An important goal for any early childhood environment is to promote thinking. Here are the essential elements of a Thinking Classroom:

• There are times of day when children are able to choose how to spend their time
• Children have an opportunity to create their own goals for activities and learning
• Children are encouraged to stay focused and complete their goals
• The classroom setup supports children in staying focused (ie: there are divisions of space to allow for different types of play)
• Teachers observe and provide materials and instruction to support children's questions
• Children are given opportunities to explain their ideas, theories, and conclusions
• There are a variety of materials for children to represent their learning
• Children are encouraged to develop memory skills
• Children can extend learning to other parts of the day, over days, and over weeks
• Children collect and display documentation of their learning