The Early Years Foundation Stage: Setting the Standards for Learning, Development and Care for children from birth to five

• Demonstrates sense of self as an individual, for example, wants to do things independently, says "No" to adult, and so on.
• Resists interference with ongoing activity.
• Enjoys attention, likes to display skills to others.
• Repeats actions when praised or reacted to.
• Plays happily alone but near a familiar adult.
• Watches the emotional reactions of familiar adults and uses them to guide in new situations, for example, watches your face before approaching a strange dog or climbing steps on a slide and stops if you look anxious.
• Uses a familiar adult as a secure base from which to explore independently in new environments, for example, ventures away to play and interact with others, but returns for a cuddle if becomes anxious.
• Seeks affection when tired or afraid.
• Actively draws others into social interaction.
• Smiles or laughs when successful in play or an activity.
• Expresses discomfort, hunger, thirst and wishes to you.
• Shows persistence in expressing needs or wishes if not met.

• Occasions when babies become confident to play happily on their own but near a familiar adult.
• How babies watch your face and facial expression to guide them in new situations.
• How babies cling when tired or afraid.
• How babies begin to assert themselves and show resistance to adults.
• How babies demonstrate their growing independence, wanting to do things for themselves and learning to say "No".

• Likes to share pride and pleasure in new accomplishments.
• Expresses emotions and seeks reaction, for example, to minor injury.
• Cooperates in social activities.
• Understands and responds to your requests.
• Starts to share and 'give and take'.
• Plays alongside other children (parallel play).
• Responds to others' pleasure and distress; shows empathy.
• Shows signs of jealousy.
• Shows autonomy, for example, by defiance.

• How children express jealousy, defiance, pride and pleasure.

• Respond to children's vocalisations or behaviours if they're trying to attract your attention. If you're busy out of sight, say "I can hear you, I'm coming".
• Talk about what a child is doing, what they have been doing and will do.
• Talk about what other people are doing and later about what people who are not there are doing, for example, "Pippa's at school".
• Join in games that children initiate.
• Clap, praise and show your pleasure when children do something pleasing.
• Enjoy everyday activities together and chat about what you are doing.
• Make sure children have opportunities to see other people communicating and having fun together.
• If a child shows anxiety when left alone in a room, tell them you can hear them, what you're doing and that you'll be coming back soon. Use your voice to reassure them until you return.
• If children hit or push other children or adults, say firmly, "No, that hurts them" and move them on to another activity. Don't make too much of it or they may start doing it to get your attention.
• Introduce simple words for feelings and mental states into conversation like 'happy', 'sad', cross', 'hurt' and 'scared'. This helps children start to learn about words that express feelings and about what they are feeling themselves. You might say, for example, "You like playing in the sandpit, don't you? It makes you happy".
• If another child in the setting is hurt or upset, talk about how that child is feeling. Help other children to console them by stroking their arm or cuddling them.

Dressing:

• Places hat on head.
• Assists with dressing, for example, holds out arm for sleeve or foot for shoe.
• Aware of where clothes are kept, for example, outdoor coat and shoes by the door.
• Puts on hat and slip-on shoes.
• Plays 'dressing-up' games.
• Unzips front zipper on coat or jacket.
• Helps take coat off.

Dressing:

• Encourage active involvement by expecting children to push their arm down a sleeve or take a leg out of trousers when asked. Give lots of encouragement and time to react. Keep trying each time you change their clothes or help them to undress.
• Talk about what you're going to do, demonstrate, and then ask children to do it for themselves.
• Dressing up in larger clothes can be fun and easier for children learning the movements needed. Old adult shirts can be particularly helpful as there is more room for manoeuvring.
• Hats are often the first item of clothing children can put on unaided.
• Move on to removing trousers – use loose, elasticated waists and start off by leaving only one leg on around the ankle, encouraging children to pull it off. Show them how to pull it off while sitting on the floor and later make it more difficult, leaving two legs of the trousers around two ankles.
• Show children how to open fasteners, Velcro and large buttons. Lots of toys incorporate fasteners of different kinds that provide opportunities to practise. Show children how to practise pulling up and closing zips on adult clothes used for dressing up (the zips are longer) and on toys.
• Practise taking off coats. As toilet training moves forward, encourage children to pull their trousers and pants up and down. Use elasticated waists or unfasten them first. Use simple verbal descriptions and instructions as well as demonstrating what needs to be done.

