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 Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework

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 Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework

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Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework

Statutory guidance

The standards that school and childcare providers must meet for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5.

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Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework

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The standards that school and childcare providers must meet for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5.

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The EYFS profile is a statutory assessment of children’s development at the end of the academic year in which children turn 5.

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Guidance on completing the early years foundation stage (EYFS) profile assessment in the 2023 to 2024 academic year.

Documents

Details

This guidance is for:

reception and key stage 1 teachers and teams, or other early years practitioners where relevant

headteachers and setting managers

local authorities

This handbook will help teachers and other early years practitioners to complete the EYFS profile assessment in line with the statutory requirements in the EYFS framework.

The EYFS profile is a statutory assessment of children's development at the end of the academic year in which children turn 5. You must complete it for all eligible children registered at the school or early years setting and submit it to your local authority no later than 30 June 2024.

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Early years foundation stage profile handbook

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Guidance on completing the early years foundation stage (EYFS) profile assessment in the 2023 to 2024 academic year.

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Non-statutory curriculum guidance for the early years foundation stage

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Non-statutory curriculum guidance for the early years foundation stage.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

Development Matters offers a top-level view of how children develop and learn for all early years practitioners, including:

childminders

staff in nurseries

nursery schools

school nursery and reception classes in school

The guidance can help meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework.

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Non-statutory curriculum guidance for the early years foundation stage.

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Statutory guidance Early years qualification requirements and standards

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Statutory guidance Early years qualification requirements and standards

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Statutory guidance

Early years qualification requirements and standards

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The qualifications that staff must hold to be included in the specified staff:child ratios at levels 2, 3 and 6 of the early years foundation stage (EYFS).

Applies to England

Documents

Details

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Early years qualification requirements and standards

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The qualifications that staff must hold to be included in the specified staff:child ratios at levels 2, 3 and 6 of the early years foundation stage (EYFS).

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Guidance for schools administering the reception baseline assessment (RBA).

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Guidance for schools administering the reception baseline assessment (RBA).

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Ofsted Press Release - Experienced practitioners vital for educating youngest children

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Ofsted Press Release - Experienced practitioners vital for educating youngest children

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Delivering high-quality care and education for babies and toddlers takes skill and expertise, meaning experience and qualifications among early years workers matter when it comes to the youngest children’s development, new research by Ofsted shows.

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Experienced practitioners vital for educating youngest children

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Delivering high-quality care and education for babies and toddlers takes skill and expertise, meaning experience and qualifications among early years workers matter when it comes to the youngest children’s development, new research by Ofsted shows.

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Ofsted guidance on inspecting registered early years and childcare providers under the education inspection framework.

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Ofsted guidance on inspecting registered early years and childcare providers under the education inspection framework.

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Childminders on the compulsory Childcare Register: Ofsted requirements

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Childminders on the compulsory Childcare Register: Ofsted requirements

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Requirements you must meet if you are a childminder and registered with Ofsted on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Once you're registered with Ofsted you must meet these ongoing requirements. We will check this if we carry out an inspection.

Child welfare

You are responsible for ensuring the children's welfare and safety. You must:

keep the children being cared for safe from harm and make sure that everyone looking after children is alert to any signs of harm

be present on the premises at all times while providing the childcare - the only exception to this is that a childminding assistant can look after children for up to 2 hours a day if their parents have given their permission

make sure that there is at least one person aged 18 or over for every 6 children being looked after

make sure that at least one person looking after children has an appropriate first aid qualification

make sure that anyone under the age of 17 who looks after children is always supervised by someone aged 18 or over

make sure that no one smokes or consumes alcohol or drugs on the premises while providing childcare or around any children being cared for, including medication that might affect their ability to look after children

make sure that children's behaviour is managed in a suitable way

not use corporal punishment, and you must make sure that no-one else looking after children, or living or working on the premises, uses corporal punishment on a child

Safeguarding

You must:

have, and follow, a written policy to safeguard children from abuse or neglect

provide training to everyone who looks after children on the procedures in your safeguarding policy

provide support and guidance on child protection issues to everyone who looks after children

liaise with any local safeguarding partnerships and any director of children's services if necessary

attend child protection training

complete a relevant childminding course to enable you to meet the requirements

not let children have unsupervised contact with anyone who does not have an enhanced Disclosure and Barring (DBS) check with barred lists

Checking suitability

You, and anyone else looking after the children, must:

be suitable to work with children

have good enough English to ensure the children's welfare and safety

You must have an effective system in place to make sure these requirements are met.

You must make sure that everyone who looks after children has obtained an enhanced DBS check with barred lists.

You must provide or arrange any training that is necessary to make sure that everyone who looks after the children has suitable skills and experience.

Anyone aged 16 or older who lives on the premises or works there during childcare hours must have an enhanced DBS check with barred lists and be suitable to be in contact with children (see 'People connected with Ofsted-registered childcare').

Your premises and equipment

Your premises and equipment must be safe and suitable for childcare.

You must:

make sure that no child can leave the premises, and no one can enter the premises, without someone who is providing childcare becoming aware

have enough suitable toilet and handwashing facilities for the children you look after

provide access to a secure outdoor space, or if this isn't possible, make reasonable arrangements for outdoor activities

take all necessary measures to minimise any health and safety risks to children and staff from the premises, equipment or activities

You must display your registration certificate on the premises. If applicable, you must also display any notice of suspension there for the period of suspension.

Food and drink

You must make sure that:

you have a suitable place to prepare food, if you provide it

any food and drink provided to the children is properly prepared, wholesome and nutritious

the children have access to drinking water

Organising your childcare

You must make arrangements with other childcare providers or with parents for occasions when you cannot provide childcare.

You must not refuse to look after a child or treat them less well than another child because of any of the following:

the child's race, home language, family background or gender

the religion or belief of the child or the child's parents

any disability or learning difficulty that the child may have - this means that you must follow your legal responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 (for example, the provisions on reasonable adjustments)

You must have public liability insurance. This covers death, injury, public liability, damage or other loss.

Looking after children on non-domestic premises

Under your childminder registration, you can apply to spend up to 50% of your time providing childcare from non-domestic premises, such as a church hall or community centre.

We will need to approve your non-domestic premises before you can work there.

Dealing with complaints

You must:

have a written complaints policy and fully investigate each complaint

keep written records for 3 years of any complaint, the investigation outcome and any action taken

respond (in writing, if requested) to the parent who made the complaint, setting out the findings of the investigation and any resulting actions - you must do this as soon as reasonably possible but within 28 days of the complaint being made

provide, if we ask for it, a summary of complaints for the last 12 months and any action taken, or a list of all complaints made during the last 3 years, within a reasonable timeframe that we specify

Keeping records and providing information

You must record the following for each child:

their name, home address and date of birth

their parents' names, home address and telephone number

the days and times when they attend the childcare

You must also record, as soon as reasonably possible:

any accidents that happen on the premises

any medicine given to a child, or that a child takes themselves, including the date, circumstances, person who gave it and the parent's consent

the name, home address and telephone number of everyone living on the premises or working there during childcare hours

You should keep this information for 2 years from the date it was recorded.

