It is less about asking lots of questions and more about building shared curiosity.
The Role of the Adult
Adults support learning by observing, understanding, and responding to children's interests and needs.
This may include:
- Noticing patterns in play
- Offering new possibilities
- Supporting emotional security
- Extending learning gently
Being alongside children — rather than directing them — builds confidence and encourages deeper exploration.
Understanding Learning & Development
Characteristics of Effective Learning (CoEL)
The Characteristics of Effective Learning describe how children learn rather than what they learn.
They include:
Playing and Exploring
Children investigate, experiment, and try new experiences.
Active Learning
Children stay motivated, concentrate deeply, and persist when things feel challenging.
Creating and Thinking Critically
Children develop ideas, solve problems, and test possibilities.
Understanding how children learn helps practitioners support development in meaningful, responsive ways.
See how schemas connect to the Characteristics of Effective Learning →Reflective Practice
Reflective practice involves stepping back to think about what children are showing us through their play, behaviour, and interests.
It encourages practitioners to:
- Notice learning more deeply
- Adapt environments thoughtfully
- Share ideas with teams
- Grow professional confidence
Reflection is not about perfection. It is about curiosity, growth, and understanding.