• Looks at adult to gain attention before pointing.
• Understands and follows simple instructions in context such as "Give me the ball" or "Kiss Daddy night-night".
• Plays 'ready, steady, go' or 'one, two, three, go' games, listening and waiting or sometimes imitating alongside speaker.
• Shows anticipation in relation to key phrases in games, for example, "I'm coming" in hide and seek or chasing games.
• Attends to speech directed to them and listens with interest to general talk.
• Learns to wait for others to finish what they are saying, resulting in better turn-taking with fewer vocal clashes.
• Builds vocabulary for familiar objects and events.
• Begins to combine words into simple sentences, usually two words at first.
• Understands word-object association.
• Understands approximately 50 words and then goes on to understand one or two new words each week.
• Recognises and will identify many objects and pictures when named.
• Picks out two or more objects from a group of four, for example "Give me the cup and the doll" and "Where's the... ?".
• Understands familiar words in new contexts each week, for example, learns that 'bath' means the bath in other people's houses as well their own bath at home.
• Selects familiar objects by name and will go and find objects when asked or identify objects from a group.
• Follows simple instructions, particularly if accompanied by gestures such as pointing to places, things or people.
• Follows directions if they are part of a game or relate to what they are doing, for example, responds to "Sit down", "Feed teddy" or "Come and sit down" when a snack or drink is put on the table.
• Names pictures of common objects when they are pointed to.
• Identifies simple body parts on self (for example, hair, eyes, ears and nose) and later points to body parts on others (for example, Mum's nose or Grandad's eyes).
• Uses at least ten words consistently although may still be best understood by familiar adults.
• Uses verbs and adjectives, for example, 'go', 'sleep', 'hot', 'big'.
• Uses words to comment on what is happening, for example, says "Bird" if they see one in the garden.
• Has favourite 'phrases' that are often used such as "That one".
• Sings along with favourite action rhyme (although words may not be clear).
• Comments on something that has just happened, for example, "Doggy" if they see a dog on the way home or "Fall down" if the blocks have just crashed over.
• Begins to use words to refer to people and things that are not present.
• Later, uses up to 20 words to:
  – name things and people;
  – comment on what is happening;
  – tell someone something;
  – respond to an adult's   questions or comments;
  – protest;
  – express likes and dislikes;
  – describe actions.
• Copies familiar expressions such as "Oh dear" or "All fall down".
• Waits for 'go' signal in 'ready, steady, go' games.
• Joins in simple narrative by answering questions about things that are very familiar, for example, to the question "What goes on your feet?" the child answers "Shoes", or by filling in the gaps so that when asked "Let's put your ... on" the child fills in "shoes".
• Uses a mixture of words or vocalisation combined with or instead of gesture when playing.
• Talks to self continuously when playing, although this may not be readily understood by adults.

• How children show that they understand instructions.
• The different purposes for which children use language, for example, to name things and people, to comment on what is happening or to protest.
• How children show they understand the 'to and fro' nature of conversation, for example, by looking at you to get your attention before pointing at something.
• How children participate in repetitive games and rhymes, for example, do they show understanding and anticipation by waiting for "Go!" in Ready, steady, go! games?
• The different ways that children respond to general talk around them and to talk that is directed at them.
• The rate at which children's vocabulary grows.
• How children begin to sing along with favourite action rhymes.
• Which phrases children copy when you say them.