Giving parents information

You must give the following information to parents whose children you look after:

Giving Ofsted information

You must tell us about any serious incidents. You should do this as soon as possible but within 14 days. Find out what serious incidents you need to report and how to tell Ofsted.

You must also tell us about any changes to:

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Childminders on the compulsory Childcare Register: Ofsted requirements

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Requirements you must meet if you are a childminder and registered with Ofsted on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Daycare providers on the compulsory Childcare Register: Ofsted requirements

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Daycare providers on the compulsory Childcare Register: Ofsted requirements

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Requirements you must meet if you are an Ofsted-registered out of school club, nursery or other type of daycare on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Once you're registered with Ofsted you must meet these ongoing requirements. We will check this if we carry out an inspection.

Child welfare

You must:

keep the children being cared for safe from harm and make sure that everyone looking after children is alert to any signs of harm

make sure that enough people are present at all times to ensure children's safety and welfare - at least one person for every 30 children. At least one of these must be the provider, manager or a member of staff and at least one person must have an appropriate first aid certificate

make sure that anyone under the age of 17 who looks after children is always supervised by someone aged 18 or over

make sure that no one smokes or consumes alcohol or drugs on the premises while providing childcare or around any child being cared for, including medication that might affect their ability to look after children

provide or arrange any training that is necessary to ensure that everyone who looks after children has suitable skills and experience

make sure that children's behaviour is managed in a suitable way

not use corporal punishment, and you must ensure that no-one looking after children, or living or working on the premises, uses corporal punishment on a child

Safeguarding

You must:

have, and follow, a written policy to safeguard children from abuse or neglect

provide training to everyone who looks after children on the procedures in your safeguarding policy

appoint a person (they can be the provider, manager or a staff member) to:

be responsible for children's welfare and safety

provide support and guidance on child protection issues to everyone who looks after children

attend child protection training

liaise with any local safeguarding partnership and any director of children's services if necessary

not let children have unsupervised contact with anyone who does not have an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check with barred lists

Checking suitability

The provider, manager and everyone who looks after children must be suitable to work with children and have good enough English to ensure the children's welfare and safety.

As the provider, you must

have an effective system to ensure that the suitability and English language requirements are met

make sure that everyone who looks after children has obtained an enhanced DBS check

Anyone aged 16 or older who lives on the premises or works there during childcare hours must have an enhanced DBS check with barred lists (see 'People connected with Ofsted-registered childcare').

Your premises and equipment

Your premises and equipment must be safe and suitable for childcare.

You must:

make sure that no child can leave the premises, and no one can enter the premises, without someone who is providing childcare becoming aware

have enough suitable toilet and handwashing facilities for the children you look after

provide access to a secure outdoor space, or if this isn't possible, make reasonable arrangements for outdoor activities

do everything necessary to minimise any risks to children or staff from the premises (including entrances or exits), equipment or activities

Food and drink

You must make sure that:

you have a suitable place to prepare food, if you provide it

any food and drink provided to the children are properly prepared, wholesome and nutritious

the children have access to drinking water

You must display your registration certificate on the premises. If applicable, you must also display any notice of suspension there for the period of suspension.

Organising your childcare

You must make arrangements with other childcare providers or with parents for occasions when you cannot provide childcare.

You must not refuse to look after a child or treat them less well than another child because of any of the following:

the child's race, home language, family background or gender

the religion or belief of the child or the child's parents

any disability or learning difficulty that the child may have - this means that you must follow your legal responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 (for example, the provisions on reasonable adjustments)

You must have public liability insurance. This covers death, injury, public liability, damage or other loss.

Providers of childcare on domestic premises - working elsewhere

If you are registered to provide childcare on domestic premises, you can apply to spend up to 50% of your time providing childcare from non-domestic premises, such as a church hall or community centre.

We will need to approve your non-domestic premises before you can work there.

Dealing with complaints

You must:

have a written complaints policy and fully investigate each complaint

keep written records for 3 years of any complaint, the investigation outcome and any action taken

respond (in writing, if requested) to the parent who made the complaint, setting out the findings of the investigation and any resulting actions - you must do this as soon as reasonably possible but within 28 days of the complaint being made

provide, if we ask for it, a summary of complaints for the last 12 months and any action taken, or a list of all complaints made during the last 3 years, within a reasonable timeframe that we specify

Keeping records and providing information

You must record the following for each child:

their name, home address and date of birth

their parent's name, home address and telephone number

days and times when they attend the childcare

You must also record, as soon as reasonably possible:

any accidents that happen on the premises

any medicine given to a child, or that a child takes themselves, including the date, circumstances, person who gave it and the parent's consent

the name, home address and telephone number of everyone living on the premises or working there during childcare hours

You should keep this information for 2 years from the date it was recorded.

Giving parents information

You must give the following information to parents whose children you look after:

Giving Ofsted information

You must tell us about any serious childcare incidents while you are looking after a child. You should do this as soon as possible but within 14 days. Find out what serious incidents you need to report and how to tell Ofsted.

You must also tell us about:

any changes to your full name, address, telephone number, address where you provide childcare, working hours and number of children you look after

any changes to the manager

changes to people responsible for running the childcare

changes to any people aged 16 or over living on the premises or working there during childcare hours

To tell us about changes to people, please see 'Report changes to registered people in your nursery or other daycare'.

Add another premises

If you want to work from additional premises under your Ofsted registration, you must apply to add another setting.

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Daycare providers on the compulsory Childcare Register: Ofsted requirements

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Requirements you must meet if you are an Ofsted-registered out of school club, nursery or other type of daycare on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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EYFS qualifications - staff:child ratios

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EYFS qualifications - staff:child ratios

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UK qualifications that meet Department for Education (DfE) criteria for counting in the early years foundation stage statutory framework staff:child ratios.

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Lists of qualifications that meet DfE's criteria for counting in the early years foundation stage framework staff:child ratios.

Details

This check list of early years qualifications achieved in the United Kingdom details all full and relevant qualifications accepted by the Department for Education (DfE) to work in an early years setting as well as common qualifications that are not accepted.

This accompanying guidance includes further information on qualifications achieved in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ieland:

started before 1 September 2014

started after 1 September 2014

at level 2 and 3

in special educational needs and disability (SEND)

For early years qualifications achieved outside the United Kingdom you should check the Early years qualifications achieved outside the United Kingdom guidance.

If the answer to your question or query cannot be found in this guidance, please contact Ecctis. Further information on the guidance that Ecctis is able to provide can be found on the Ecctis website.

Please note that if you have contacted the early years workforce team at the DfE prior to 5 September 2022, you do not need to contact Ecctis.

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Early years qualifications achieved in the United Kingdom

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latest Early Years policies and frameworks available for download.

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Discover EYFS Policy & Framework including Development Matters - Non-statutory curriculum guidance for the early years foundation stage and Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage 2017 & 2020

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When we talk about pedagogy in the early years, we mean how we teach, or all the things that adults do to foster children’s learning and development

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Explore our range of free resources on early years pedagogy, designed to support early years teachers and develop your expertise

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There are various approaches to Early Years pedagogy that practitioners can use to provide opportunities for early learning, and these approaches differ in their principles, techniques, and strategies.

Some of the popular pedagogies used in Early Years education include Froebel, Montessori, Steiner/Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, forest schools, Bandura, The Curiosity Approach, and Chris Athey’s Schemas.

