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

• Expresses affection to familiar carers.
• Likes to be close to adult and may cry and try to follow (by looking, reaching or crawling) when familiar adult leaves room.
• Looks back to familiar adult to check if not sure about something (for example, looks back to check your reaction if a stranger tries to pick them up).
• Explores new toys and environments, but looks back to you regularly to 'check in'.
• Needs reassurance from you when in a social situation with strangers.
• May become distressed and anxious if left somewhere without their familiar adult.
• Clings to adult and hides face when feeling scared or overwhelmed.
• Uses familiar adult for 'emotional refuelling' when feeling tired, stressed or frustrated, for example, stops playing to have a cuddle or sits quietly snuggled in on your lap for a few minutes.
• Takes favourite comfort toy or other object with them when has a nap.
• Uses comfort toy or object to calm self when in an unfamiliar environment.
• Prefers to be with familiar people.
• Enjoys sharing new experiences.
• Points to draw other people's attention to things of interest.

• How babies show they like being close to adults.
• How babies express affection.
• How babies look at you to check your reaction when they are not sure of something.
• How babies seek emotional reassurance when they are tired, stressed or frustrated.
• How babies identify a favourite toy and use it to comfort themselves.
• How babies show they prefer to be with familiar rather than unfamiliar people.

• Makes use of special people for comfort and security.
• Shows stranger anxiety.
• Reacts to an audience, for example, repeats any activity or action which is received positively by a smile, or that is laughed at, applauded or cheered.
• Shows delight at active play, for example, rough and tumble or tickling.
• Laughs with favourite people.
• Laughs during games.
• Laughs at discrepancies, for example, putting shoe on head.
• Laughs in anticipation, for example, waiting for tickle in 'Round and Round the Garden'.
• Shows more differentiated feelings and emotions, for example, joy, fear, anger or surprise.
• Makes requests.
• Makes body stiff and vocalises when protesting.
• Becomes distressed if intended action is thwarted, for example, reaches towards an unsafe object which is removed by an adult.
• Seeks to repeat enjoyable social activity.
• Shows interest in the activities of others and responds differently to children and adults, for example, may be more interested in watching children than adults or may pay more attention when children talk to them.
• Simple conversations take place between adult and child mainly focusing on the here and now.
• Initiates interaction with other children.
• Is aware of others' feelings, for example, looks concerned if hears crying or looks excited if hears a familiar happy voice.
• Uses other person to help achieve a goal, for example, get an object out of reach or activate a wind-up toy.

• How babies react to an audience.
• How babies express a range of emotions.
• Babies' responses to other people's feelings, for example, looking concerned if they hear crying or looking excited if they hear a familiar happy voice.
• In what circumstances babies become distressed.
• How and when babies express awareness or interest in what other people are doing.

• Watch and respond to any attempt by babies to communicate with you, using voice, facial expression or gesture.
• When having a 'conversation', give babies plenty of time to 'reply'.
• When you come into a room, call the baby's name and give them time to respond by stopping and listening, turning towards you or vocalising. Reward them with your attention when they respond.
• Play 'give and take' games where toys or objects are exchanged – ask babies to pass you objects and then give praise when they do so.
• Join in and repeat the games babies 'ask' for.
• Try to focus on the same thing as babies and talk about what they're attending to.
• Look at children when they're talking to you.
• Watch and wait for children to pause and then use the opportunity to comment.
• This is the stage when children start to become wary of strangers and anxious if separated from familiar carers. This is a positive sign that children are developing secure relationships with key adults in their lives. Help children to feel secure with a number of adults by giving them the opportunity to be held and cared for by a number of different people.
• When you leave, tell a child that you're going out but will be back later and give them a warm greeting and hug when you return.
• Wave children's hands for "Bye bye" when someone is leaving the setting and ask the person to wave from a distance as they go out.

Dressing:

• Cooperates in dressing.
• Removes socks.
• Removes unfastened shoes.
• Removes loose hat.

Dressing:

• Tell babies that you are about to dress or undress them using words and actions before you start.
• Name body parts, for example, as you gently bend a leg to go into trousers or as you put an arm into a sleeve.
• Sit babies on your knees and use words such as "push" as you put their arm through a sleeve or leg into trousers. Say "pull" when you pull on a hat. They will feel the movement that your body is making and this will help them to understand how they have to move when they begin to take a more active role in dressing.
• When changing nappies, give babies something in their hands to play with, or hang a mobile over the changing surface to discourage rolling.
• Children can usually undress themselves long before they can put clothes on. Encourage them to take part in undressing by partially removing items such as socks so they are just dangling off the toes and supporting them to give the final tug. Give lots of praise and extend this to other simple items such as hats.
• Ask babies to help by saying "Lift your legs" and then lift their legs to indicate what you want them to do. After a while they'll start to react to your instructions.
• Make dressing activities playful, by calling "Boo" up a sleeve to encourage children to put their arm in clothing. Say "Where's that wriggly worm?" as a foot is pushed down into trousers.
• Use a reverse chaining technique to continue work on skills to take clothes off. This means that you do all but the last step to begin with, and expect the children to complete the job. Gradually increase the number of steps they have to do, for example, they have to pull a sock off their toes, and then pull it over their heel. Expect children to do a little more each time. Start with activities that can be done when sitting on a stable base like the floor.