Executive functions (EFs) embrace a range of cognitive control processes that allow us to control and direct our own behavior, thoughts, and emotions and to develop complex responses to difficulties. Standardized tasks commonly used to investigate EFs are reviewed. Here, a study is reported of the first challenges that children set for themselves in everyday life situations from the end of the first year in the 0-1 classroom of various early years schools. The influence of educational situations, based on the possibilities of action that the teachers offered the children, and the materiality made available were analyzed. It was found that the children faced challenges from the end of the first year of life. These challenges involved the everyday uses of objects and instruments, uses which were difficult and significative for them: (1) rhythmic-sonorous canonical uses; (2) canonical uses; and (3) symbolic uses. These challenges were identified in structured and semi-structured educational situations in which the children could choose the objects, what to do with them and how.