• Watch and respond to children's attempts to communicate with you, using voice, facial expressions and gestures.
• Talk about what children are doing, have done and will do.
• Respond to children's gestures as well as to their vocal communication.
• Share photograph albums and remind children about the people and events in them.
• Talk about what other people are doing and about people who are not there, for example, "Raj is at school".
• Put into words what you think children are trying to tell you.
• Repeat children's words and attempts at sentences, adding new information so that they have a chance to see how a longer sentence can be made. For example "Baba upstairs" could become "Yes, Barbara's gone upstairs to get some cream for your sore knee".
• Recast (repeat) children's words within longer phrases, adding new information.
• Join in games that a child initiates.
• Spend time together talking about books and reading short stories, using pictures to help understanding. Ask the children to point to parts of pictures or to tell you what's happening.

• Enjoys nursery rhymes and demonstrates listening by trying to join in with actions or vocalisations.
• Later, sings along with favourite action rhymes (although words may not be clear).
• Imitates intonation of what they hear.
• Uses approximate forms of words to communicate, for example, "mu" for more and later "goggy" for dog.
• Imitates mouth movements to produce a variety of consonant and vowel combinations, for example, "Mama", "Boo-boo", "Bow-wow". Child may move mouth but not use voice.
• Uses a wide range of ups and downs (intonation) and rhythms to reflect mood, such as excitement, level of interest and involvement.
• Imitates words by copying some speech sounds and the correct number of syllables.
• Uses a wider range of vowel sounds in words such as 'ea' as in beat, 'ai' as in bait, 'oo' as in boot.
• Uses a range of consonant sounds in 'words' including 'p', 'd', 'b', 't', 'g', 'n', 'm', 'w', 'h'.

• How children listen and participate in nursery rhymes by trying to join in with actions and words.
• Early attempts at words by children compared with how an older child or adult would say that word.
• The range of vowel and consonant sounds used by children as they produce their first words.

• Draw attention to the noises that toys and animals make. Add sounds when playing, sharing a book or to everyday routines. Make animal sounds and other sounds for cars, aeroplanes and trains, and say "Splash!" when you fill a sink.
• Draw the children's attention to what is making a particular noise.
• Put on tapes of singing, rhymes and favourite stories. Sing along with them. Show children how much you love to hear music and sounds and how much they interest you.

• Copies things they see and hear others doing around them, for example, phrases, parts of games and actions.
• Experiments with different objects to look for other new properties, for example, plays with a plastic bowl by putting it on their head, filling it with blocks, banging it, covering toys with it or looking through it.
• Solves simple problems independently, for example, retrieving out-of-reach toys or carrying toys from one place to another.
• Matches objects with parts that fit together, for example, puts lid on teapot.
• Hands a toy to an adult for assistance when unable to get it to work and sees adult as someone who can help.
• Remembers where objects belong, for example, puts toys away in the right place and knows where to find them later.
• Tries to work out problems by thinking first, for example, how to switch something on or how to get something out of reach.
• Understands simple cause and effect, for example, straightens up a tower of blocks if it starts to wobble.
• Operates mechanical toys, for example, turns the knob on a wind-up toy or pulls back on a friction car.
• Discriminates between circle and square on a puzzle, looks at shape of piece and shapes on board and fits them together correctly.
• Fits large, simple puzzle pieces into inset puzzles.
• Recognises familiar adult in picture.
• Recognises self in mirror or photo, for example, if looks in mirror and sees dirt or food on face, tries to wipe it off, or points to self in photo when asked.
• Anticipates what might happen next because of what other people say.
• Enjoys playing with objects of different sizes that go together, for example, stacking cups, and learning about the relative sizes of objects.
• Joins in simple routines spontaneously.
• Plays ball cooperatively with an adult, for example, may kick or roll the ball back and forth.
• Brings toys to share with parent.
• Spends time in groups of other children engaged in own play, but watching the other children.
• Fills and empties containers.
• Enjoys building with blocks.
• Enjoys sharing books.
• Loads trolley to move objects around.
• Enjoys 'ready, steady, go' and 'one, two, three, go' games.
• Enjoys anticipation games or toys such as Jack-in-the-box.
• Understands and follows stories read to them. Has favourite stories and characters.
• Includes other people and objects in pretend play, for example, puts doll in bed, makes toy animal or car move, feeds a doll or teddy with a spoon or cup and makes animal eat.
• Imitates everyday actions in pretend play, for example, brushing doll's hair, making beds, tasting food, cleaning dolls' house, getting in the car, shopping and so on.
• Likes to put objects together, for example, puts cups on saucers, spoon in a bowl and doll in the bed.
• Makes a pretend sequence, for example, pouring pretend tea then drinking, washing then drying a doll, getting in the car and going to work.
• Engages in symbolic play, for example, pretends a banana is a telephone.

