How young babies begin to explore through their bodily movements.
The physical skills that young babies use to make contact with people and objects.
How young babies learn to lift their heads and later, hold their heads steady.
Examples of when young babies try to move their heads to look at the things that interest them.
Times when babies begin to be able to hold their own bodies and heads steady when in a sitting position.
Why babies want to move and how they learn to roll from side to side and then from front to back.
Young babies' hunger patterns and how they regulate the speed and intensity with which they suck.
How they show they are relaxed when they feel safe and cared for.
How babies open their mouths for a bottle and close their mouths around the teat.
How babies suck and coordinate sucking and swallowing.
How regular a baby's feeding pattern is throughout the day.
How babies put their hands on their bottle when feeding.
How babies establish a regular pattern of sleeping throughout the day.
The way young babies' eyes follow the movements of their fingers and toes.
How young babies grasp and clutch at anything in reach.
How young babies begin to reach out towards things in which they are interested.
How young babies use their hands and mouths to explore objects.
Ways in which young babies begin to explore different textures.
How young babies learn to hold first one object and then more than one object.
8-20 Months
The way young babies coordinate actions to move around the space on their feet, bottoms, backs, tummies and hands and knees.
How babies like to move.
What babies like to try to reach for and play with, and the skills they develop, such as pulling to stand and walking.
The skills babies build up as they learn to crawl and then pull themselves up to a standing position from sitting. What motivates them to want to move?
How babies use furniture and other objects to support their first steps and what encourages them to become more confident walkers.
Examples of why children begin to carry things with them as they walk.
How babies begin to explore stairs and what motivates them to want to go up or down.
How babies' behaviour changes as they get tired and require sleep.
The ways in which babies indicate that they need help.
Feeding:
How babies begin to open their mouths to take food from a spoon.
The range of food (consider textures and tastes) that a baby accepts.
How babies begin to grasp finger foods and bring them to their mouths.
How babies learn to use a spoon and sipper cup to feed themselves.
Sleeping:
How often babies need a nap during the day and how this changes over time.
Washing:
How babies cooperate and participate when being washed.
Toileting:
How babies cooperate when their nappy is being changed.
Babies' actions such as clapping, pointing, grasping and dropping things.
The ways babies pat, pinch and grasp sand, paste or paint.
How young babies begin to release toys from their grasp and drop things.
How babies play with containers and begin to put one thing inside another.
How babies explore small objects, such as crumbs.
16-26 Months
How young children move with their whole bodies to show their excitement, interest, amusement or annoyance.
The sensory experiences of, for example, rolling, spinning, rocking and physical contact with adults enjoyed by children.
The ways in which young children are developing skills, sometimes creeping, crawling, climbing, walking or throwing.
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.
Young children's interest in bodily functions and when they communicate their needs.
The choices young children make, for example, asking for the same story again and again.
Patterns of play, such as repeatedly climbing on to and off a step.
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.
Ways babies prefer to eat their food, such as grasping a spoon, using their fingers, or holding a fork.
How young children begin to recognise the conventional uses of some objects, such as a cup for drinking.
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.
22-36 Months
The new skills children continue to achieve such as jumping, kicking a ball or balancing on one leg.
Chosen ways of moving and the way children experiment with movement and balance, turning upside down, crawling or rolling.
How a child responds physically to stimuli such as seeing an aeroplane flying overhead.
How children respond to different types of music.
The ways children try to copy movements or repeat skills they have achieved.
How children join movements such as running, stopping and jumping, climbing and turning.
The different ways children use their bodies to express themselves imaginatively.
How children begin to show an interest in climbing equipment and how they explore it.
Sitting by the sea - In a pre-school, the practitioners involve the children in a rhyme about the sea using physical actions and parachute play. [transcript]
You can watch the video, via modem or slow / fast / superfast broadband connections. If you are behind a network firewall, why not click here to view a flash file of the video. You do need to have the flash plugin.