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Friedrich Froebel was a German educator who is known for his contributions to the field of education, particularly for his invention of the kindergarten system. He believed that children learn best through play and that education should focus on nurturing children's natural curiosity and creativity.

Froebel's approach to education was heavily influenced by his belief in the importance of the natural world and the role of education in fostering a sense of interconnectedness with the world around us. His ideas had a significant impact on the development of early childhood education and are still influential today.

Froebel was born on April 21, 1782, in Oberweissbach, Thuringia, Ernestine Saxony, which is now in Germany. He founded the first kindergarten in 1837, which he called the "children's garden," and developed a system of education that emphasized play, self-expression, and creativity. Froebel believed that children learn best through hands-on exploration of the natural world and that play is a crucial part of this process. He developed a series of educational toys and games, such as building blocks and puzzles, that were designed to help children learn through play.

Froebel's approach to education was based on the idea that children are naturally curious and creative, and that education should foster these qualities. He believed that education should not be focused solely on the acquisition of knowledge, but should also promote the development of the whole child, including their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Froebel's approach to education emphasized the importance of nature and the interconnectedness of all things. He believed that children should be taught to appreciate the beauty and wonder of the natural world and to develop a sense of responsibility towards it.

Maria Montessori's method

Maria Montessori's method of education, also known as the Montessori method, is based on the belief that each child is unique and has an innate desire to learn. This method emphasizes independence, freedom of choice, and hands-on learning experiences in a carefully designed environment.

Montessori believed that children have an inner drive to learn and that their environment should support this natural curiosity. Therefore, the classroom environment in Montessori schools is designed to be child-centered and child-sized. The furniture, materials, and tools are all adapted to the child's size, making it easier for them to explore and learn independently.

One of the main features of the Montessori method is the use of specially designed materials. These materials are designed to be self-correcting, allowing children to learn from their mistakes and take ownership of their learning. Montessori materials also provide opportunities for exploration, discovery, and problem-solving, helping children develop their cognitive, physical, and social-emotional skills.

In the Montessori method, teachers act as facilitators, observing and guiding children as they learn. They create a supportive and nurturing environment that encourages children to follow their interests and develop their strengths. The Montessori method also emphasizes respect for each child's individuality, promoting a sense of community and collaboration among the students.

Rudolf Steiner Approach

While Rudolf Steiner's Waldorf or Steiner approach to education focuses on providing a calm, peaceful, and predictable environment for children, it emphasizes the importance of incorporating the whole child, including their soul, in the learning process. This approach is divided into three stages, with the first stage covering children from birth to seven years old, where account is taken of the child's whole being.

The basic principles of Steiner education include experiencing the learning process through the course of regular daily tasks and activities, creating a central environment that is not over stimulating and is familiar to children, and using natural, open-ended resources that leave room for a child's imagination. Steiner education emphasises the importance of creating a homely environment to make children feel welcome and providing each child with a place where their things belong.

If you want to utilise Steiner or Waldorf education in your own practices, there are several things to consider. Steiner believed that "doing" is learning, so you should give children as many physical activities as possible and provide opportunities for them to learn from the real world in order to understand it better.

Language can be used to help children learn different areas, such as mathematics, while they prepare food by giving them the language of adding, subtracting, weighing, and measuring. Routine and repetition are also important as they help children to find their place in the world, support good habits, and give perspective to the day. Therefore, it is important to consider whether your routine could be less chaotic and more comforting for children.

Reggio Emilia Approach

In contrast, Loris Malaguzzi's Reggio Emilia approach is a heavily child-centric approach that focuses on the many ways children can express themselves. This approach encourages children to be active participants in their own learning, where teachers act as facilitators or guides. The Reggio Emilia approach also strongly emphasizes the environment, as it believes that the environment serves as the "third teacher," alongside the child and the teacher.

Both the Waldorf and Reggio Emilia approach to education aims to provide children with a nurturing environment that fosters their individuality and encourages their curiosity. While the Waldorf approach emphasizes the spiritual dimension of a child, the Reggio Emilia approach places importance on the child's expressive and creative abilities. Ultimately, both approaches recognize the unique nature of each child and strive to provide an environment that is conducive to their individual growth and development.

Forest schools Approach

Forest School is a type of educational approach that emphasizes learning through outdoor experiences in natural environments. It is a child-centered and nature-based approach that supports play, exploration, and risk-taking in a safe and supportive learning environment. Forest School programs typically offer regular sessions over a long-term period, allowing children to develop strong relationships with the natural world and their peers.

The approach aims to foster children's holistic growth, including their physical, emotional, and social development, as well as their confidence and self-esteem. Forest School activities may include building shelters, making fires, using tools, exploring the natural world, and engaging in sensory experiences.

Through these activities, children develop a deep appreciation for the natural world and learn valuable skills such as problem-solving, teamwork, and communication. The Forest School approach has become increasingly popular in recent years, as many people recognize the benefits of learning and playing in natural environments for children's well-being and development.

Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory

Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory suggests that children learn through observation, imitation, and modeling of the behavior they observe in the environment, including the behavior of parents, teachers, and other adults. The theory highlights the role of cognitive and environmental factors, such as attention, motivation, attitudes, and emotions, in shaping how people learn.

Bandura demonstrated that children tend to imitate aggressive actions by those they trust, unless such actions are criticised, which led to the theory of adults as models for behaviour. The Bandura approach involves modelling calm, respectful behaviour and interactions among individuals. Bandura also stresses the importance of displaying thought processes out loud to demonstrate conscious thinking and consideration, and for adults to engage in problem-solving discussions among themselves to promote cooperation.

Adults must carefully consider their actions, knowing that their behaviour will be copied by children. For example, are practitioners eating and demonstrating good eating habits around children? Don't hesitate to have discussions in front of children to solve problems. You are modelling good co-operative behaviour. Consider talking through your thought process out loud in front of children to model conscious thinking and consideration.

The Curiosity Approach

On the other hand, The Curiosity Approach is a pedagogical approach that promotes children's natural curiosity through a safe, comfortable, and open-ended learning environment. This approach emphasizes the importance of allowing children to explore, experiment, and create in their own unique ways, without the pressure of adult-directed activities or outcomes. It encourages the use of natural and open-ended resources, such as loose parts, to stimulate children's imagination and creativity, and to foster a sense of wonder and curiosity.

While these two approaches differ in their focus and methods, they both acknowledge the importance of the environment in shaping children's learning and development. In Social Learning Theory, the environment and models are essential for shaping behavior and attitudes, while The Curiosity Approach emphasizes the importance of providing an environment that supports children's natural curiosity and exploration.

Chris Athey's Schema approach

Chris Athey's Schema approach is centered around understanding the importance of repeated behavior patterns in children's learning. Athey's work on schemas has been influential in helping adults to comprehend the significance of repetition in children's learning. Athey expanded on the work of Piaget regarding how children come to construct understanding through experience.

She defines a schema as "a pattern of repeatable behavior into which experiences are assimilated and which accommodates new experiences." The Schema approach emphasizes the significance of repetition, particularly in young children's play, as they form schemas by repeating activities and making sense of their world through repetition. Educators can support children's learning by identifying their schemas and providing opportunities to engage in related activities.

