Early childhood practitioners often experience challenges in being confident enough to make high quality judgements about young children’s own constructions of knowledge. This book presents research findings suggesting how everyday activities undertaken by young children expose the many ways they construct knowledge and understanding, and the similarities between their learning behaviours and those of professional researchers. It gives practical suggestions to create opportunities to identify, value and facilitate young children’s own constructions of knowledge and understanding within early years settings, not only in terms of statutory requirements but far beyond them.

A focal point of early childhood education is how young children build knowledge and the ways that practitioners, parents and carers can help them to do so. Many adults find it challenging to identify what knowledge young children are building and how they do so, making it difficult to support young children’s learning and development in the most effective ways. This essential guide will help you to identify and develop young children’s knowledge and understanding in early years settings, not only in terms of statutory requirements but far beyond them.

Building Knowledge in Early Childhood Education draws on empirical research findings from the Young Children As Researchers (YCAR) project to examine everyday activities and reveal the means that young children use to build knowledge and understanding, as well as exploring the similarities between learning behaviours in early childhood and adult life.

Interweaving everyday activities in practice with research and theory, this book covers:

• how young children construct knowledge;
• learning, problem-solving and exploring;
• concepts and conceptualising in early childhood;
• evidence-based decision-making;
• how young children behave as researchers.

Offering practical advice and suggestions to create opportunities that identify and facilitate young children’s own constructions of knowledge and understanding, this book is essential reading for practitioners, students and all those interested in the theories surrounding young children as researchers.