The signs, gestures or words young children use to convey what their needs are at any time.
Feeding:
How children tell you that they are hungry.
Toileting:
How children tell you they need the potty or toilet.
When children learn to sit on a potty or toilet.
How children are developing fine movements of their fingers and hands to grip, twist, bang and make marks.
How they are building up strength in their arms and hands through large muscle activities such as climbing.
How children learn to put objects down neatly and precisely.
How children learn to pick up very small objects.
How children's control of fine movement develops as they begin to turn the pages in a book, one at a time, or to fold paper.
How children begin to use scissors on paper.
The strategies children use to open a screw-topped jar.
30-50 Months
How children move enthusiastically, using their arms and legs in a spontaneous dance, or shaking their bodies in time to music, when they are sad, happy or excited.
Children's increasing confidence in what they can do and their enjoyment of physical activities.
Some of the strategies children find to avoid banging into one another, and objects, as they negotiate space.
Children's skill development, deciding if it is exploratory and experimental or repetitive, and whether they are ready for a new challenge.
Efforts to try something new and persevere at a skill.
The ideas that children suggest to make things 'fair'.
Children's developing confidence and competence walking up and down stairs.
Playing outdoors - In the outdoor area of a reception class, most of the children are involved in physical play and the practitioner joins in with a group who are pretending they are on boats. [transcript]
You can watch the video, via modem or slow / fast / superfast broadband connections. If you are behind a network firewall, why not click here to view a flash file of the video. You do need to have the flash plugin.
Children's recognition of their own needs, such as when they tell you their lace is undone and need help to fasten it.
The ways children demonstrate understanding of healthy practices such as by saying they need a tissue, or putting a cup in the sink ready to be washed.
Children's understanding that they need a rest or a drink after a burst of activity.
Feeding:
Children's growing confidence using a range of different eating utensils.
How children pour liquid from a jug into cups.
Washing:
How children learn to wash and dry their own hands and face, including turning on the taps at a wash basin for themselves.
When children learn to blow their noses if a tissue is held up.
Toileting:
The different ways children ask for the toilet using voice, gestures or actions.
The pattern of children's learning as they become mostly dry during the day and later, reliably dry and clean.
How children behave in the toilet. Can they flush the toilet for themselves and do they wait to be wiped?
The ways children manage to make things work successfully, such as when they wheel a buggy, turn a whisk or 'vacuum' the carpet.
The things that inspire children to want to create or construct.
The variety of skills children use to manipulate materials and objects, such as picking up, releasing, threading and posting objects.
Children's strategies, efforts and achievements in fastening and unfastening items such as containers, clothing and cupboards.
Children's skills in fixing, creating play worlds and using materials and equipment safely and appropriately.
40-60+ Months
The different ways children find of moving across and off and on objects.
How children combine movements to make simple sequences.
The way children recognise the need to take account of space when they plan to do things such as building and demolishing a tower or riding a wheeled toy.
The ways children manage themselves safely.
The ways children negotiate equipment by, for example, balancing, climbing, sliding or slithering.
Children's fine motor control when using a pencil or a brush.
Children's free, spontaneous movement and how they demonstrate control.
How children indicate that they are hungry or need to wash their hands before starting to cook.
Children's familiarity with hygienic practices, such as throwing used tissues in a bin.
Children's understanding of what they need to do to maintain health, for example, a child telling others they are going to the dentist: "I need to have a check-up to keep my teeth strong".
Children talking about and feeling their heart beating after running, without prompting from an adult.
Children's preferred hand for putting on clothes or using a paintbrush.
Children's developing ball skills.
Children's play patterns, identifying the ways they show interest in using a range of equipment and materials.
The different ways children explore and manipulate materials.
The tools children use to achieve effects.
Some of the ways children demonstrate their understanding of the need for handling equipment safely, such as when they carry a chair, ensuring they point its legs towards the ground.
How children use their skills when creating something they need in their play, or want to give to a friend.
Acknowledgements
Disclaimer
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