• How a child shows they are curious about the world.
• The strategies children use to find out more about objects and toys.
• The circumstances in which children ask adults for help so they can find out more.
• How children play with objects of different sizes that go together, to learn about relative size.
• Evidence that a child knows and remembers where things belong.
• Skill in operating simple mechanical toys, for example, by turning a knob.
• How children explore and play with bricks and jigsaw puzzles.

• Make sure books relate to everyday experiences with pictures that contain a lot of detail. The best stories are those that incorporate short sequences of familiar events, like going to the shops or going out for a walk.
• Children will love books that build up anticipation and that have flaps to lift or familiar words that they can join in with. Encourage children to take the lead, for example by turning pages or lifting flaps.
• Make and share scrapbooks together and encourage children to show them to people who come into the setting. These books could include your own drawings, pictures from magazines of familiar places or toys, photographs of family members and family holidays or special occasions. Include anything that is personal to particular children and therefore meaningful and interesting to them.
• Play games that encourage and maintain joint attention. Try taking turns at imitating one another, copying facial expressions. Try copying actions with a teddy bear or hiding things, finding them and saying "There it is!".
• Play throwing games with a ball to involve several people in turn-taking.
• Play 'hide and find' games: "Where's my… ?".
• Pretend to get things wrong: children will love it!
• Encourage children to become more equal partners in play and exploration. Let them take the lead or swap roles with them in a familiar routine.
• Encourage pretend play and play alongside children as they begin to develop 'pretend' ideas. Offer suggestions for new things to do and 'dialogue' for those taking part, such as the child's teddy bear or a toy cat.
• Change and personalise rhymes and songs. Change wording and routines to suit the children's interests and personalise material by adding in the child's name.
• Encourage children to join in when other children are playing close by.

• Walks with shorter steps and legs closer together, no longer needs to hold arms up for balance.
• Runs taking care, some difficulty with avoiding obstacles.
• Starts to climb.
• Walks upstairs holding hand of adult.
• Steps backwards downstairs, holding on to each step.
• Bumps down a few steps on bottom.
• Gets onto child's chair themselves backwards or sideways.
• Has a wide variety of different ways to sit to play.
• Kneels upright on flat surface without support.
• Builds a tower with three blocks.
• Scribbles spontaneously and makes dots on paper.
• Fits large round shapes into posting box, puzzle or shape sorter.
• Runs without bumping into obstacles.
• Climbs onto and down from furniture without help.
• Squats down to pick up toy from floor.
• Walks up and down stairs holding on, putting two feet on each step (with supervision).
• Throws small ball overhand.
• 'Walks into' large ball when trying to kick it.
• Sits on small tricycle, moving it with feet pushing on floor.

• The circumstances in which children ask for help and want to hold an adult's hand to help them walk or climb up and down stairs.
• How independent children want to be as they climb into a child's chair or sit at a table.
• How aware children are of obstacles when they walk or run and how they learn to negotiate furniture and other objects safely.

