Should we Consider Rhizomatic Thinking When Educating Young Minds?

There is a tacit understanding within early years education that children’s thinking should be understood and nurtured in order to produce adaptive and innovative learners. This article argues that traditional epistemological approaches do not go far enough in understanding, responding to and planning for children’s complexity of thought. We propose and justify that an awareness of rhizoanalysis could enable practitioners to engage with children’s knowledge differently, through asking questions such as: how does this work? And what new thought does this make it possible to think? Through exploring literature and previous research by one of the authors, this article proposes that not only does rhizomatic thinking occur naturally within children’s playful encounters but having an awareness of rhizoanalysis, provides educators with opportunities to understand and re-conceptualise children’s thinking and cognitive development.