Understanding children's schemas can assist educators in tailoring their teaching approaches to better fit the children's needs and interests. Overall, the Schema approach helps educators in supporting children's learning and development by recognizing and responding to their individual interests and abilities.

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The Different Pedagogical Approaches in the EYFS

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Friedrich Froebel was a German educator who is known for his contributions to the field of education, particularly for his invention of the kindergarten system. He believed that children learn best through play and that education should focus on nurturing children's natural curiosity and creativity.

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Pedagogy lies at the heart of early years education, shaping the approaches, strategies, and philosophies that guide practitioners in their interactions with young children.

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Exploring Pedagogy Theories in Early Years Education

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Explore key pedagogy theories linked to early years education. Enhance your understanding and teaching methods.

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The term ‘mental health’ for babies and young children describes their wellbeing in terms of their social and emotional development.

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What mental health means for babies and young children

We all have mental health, just as we have physical health. In the same way that we can be more or less physically healthy from time to time, we can also be more or less mentally healthy from time to time too.

The term 'mental health' for babies and young children describes their wellbeing in terms of their social and emotional development.

Each baby or child will have different experiences with their mental health. Many factors can influence their social and emotional development and wellbeing. This includes things like the quality of their relationship with their parents and carers, nutrition and their experiences in the womb.

Self-regulation and co-regulation

Self-regulation is our ability to adapt, adjust and control our emotions, actions and thoughts. It plays an essential role in mental health. Self-regulation helps us to:

persevere in challenging situations

ignore distractions

think before acting

Children are not born with the ability to self-regulate. These skills are shaped by their temperament and their experiences in the womb and in early childhood. These skills must be developed over time.

Children need to continually learn and develop their self-regulation skills throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). To do this they need responsive, sensitive care from the adults around them.

Responsive and supportive relationships are where adults notice and understand children's emotions and needs and respond appropriately. This includes soothing children and calming them down. This is called co-regulation. Responsive relationships with reliable adults, like early years practitioners, will help children build their self-regulation skills.

These skills are not only critical during the early years but are also key to being mentally healthy throughout childhood, adolescence and into adulthood. Helping children learn to self-regulate during the early years supports lifelong emotional wellbeing.

Your role in supporting mental health in the early years

Babies and young children feel more secure when they form close relationships with reliable adults who are consistently available to them. When they experience loving and nurturing environments and relationships, they are also more likely to:

learn how to build and maintain healthy relationships

develop a healthy stress response system, which reduces the risk of stress-related illnesses

learn how to self-regulate

communicate their needs

develop the skills that support good mental health throughout life

Practitioners, particularly a child's key person, can help by responding to them in a warm, calm and understanding way. This encourages co-regulation, and helps children learn how to manage their own emotions and responses.

The importance of the key person

Every child in the EYFS must have a named key person. This is a practitioner who has a close relationship with their key children and works in close partnership with their parents and carers. A positive relationship between a key person and their key children is central to supporting their mental health.

As a key person, it is important to remember that all babies and young children are different. These differences shape what positive mental health looks like for them and the support they need from you.

You should:

get to know and understand the child as an individual

learn about the child's home life

learn to understand the child's cues and the ways they communicate

respond sensitively to their needs

form a secure bond with them

Recognising emotional and behavioural changes

How very young children behave is an important way in which they express their feelings. It can also be a key indicator of how mentally healthy they are.

It is important to understand that every child will grow and develop at different rates and have different experiences. The intensity and frequency of the emotions and behaviours they display can change from child to child and at different ages.

As a practitioner, it is important that you get to know your children and understand their individual patterns of behaviour. This can help you to notice and understand changes in their:

responses, interactions and engagement

interests

emotional wellbeing and behaviour

appetite and energy levels

toileting, feeding and sleeping patterns

This will help you identify when these changes may be a cause for concern.

Identifying when children need extra support

Some emotional and behavioural changes in children can be quite normal. They may be due to regular developmental growth periods like teething and growth spurts. A child may also behave differently when they feel unwell.

However, some changes may be caused by:

developmental delay

an educational support need

a trauma or bereavement

high levels of stress at home

difficulties in relationships with parents or caregivers

a mental health problem

physical illness

In these cases, children may display behaviours or emotions that seem to be more severe, happen more often, or last longer than usual. It is important to be attentive to the child and curious about the cause of these issues. They may put themself or others at risk or find their own emotions and behaviour overwhelming. This can impact on their physical health and development.

Heightened emotional states in young children can also lead to behaviours that you may find concerning. Some examples could include children:

being very overactive or restless

often feeling irritable or unhappy

finding it difficult to respond to caregiver's cues

struggling to self soothe after a change in routine or separation from a caregiver

often experiencing overwhelming anxiety which interferes with their daily life

regularly displaying what you perceive as angry or aggressive behaviours

having frequent 'temper tantrums' - this is a term used by the NHS, it describes a heightened state where children are unable to manage their emotions or behaviour

showing little interest in social interaction, or being very withdrawn

developing regular habit problems, for example with toileting

being unable to develop routines, for example for sleep and feeding

Every child may display these emotions and behaviours from time to time. It's for you to decide whether they are concerning for a particular child. To do so, you can think about:

how often the emotions and behaviours happen

how intense they are

whether there is a known cause - such as illness, being hungry or a stressful event at home

whether the child usually displays these behaviours - based on your own experiences and those of their parents and carers

Some children's emotions can cause them to display behaviours you find concerning. It is important for you to be curious about the causes of these behaviours and explore these with parents and carers. For most children, using different behavioural and emotional support strategies in your setting will be enough to secure their development.

However, some children will need more support. This is why it is so important that you try to understand the cause of the behaviour and get advice where necessary.

Working in partnership with parents, carers and specialists

If you are worried about a child, always get professional advice and follow your setting's procedures, where relevant. This may include discussing concerns with your:

supervisors, managers, or senior leaders

local authority

area Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo)

When getting external support, make sure to engage parents and carers in the process at all stages. This includes involving them in:

sharing their thoughts

assessing their child's needs

planning next steps

reviewing their child's progress

You should help parents and carers to understand the importance of positive mental health in the early years. When doing this, it can be helpful to use language such as 'emotional wellbeing'. The best outcomes happen when practitioners and parents work together to support a struggling child.

You could also consider encouraging parents to talk to their GP or health visitor.

Safeguarding

If you are even slightly concerned that a child's change in behaviour may be due to a safeguarding issue, you must follow your setting's safeguarding procedure. Inform the lead practitioner responsible for safeguarding. Where necessary, you should also notify the relevant local safeguarding partners.

Emotional and behavioural support strategies

Find out how you can support early years children with common emotional and behavioural challenges.

Common emotional and behavioural challenges in the early years

When children are struggling to process their emotions, they may display a range of common behaviours. These include:

As a practitioner, you can put emotional and behavioural support strategies in place to help the children in your setting. For most children, if these strategies are also being implemented at home, this will be enough to address these challenges.

Strategies to support children in a heightened emotional state

Throughout the EYFS, children are still learning to self-regulate. You should therefore be supportive of them when they experience all kinds of emotions. This includes a heightened emotional state where they are not able to manage their emotions or behaviour. You should also try to understand what the underlying cause of the emotion or behaviour might be.