• Hold children upright with a little weight on their legs and gently bounce them on your knee. You'll know when they're ready for this when they start to push down on your legs.
• Continue to give children the experience of standing, while you support them. Gradually allow them to take more weight on to their legs. At this stage children often enjoy bouncing while you hold them by the hands.
• When children are sitting on the floor, encourage them to lean round or lean over to reach a toy to increase trunk control and balance.
• Give experience of playing with toys on a low table to develop leg muscles for standing or scatter toys along a sofa so that children have to reach out to get them once they're standing.
• Encourage cruising (side-steps) around furniture by offering a favourite toy from a step or two away. Get other adults to call the child and encourage them to cruise along the sofa and reach them for a cuddle or song.
• Encourage walking forward with support by facing a child, holding both their hands (holding their arms straight in front at their shoulder level) and gently pulling them forward with gentle pressure on one side at a time, alternating from side to side. Call the child to you as you do this and reward them when they reach you.
• Use a sturdy and safe push-along toy as an alternative form of support.
• As balance improves, support children holding just one hand and as confidence grows, gradually release your grip a step or two away from some form of support to encourage the first independent steps.
• Encourage children to follow simple one-step directions to move their body by playing games and singing songs such as 'If You're Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands'.
• Help children to begin to explore steps and stairs - safety gates discourage unsupervised exploration but it's important to show children how this can be done safely as soon as a child is able to move independently.

Feeding:

• Can locate mouth with an empty spoon.
• Scoops food into spoon independently.
• Accepts food from a fork.
• Holds cup with both hands and drinks without much spilling.
• Able to participate in mealtime routines, sits in high chair at table, joins in interaction.
• Drinks from a straw.
• Takes spoon from plate to mouth with some spilling.
• Inserts spoon in mouth without turning it upside down.
• Accepts new textures and tastes such as larger pieces of food and increasing range.
• Starts to be less messy with food.

Washing:

• Tolerates use of toothpaste and brush.
• Cooperates with washing hands, rubs hands and body with soap and puts under water to rinse.
• Beginning to brush own hair.

Toileting:

• Clearly communicates wet or soiled nappy or pants.
• Shows awareness of what a potty or toilet is used for.

Feeding:

• How children begin to participate in mealtime routines with other children and adults.
• How children learn to scoop food up with a spoon for themselves and learn to use a fork.
• How children hold a cup and learn to drink without spilling.
• How the range of food textures and tastes enjoyed by a child increases and how they learn to eat larger pieces of food.

Washing:

• The way children learn to wash their hands.

Toileting:

• How children tell you their nappy or pants need changing.
• How children begin to show that they understand what a potty or toilet is used for.

Feeding:

• Encourage children to participate in eating routines in your setting by sitting them at a small table at snack time or telling them it's tea time and moving them towards a high chair.
• When children begin to use a spoon to scoop food, choose a bowl with a deep vertical side to give an edge to push food against. In the early stages it can be helpful to sit behind a child and guide their hand to scoop food. Do the first few scoops yourself if a child is very hungry to avoid frustration, then encourage them to use the spoon while they're still quite hungry. A favourite food will encourage children to use a spoon.
• This is a messy time and it's important that children are not discouraged from trying by anxiety over mess. A plastic mat on the floor is a good idea!
• Introduce a spouted cup with one handle.
• Give some finger foods in open-topped packets for children to pick out for themselves.
• Introduce open-topped cups and allow children time to play with them empty at mealtimes for some days before you use them. Start by using very small quantities of a drink children like. Sit them on your knee at the start of a meal when they're hungry and thirsty. Show children how to tip the cup to deliver liquid.
• Demonstrate how chunks of food can be speared with a fork and encourage children to try this for themselves.
• Put some favourite food inside a small carton or tub with a lid and show how to get at it.
• Ask children what they are going to eat and see if they can identify any food being prepared by smell or taste.
• Always tell children the name of the things they're eating.
• Help children tip a jug to pour out liquid. Practise this during play, pouring out sand or dry rice before moving on to water. Ladle spoonfuls of material into a container and then tip it out again.

