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.

• 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.

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.

• 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.

• 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'.

• 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.

• 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.

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.