To help children who are struggling to self-regulate, you can try some of the following strategies.

Talk to them in a slow and calm way

This can help them co-regulate their emotional responses.

Offer them a hug

A hug can soothe, calm and make a child feel safe. They may be feeling alarmed by their own behaviour.

However, some children may not be ready for physical contact until they are calmer. You may want to quietly sit close to them and let them know you are there when they are ready to come and sit with you.

Let them know that you understand how they are feeling

Think about why the child is feeling or behaving this way and explain it to them so they feel understood. For example, you can say "I know that you feel angry when someone snatches your toy."

Encourage them to do something physical to release the energy

You could encourage them to run outside, dance or stamp.

Find a distraction

Try to distract the child by pointing to something in the room or by switching to a topic you know they are interested in.

However, use distraction carefully. It is always important to acknowledge a child's feelings and help them work through them.

Use simple relaxation techniques

Encourage the child to take 3 deep, slow breaths, breathing in for a count of 3 and out for 3.

For young babies and toddlers, it can help if you hold them and breathe slowly and deeply. Your calm breathing will help them to regulate their breathing too.

Use activities like role play, stories and creative play

Once the child is in a less heightened state of emotion, you can use role play, stories and creative play to help them express and make sense of their feelings.

Strategies to support babies in a heightened emotional state

First check to make sure the baby is comfortable, fed, and has a clean nappy.

You should also check to see if they are showing signs of tiredness, such as:

glazed eyes

looking away from people or activities

slowed responses

rubbing their eyes

'gnawing' on their fist or fingers

For a fussy or crying baby, you can:

go to a quieter space, for yourself and the baby

cuddle them

gently rock them

hold them against your chest and take deep, slow breaths

softly 'shush' them

walk with them

Strategies to support a crying child

Crying is a common way in which babies and children express difficult emotions. When a child is crying, it is important to approach them with understanding and patience.

Along with the strategies above, the following strategies can help you to soothe and calm a crying child.

Be there to listen to their concerns

Children need calm, warm and supportive responses from practitioners to help them understand their feelings, emotions and behaviours. You should create an environment where children are encouraged to express their feelings, and where they know adults will respond and listen to them.

Help them to identify their emotions

Helping children to find words to name their feelings teaches them to understand and accept different emotions. You could also ask the child to think about how their emotions are impacting their body physically.

Suggest they come with you to wash their face

Sometimes washing tears from a child's face with cool water will have a calming effect. This can help them regulate their emotions.

Strategies to support sleep routines

If there are children in your setting who struggle with their sleeping patterns, you can:

recreate their at-home sleep routine, or aspects of it, where possible

spend time winding down and doing calm activities before nap time

offer them a familiar toy or blanket to cuddle

help them understand and explore sleep through conversation, storytelling and role play - for example, you could set up a bedroom in the setting and role play going to sleep

Strategies to support an anxious child

Children might feel anxious when faced with a new situation such as:

starting nursery

when they are introduced to unfamiliar people - this is known as 'stranger anxiety'

when they are separated from their parent or carer - this is known as 'separation anxiety'

Remember that it is normal for all children to be fearful or anxious from time to time. However, children may need help if they often experience overwhelming anxiety which interferes with their daily life.

You can use the following strategies to help an anxious child.

Let them know you are there to listen and help with their worries

Always take a child's anxiety seriously. Tell the child you have noticed that they seem worried and encourage them to talk about it. Spend time listening and getting a real idea about the child's specific worries, feelings, and thoughts.

If they do not want to talk, do not force them to. Try and show that you understand how they feel and that you believe their feelings are valid.

Reassure them and help them find solutions

Once you have listened to how the child is thinking and feeling, you could suggest a different way of looking at a worry. You can also offer potential solutions to help.

Prepare them for change

Try to prepare children who you know are due to experience a significant change. This could include the birth of a sibling, moving house or starting school. You can do this by talking to them about what is going to happen and why.

When talking to the child about future events, try not to create an expectation that it will be difficult. Talk to them about positive aspects of the experience. You could also read stories to them that show the scenario they are about to experience or create relevant role play areas.

Help them cope with separation anxiety

To help reduce separation anxiety, encourage parents and carers to say goodbye in an upbeat way. This could include smiling and waving happily and confidently. This will prevent children from picking up on any worries a parent may have about leaving their child. It can also boost their confidence that it is safe to be left.
If younger babies and children seem worried about being left, offer cuddles and gentle distractions. Help the child to become engaged in activities. It may be helpful to introduce them into parallel play with other children and activities.

For slightly older children, you could talk to them and offer reassurance that their parent or carer will return. Try to show them that you understand how they are feeling.

You can also give children familiar items. Ask parents and carers what the child enjoys playing with at home. Then, encourage them to play with similar toys in the setting. You could also offer them comforting items, like a blanket or a teddy. Some children like having pictures of their family they can carry with them.

Strategies to support new children in your setting

Children are all different, and some may take longer to feel comfortable in new environments. It is important to be gentle and to take things slowly with these children. They may need extra support from their key person and a more phased approach to starting in the setting. Keeping set routines in your setting, and telling these children about upcoming changes in advance, can also help.

Children in the earlier stages of starting at your setting, or who are transitioning back following a break away, may need more support. It can be helpful to be present with them to help them manage transitions from one activity in the schedule to the next.

Strategies to address aggression

Most young children will sometimes show behaviour that you perceive as aggressive. This is a normal part of child development. This kind of behaviour usually starts from a feeling of intense emotion that they find difficult to process. This could include anger, fear or frustration.

Children need adults to help them understand and express difficult feelings without behaving in a way that could hurt themselves or others.

You can use several strategies to help a child showing behaviours you perceive as aggressive.

Try to stay calm

Coping with behaviour you consider to be aggressive can be difficult. However, it is important to stay as calm as possible. Remaining calm may be reassuring for the child and help them regulate their own emotions.

Work together to identify early signs of intense emotions

Intense emotions may lead children to display feelings of anger. Talk to the child about how they feel in their body when they start to get angry. This will help them learn how to notice the signs of anger. It will also give them the chance to express this feeling of intense emotion in other ways.

Find ways to manage physical feelings

Encourage children to do something physical to release their energy, like running or jumping. You could also encourage them to use simple calming techniques. For example, ask children to count to 10, breathe slowly and deeply, scrunch up their face or fists, and then release them.

You can also let children know that:

they are not alone

it's okay to feel angry

they can express these feelings in other ways

Strategies to support a withdrawn child

From birth, children have an inbuilt instinct to interact with their caregivers. However, all children sometimes need downtime. It is normal for them to avoid interacting with their caregiver when they need a break.

Some children are more naturally quiet and reserved than others. Where this is the case, you will need to adapt to their needs.

To help a withdrawn child, you can use the following strategies.

Use the secure relationship between the child and their key person

A key part of this relationship also involves responding sensitively to children's verbal and non-verbal cues. This helps you understand the child and what they need.

Introduce new experiences gradually

Build up your interactions with children slowly. To do this, you can:

start gently, showing consistent and appropriate interest in them, their play, and their communications

make sure you give them the space they need

let them approach new experiences in their own time

Some babies and children are very withdrawn. They may be very passive and quiet, avoiding eye-contact and physical touch. It is important to be curious as to why a baby or child acts like this as it may be the result of difficult relationships with other adults in their lives.

