ABSTRACT
This chapter considers some of the factors which can support the development of secure scientific concepts and process skills in young children. It aims to endorse the value of both real and imaginary contexts in promoting learning, as they encourage children to see both purpose in their activities and usefulness in their new-found knowledge and capabilities. Questioning is also one way of introducing ideas which gently challenge children's existing cognition, leading children towards new understandings. The awareness of the potential variety of ideas which young children may bring with them to the classroom leads to a constructivist approach to the teaching of science, which involves a constant cycle of accessing and modifying children's ideas. The chapter lists a few major challenges of language development in the Early Years which are relevant to science. One particularly encouraging aspect of Early Years curricula is the developing emphasis on the use of the outdoor environment.
