It is about:

• Engaging children in a search for meaning.
• Dialogue, reflective thinking and asking questions.
• Seeing the mundane and the familiar as puzzling, mysterious and full of wonder; striving to comprehend the puzzles and unravel the mysteries, without destroying the sense of wonder.
• Helping children find ways to connect their own ideas and perspectives with those of others, so that they can build a coherent understanding of the world and their experience of it.
• Thinking in different ways and at different levels: for example, multiple ways of knowing and thinking - historically, musically, mathematically... ; metacognition - thinking about a question or concept, then stepping back and "thinking about our thinking".
• Learning respect - students valuing the ideas of others.
• Encourages students to think for themselves and accept responsibility for their own views.
• Encouraging children to think of new possibilities and alternatives, and to use their imaginations. Philosophy for Children is creative as well as critical.

Philosophy for Children is about a community of inquiry that provides a safe environment in which to think things never thought of before. It is an environment in which students can take risks in their thinking and where their thinking will be challenged by others. 

Logic and reasoning underpin ideas as each member of the community challenges the thoughts expressed by others. The focus is on listening, thinking, challenging and changing viewpoints. P4C is an exploration of a set of ideas that leads to an intellectual landscape of questioning values and posing problems.

Philosophy for Children is based on the idea that children construct knowledge and reasoning capabilities in a community. The teacher's role is not that of supplying knowledge for children to swallow, but of providing the model of an experienced thinker to the apprentice thinkers of the class and of ensuring the level of thinking is kept high.

Children set the agenda for the discussions by asking questions that appeal to them, ensuring that what is discussed is appropriate to their needs and abilities and that student questions are valued. This model of discussion allows students to drive the conversation, creating the time for proper exploration of ideas.