Remember, if you are even slightly concerned that a child's behaviour may be due to a safeguarding issue then you must follow your setting's safeguarding procedure. Inform the lead practitioner responsible for safeguarding and where necessary notify the relevant local safeguarding partners.

Useful resources

UNICEF and the University of Cambridge's Centre for Research on Play in Education, Development & Learning (PEDAL) offer guidance on understanding and supporting mental health in infancy and early childhood.

NHS Every Mind Matters gives advice and information on looking after a child or young person's mental health.

Maudsley Charity's Families Under Pressure includes tips and tricks from NHS mental health experts for supporting children with their emotions and behaviour .

The Anna Freud Centre has some advice on how to recognise trauma in young children, along with strategies and tips you can share with families.

The Anna Freud Centre also has some advice on sharing concerns about a child with parents and carers.

DfE has guidance to help practitioners identify the signs of child abuse and neglect and understand what action to take.

The role of a key person is explained by The Anna Freud Centre.

The Anna Freud Centre has some advice regarding withdrawn or passive behaviour in babies, small children.

NHS has advice on soothing a crying baby and how to cope with temper tantrums in young children.

The Anna Freud Centre has some advice on how manage tantrums.

The Sleep Charity offer some useful advice sheets for children and helping them to sleep.

NHS offers some advice on signs on anxiety in children and how to help.

The NHS also offers some helpful advice and tips on separation anxiety.

The Anna Freud Centre offers advice on different types of anxiety in children and how to manage them.

Childline offers some useful tips for older children on ways to feel calmer.

The NHS has advice on helping children with anger issues.

The Anna Freud Centre has advice on aggression in the early years.

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We all have mental health, just as we have physical health. In the same way that we can be more or less physically healthy from time to time, we can also be more or less mentally healthy from time to time too.

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Supporting children's mental health and wellbeing in the early years

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Supporting children's mental health and wellbeing in the early years

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Being and Becoming Mentally Healthier

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Discover resources to help you support children’s wellbeing and enrichment

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Discover resources to help you support children's wellbeing and enrichment in your setting.

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Emotions are tricky creatures. We’re here to help you explore them so you can figure them out. Ready? Let’s get going…

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Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Children’s personal, social and emotional development (PSED) is crucial for children to lead healthy and happy lives and is fundamental to their cognitive development. Underpinning their personal development are the important attachments that shape their social world. Strong, warm and supportive relationships with adults enable children to learn how to understand their own feelings and those of others. Children should be supported to manage emotions, develop a positive sense of self, set themselves simple goals, have confidence in their own abilities, to persist and wait for what they want and direct attention as necessary. Through adult modelling and guidance, they will learn how to look after their bodies, including healthy eating, and manage personal needs independently. Through supported interaction with other children, they learn how to make good friendships, co-operate and resolve conflicts peaceably. These attributes will provide a secure platform from which children can achieve at school and in later life.

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Personal, social and emotional development (PSED) is one of three prime areas within the early years foundation stage (EYFS), but it connects the whole curriculum. Through positive relationships with adults, children learn what their emotions are, how to regulate them and how relationships with their peers work.

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Personal, social and emotional development (PSED) is one of three prime areas within the early years foundation stage (EYFS), but it connects the whole curriculum. Through positive relationships with adults, children learn what their emotions are, how to regulate them and how relationships with their peers work.

During the coronavirus pandemic, we conducted research studies exploring the impact of the restrictions on children's PSED with over 900 childcare staff, and parents, to understand their experiences and those of children in their care. This culminated in our report - Their challenges are our challenges, which describes the adverse impact of the pandemic on young children's PSED in 7 ways:

1. Greater separation anxiety and issues in forming relationships with staff

2. Children becoming more emotional, and a difficulty with managing their emotions

3. Children exhibiting more disruptive and challenging behaviour

4. Children experiencing greater issues socialising

5. Children developing an obsession with cleaning hands, a fear of germs and the virus

6. Children being upset over lost connections to family and friends, including 12% becoming bereaved

7. Children experiencing various developmental delays and/or regressions

With thanks

Thank you to the following who participated in focus groups and consultations so we could ensure our work was relevant, engaging and accurate:

National Day Nurseries Association

Dr Julian Grenier - Headteacher of Sheringham Nursery School and Children's Centre Co-lead, East London Research School

Dr Eunice Lumsden - Associate Professor and Subject Lead for Childhood Youth and Families, University of Northampton

Penelope Rodrigues - Early Years Consultant, Hackney Services for Schools

Alison Scott - Standards and Improvement Officer, Hull City Council Early Years Team

Professor Jane Payler - Professor of Education (Early Years), The Open University Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies

Emma Fraser - Teacher of the Deaf; Success from the Start (Early Support Monitoring Protocol for the families of deaf children)

Angela Gamble - Information, Advice and Guidance Manager, Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY)

Alliyah Campbell - Assistant Psychologist

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Personal, social and emotional development

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Personal, emotional and social development (PSED) handouts and videos

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Approaches for supporting Personal, Social and Emotional Development

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Approaches for supporting Personal, Social and Emotional Development

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Approaches and practices to support personal, social and emotional development in the early years.

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Provide a safe environment for children to explore emotions and learn how to regulate them

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Help for early years providers : Emotions

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Understanding children’s emotions is critical to understanding their behaviour. Early years children feel a range of emotions, but often cannot express, interpret or process them like us.

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Approaches and practices to support self-regulation and executive function in the early years.

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The EEF is an independent charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement.

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Exploring a range of difficulties children can experience.

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Exploring a range of difficulties children can experience.

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Early years children can experience a range of difficulties including agression, anxiety, and tantrums. Find out more about some of the common difficulties that arise and how you can help with them.

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Early years children can experience a range of difficulties including agression, anxiety, and tantrums. Find out more about some of the common difficulties that arise and how you can help with them.

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Exploring a range of difficulties children can experience.

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Series of films, guidance and  support for Children's Mental Health.

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Series of films, guidance and  support for Children's Mental Health.

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This series of films, featuring some of Anna Freud's child mental health experts, aim to provide help and guidance to nursery staff on how to manage a range of different issues.

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Expert advice and guidance videos for nursery staff

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Support children’s mental health with expert video advice for nursery staff from Anna Freud. Watch practical, trusted guidance now.

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Find out about promoting oral health as part of the early years foundation stage (EYFS)

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Help for early years providers : Oral health

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The EYFS framework states that early years providers must promote good oral health of children who attend their setting.

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Fun videos to support children and families with toothbrushing from the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry

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Fun videos to support children and families with toothbrushing from the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry

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Meet Dr Ranj, Hey Duggee, CBeebies and Brush DJ. Choose a video and be inspired to look after your teeth!

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British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) > Kidsvids

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The (BSPD) is the national society specifically concerned with the oral health of children in the UK it provides meetings, publications and news.

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Learn more about sense of self as part of the early years foundation stage (EYFS) including advice from experts and suggested activities.

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Help for early years providers : Sense of self

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Babies develop a sense of self by interacting with others and by exploring their bodies and the objects around them.