Washing:

• Encourage children to wash their hands before and after meals and after messy play, using a hand basin.
• Show children how to rub hands with soap to get them clean and then how to rinse and dry them afterwards. It will be some time before they master this skill.
• Demonstrate how to brush hair and encourage children to brush yours as well.
• Encourage children to use the cold tap when using a hand basin. Talk about 'hot' and 'cold' and place the children's hands under the warm and cold taps while the water is running, to show the difference.
• Allow children to explore the plughole so that they understand that water flows out of the basin down the hole.

Toileting:

• Tell children what they've done when changing nappies to get them used to the language, using consistent words that you are comfortable with.
• Encourage children to hold and play with clean wipes while you're cleaning them and explain what they're for.
• Take your child with you to the door of the bathroom and tell them what you're doing so they realise everyone does this.
• Encourage children to explore a potty that you keep in the setting and talk to them about what it's for.
• In preparation for toilet training, get into the habit of taking children to the bathroom to change their nappy to give the message that this is the appropriate place for such activities.
• Ask children if they need changing (even when it's clear that they do) to encourage them to communicate their toileting needs.
• Encourage children to get involved in the disposing of nappies, by asking them to put them in the bin.
• Introduce the idea of good hygiene by explaining that you always wash hands after changing nappies or using the toilet.
• Use storybooks and toys to prepare children for toilet training. All their teddies and dollies need to go to the toilet too!

• Builds a tower with three blocks.
• Holds pencil with tripod grip (between thumb and two fingers) no longer using palmar grasp.
• Scribbles spontaneously and makes dots on paper. Later, begins to imitate circular scribble and draw vertical lines.
• Places large round pegs in pegboard.
• Fits round shapes into puzzle.
• Posts round shape into posting box or shape sorter.
• Builds a tower of up to six blocks.
• Threads large beads onto firm cord, stick or pipe cleaner.
• Shows a preference for one hand or the other, for example, reaches out with one hand more than the other to pick up toys and, over time, begins to show a definite hand preference.
• Uses both hands together and in the middle (not to one side or the other) one to hold and the other to manipulate.
• Uses appropriate actions to explore properties of objects, for example, turning, twisting, rolling and pressing.

• How children show they are beginning to prefer their right or left hand.
• How children play with bricks and how they learn to build taller towers using more bricks as time goes by.
• How children use both of their hands, for example, holding a toy with one hand and manipulating it with the other.
• How children play with pieces of a puzzle.
• How children explore the properties of new objects by turning, pressing or rolling them.

• Choose toys that require more complex movements to make them work and stronger and better coordinated finger movements, such as turning a stiffer knob or pressing individual buttons.
• Encourage individual finger use with toys that invite children to put fingers in small holes (such as a block with round slots and pegs). Taking small pegs from a board will encourage children to use their fingers. Encourage them to pick up small objects to develop their pincer grip (thumb and index finger).
• Put a number of small objects in a bag and encourage children to feel inside and pull the toys out.
• As building activities begin to interest children, show them how to stack one object on top of another, for example, put one brick on top of another and show them how to knock them down again so that they make a clatter. Take turns building and then knocking the bricks down.
• Encourage children to put objects back in their places as part of everyday life in your setting - put used cups in the sink, toys back in a play box, paper in a bin and so on.
• Children will develop coordination of hands and fingers as they explore the relationship between different containers and lids and learn to put a lid on a container.
• Introduce simple posting activities, for example, dropping a ball into a shoebox with a large hole. Later, children will enjoy posting smaller objects and learning how to rotate their forearm so they start to experience twisting of the wrist.
• Help children hammer pegs into a pegboard or play notes on a xylophone. This helps with the coord