Listening - Effective listening involves the ability to hear and process information. It is essential for children to acquire good listening skills if they are to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world. Successful listening skills enable the young child to differentiate sounds, a crucial element in developing phonic awareness. The ability to recognise the sound/symbol relationship is fundamental to all curriculum areas, but it is particularly important in literacy and numeracy.

Sorting - Sorting is the ability to distinguish objects and images by some common quality or characteristic. It is important for children to acquire this skill in order to understand that objects can be grouped according to shared features and uses. By identifying similarities and differences, and making direct comparisons, a pupil will begin to classify and give reasons for their decisions. The ability to sort is fundamental to core curriculum subjects.