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This vodcast explores insights into the national Supervised Toothbrushing programme in early years

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Foundation Years - Latest news, policy and resources for early years professionals

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This vodcast explores insights into the national Supervised Toothbrushing programme in early years. Seb Thorpe (Begin Bright) is joined by Laura Lindon (Department for Education) who will discuss the programme and wider early years priorities; and Claire Stevens (Department for Health and Social Care) who will provide an overview of the health outcomes the programme aims to achieve.

This vodcast is also supported by a Q&A with David Yates, Nursery Lead at Tinsley Meadows Primary School to discuss his experience with supervised toothbrushing. You can find this Q&A below the vodcast.

Supervised Toothbrushing Q&A with David Yates

We spoke to David Yates, Nursery Lead at Tinsley Meadows Primary School about his experience with supervised toothbrushing.

How did you start running supervised toothbrushing sessions in your setting?

My involvement with toothbrushing began when I was originally signposted to the NHS Oral Health Team when I worked on the 'Every Child a Talker' initiative, supporting children's language and communication skills, during my time working in a children's centre nursery.

It was easy to get up and running with fantastic support in terms of advice, quality assurance and free resources from the oral health team.

Tooth brushes are individually labelled and stored in purpose made racks to prevent cross contamination. Each child's toothbrush is always returned to the same labelled slot in the holder to add a further layer of infection control. A small amount of toothpaste is dispensed on to an individual piece of paper towel, which is handed out to each child along with their toothbrush.

Very broadly, how does it work?

We use a toothbrushing song (which lasts for 2 minutes) during which children brush their teeth, ensuring they brush for the full duration. Afterwards, they put their tissue in their bin, rinse their own brush and are supported by an adult to return their brush to their slot in the rack.

Why do you think supervised toothbrushing is worth doing?

Children enjoy brushing their teeth at nursery, and some parents report that they have noticed a difference at home where they previously found it a challenge to encourage their children to brush their teeth.

We also see visible benefits in children's oral hygiene, particularly as they move up school, parents report improvements in children's willingness to brush at home and children become more independent with their self-help skills, they can talk about keeping their teeth clean and healthy, linking to the learning and development requirements of the EYFS statutory framework.

Is it difficult to fit supervised toothbrushing sessions into the day?

Not at all! Toothbrushing is embedded in our daily nursery routine. We don't find it obtrusive, or a chore, because it's something that we do, similar to snack time, tidy up time etc. Our toothbrushing sessions take place at the beginning of the nursery session, during the short whole class 'welcome' group time. All the toothbrushes and toothpaste are prepared prior to this, before the beginning of the school day and during the lunch time period prior to the afternoon session.

The toothbrushes are brought to the carpet and stored on a shelf where they are easily accessible as soon as they are needed. Toothpaste is dispensed on to individual pieces of paper towel which is then handed individually to each child along with their toothbrush before brushing starts. We find it fits into the nursery routine well at this time and the children know that it always happens then. The whole process takes maybe around just 5-10 minutes. The children rinse their own toothbrushes afterwards and put their tissues in the bin.

Did you find it more difficult to fit supervised toothbrushing into reception classes?

When I taught in Reception, I didn't find it to be more difficult to fit in. In nursery we have a morning and an afternoon brushing session because the majority of children attend part time, but in Reception, every child attends all day, so we could choose when to incorporate toothbrushing into the daily routine. We brushed at the beginning of the day, before lunch or immediately after lunch, depending on the routine of the day or the class cohort and all seemed to work well.

How do you ensure that supervised toothbrushing is done hygienically? Is there cross contamination from spitting?

Organisation is key, storing everything neatly and making sure it's easily accessible. We have 60 children per session in our nursery, all of whom have a toothbrush. Our current system has colour-coded racks for children who attend mornings, afternoons or full days.

There are different ways to deliver supervised toothbrushing and they don't necessarily involve spitting into sinks! We use the dry method which means that children spit out excess toothpaste into a paper towel, which goes straight in the bin. Both methods are described in the toolkit and again, our oral health promotion team were really helpful in showing us how to run a session when it was new to us. It's become an integral part of our day the children know when we brush, just like they know when to fill their water bottles and wash their hands.

How do you keep parents and carers informed of supervised toothbrushing and encourage them to continue the practice at home?

We answer any queries from parents as they arise. Any parents who may initially have doubts are usually reassured after a quick conversation and explanation. They may feel that they are brushing sufficiently at home or there is a judgement made because their child is expected to brush additionally at school, but as soon as the purpose and benefits are explained, a shared understanding is achieved.

The Oral Health Promotion Team in our area visit every year to launch toothbrushing with the children and offer a parent information/advice session where parents are given advice around safe snacks, sugary food and drink and the correct way to support toothbrushing. Parents are always invited to watch to watch toothbrushing sessions if they wish, and brushes and pastes are regularly gifted for children to use at home.

How do you support children with SEND to participate?

No child is excluded - every child has a toothbrush and is encouraged to participate, but they are not forced to do so if they become upset or are unable to take part. Sometimes, children are provided with more than one toothbrush to hold, if this helps them, or they have even been given nursery toothpaste to use at home where families have continued to have difficulties with toothbrushing at home that we may not have been experienced at nursery.

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Supervised Toothbrushing Programme in Early Years - Foundation Years

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This vodcast explores insights into the national Supervised Toothbrushing programme in early years.

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Building solid relationships helps children to develop trust and to thrive in your setting.

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Help for early years providers : Relationships

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Children go to childcare providers with ideas about relationships, influenced by their own experiences. If an adult regularly considers a child’s needs, attachment feelings will develop. If rejected, the child may feel unlovable, unworthy or flawed.

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Personal, social and emotional development (PSED) is one of the prime areas and underpins all learning and everything we do.  It is a key building block for future happiness and success.  Understanding fundamental aspects will ensure that we are able to scaffold, co-regulate and support children to develop the necessary skills and have the greatest of life chances.

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Personal Social and Emotional Development

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Personal Social and Emotional Development Personal, social and emotional development (PSED) is one of the prime areas and underpins all learning and everything we do. It is a key building block for future happiness and success. Understanding fundamental aspects will ensure that we are able to scaffold, co-regulate and support children to develop the necessary […]

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The Early Years PSED Skills for Life programme

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Evidence-based PSHE programme for ages 3-5, aligned with UK and global curricula, helping teachers build children’s coping skills, wellbeing, and resilience.

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Helping you meet the maths requirement of the revised curriculum for early years children.

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Help for early years providers : Mathematics

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BBC Bitesize. All in one place

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Early years Maths learning resources for adults, children, parents and teachers.

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Lots of activities on this site. Support you in developing the initial building blocks for mathematical thinking, reasoning and problem solving with your children.

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Early Years Foundation Stage activities | NRICH

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Welcome to our set of EYFS activities. We have designed these, in partnership with our Early Years Practitioner Partners, to support you in developing the initial building blocks for mathematical thinking, reasoning and problem solving with your children.

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 Six key areas of early mathematics learning

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 Six key areas of early mathematics learning

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Early Years materials designed to support Reception teachers (those working with 4-5 year olds)

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Meaningful Mathematics: A Focus on EYFS Pedagogy

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Meaningful Mathematics: A Focus on EYFS Pedagogy

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If we want children to successfully embed a range of mathematical concepts then we really need to reflect on our pedagogy first.

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EEF blog: Using Storybooks to Promote High-quality Talk in Maths

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EEF blog: Using Storybooks to Promote High-quality Talk in Maths

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Kirstin Mulholland, maths content specialist, explains how storybooks can play an important role in Maths for the Education Endowment Foundation

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Using storybooks to promote high-quality talk in maths

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The EEF is an independent charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement.

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Approaches and practices to supporting early mathematics

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Approaches and practices to supporting early mathematics

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The EEF is an independent charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement.

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Learn about the steps children typically take to learn math by exploring LTs. Each topic (or trajectory) is broken down into the levels, or steps, children take on their path to being strong mathematicians

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The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through grant numbers R305K050157, R305A120813, R305A110188, and R305A150243. to the University of Denver. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.

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The Early Childhood Mathematics Group (ECMG) is a UK based group of early years mathematics enthusiasts and experts, who work together to promote early childhood mathematics.

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The ECMG’s spatial reasoning toolkit. What is spatial reasoning? How do we develop young children’s spatial reasoning? The answers are in the Spatial Reasoning Toolkit  guidance and learning trajectory from birth to 7, all based on recent research.

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The ECMG's spatial reasoning toolkit. What is spatial reasoning? How do we develop young children's spatial reasoning? The answers are in the Toolkit which includes posters, videos, guidance ...

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Early years New Framework from Sept 2025

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Early years New Framework from Sept 2025

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foundation stage

statutory framework

For group and school-based providers

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Improving Mathematics in the Early Years and Key Stage 1

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Improving Mathematics in the Early Years and Key Stage 1

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Five recommendations to support practitioners in developing the maths skills of 3 - 7 year olds.

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'improving mathematics in the early years and key stage 1' reviews the best available evidence to offer five recommendations for developing the maths skills of 3-7-year olds.  recommendations include integrating maths into different activities throughout the day – for example

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at registration and snack time – to familiarise children with maths language and make the most of the school day.  it also highlights that story and picture books can be a powerful tool for engaging children with basic maths concepts

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while board games (such as snakes and ladders) are particularly beneficial to developing understanding of numbers.  based on the best available international research – and drawing on the expertise of teachers and academics – this report is packed with examples and case studies to support practitioners.

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Improving Mathematics in the Early Years and Key Stage 1

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Five recommendations to support practitioners in developing the maths skills of 3-7 year-olds

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Transforming the way mathematics is taught and learned globally - one mathematical story at a time

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​Whether you are an experienced teacher, a teacher trainee, a teacher educator, a parent, a researcher or a policy maker, we hope you will find this website interesting and useful. Specifically, we want to share with you the benefits of te﻿aching and learning mathematics through stories and creative writing, as well as to offer practical ideas for teachers and parents on how to embrace this approach.

This website has been designed and continuously developed based on the feedback we receive from the key stakeholders as noted above. There are plenty for you to do on this website, including, but not limited to:
Please take your time to explore the website using either the menu bar at the top of the page or from the menu below.

Finally, consider s ubscribing to our free quarterly newsletters, and please help spread the word about our project and its website :-)

Best wishes,

Dr. Natthapoj Vincent Trakulphadetkrai B.A. (Hons), M.Sc. (Oxford), M.Sc. (London, UCL), Ph.D. (Cambridge), QTS

@NatthapojVinceT Natthapoj.org

Associate Professor of Mathematics Education
​University of Reading (UK)

Founder & Principal Investigator
​MathsThroughStories.org
​

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Help for early years providers : Numbers

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Children need to develop a positive attitude to maths and not be afraid to make a mistake.

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Help for early years providers : Patterns and connections

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Learn more about patterns and connections as part of the early years foundation stage (EYFS), including advice from experts and suggested activities.

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Spatial reasoning - Help for early years providers - GOV.UK

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Using games purposefully in maths teaching and learning.

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Using games purposefully in maths teaching and learning.

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All effective early years practitioners realise that talk is at the heart of maths learning. Quite simply, most of children's understanding about number, shapes and measures comes from talking about number, shapes and measures, and exploring them through everyday play indoors and outdoors. In this article, we will explore the essential nature of talk and the role of practitioners in supporting children's mathematical vocabulary.

As all those working to support children's communication and language development through the Every Child a Talker programme know, the interactions children have with their families play a major role in their early language use. This applies to all of the vocabulary children use, so if families are using lots of descriptive and comparative mathematical vocabulary as part of everyday talk, then children are likely to be using that vocabulary too. They'll join early years settings talking about 'big, bigger and biggest' and using number names with confidence - although not necessarily in the right order!

But huge differences have been found in both the receptive vocabulary (understanding) and expressive vocabulary (talk) for children. By the age of three, those in the families who talk the most are likely to have a vocabulary in excess of 1,100 words, while children in the lowest talking families have less than 400, and in some cases significantly less. As we know that children often find naming words (nouns) easiest to learn, it stands to reason that children with the smallest vocabularies are less likely to be using descriptive, comparative or positional language.

It has been estimated that for children to be able to access the KS1 maths curriculum fully, they need to be familiar with over 400 mathematical words and phrases (National Strategies, 2000). So what can practitioners do to ensure that children have opportunities to develop such an extensive expressive vocabulary? A lot of this depends on careful, reflective planning which builds on what children know and can do and is informed by children's enthusiasms and passions.

Practitioners need to consider very carefully the environment they provide, including ways in which to enrich continuous provision; specific activities planned to support children's understanding of elements of maths; the vocabulary they introduce and model the use of; and the enabling statements and open ended questions they ask.

Talking about number

Recent research about the home environment has shown that parents can impact on their child's cardinal-number knowledge - for example, knowing that the word 'three' refers to sets (groups) of three entities, such as cars, dinosaurs or apples. It seems that parents' number talk which involves counting or labelling sets of visible 'real' objects in the 'here and now' is related to children's later knowledge of this critical area of mathematical development. When parents talk about groups of between four and 10 objects, this is even more effective than talk about smaller sets - so playing with farm animals or cars and a garage and using number names will make a difference. So what are the implications of this? I think, firstly, that we need to be working closely in partnership with families to support all aspects of children's learning and development. Parents want to know what they can do to support their child's learning, and we can give them practical, doable fun suggestions. Secondly, we need to ensure that we model effective behaviour too - talking with children about numbers to 10 (and beyond, where appropriate) when acting as co-players in children's imaginative small world play.

When we are supporting children's developing knowledge and understanding of number, we can introduce specific vocabulary and use questions which extend learning and enabling statements which will support children's thinking:

● What can you tell me about your favourite number?

● I wonder if anyone can guess the number of bugs Mrs Frog has eaten.

● How could we record the number of beans in the box?

● I can only see nine Wellington boots.

● Why is that number so important?

● I'm wondering why Mr Puppet has said there are four apples, and I can see five.

● How many blocks can we build up before they all topple over?

We need to remember that, sometimes, making a statement will promote more discussion than asking a direct question, which can be quite daunting for some children.

Shape, space and measures

When children are confident in their use of number names, we sometimes assume that they have a wide vocabulary for all elements of maths too, but this isn't always the case. Practitioners in an outstanding nursery class in London decided to focus on children's mathematical vocabulary development as part of a small-scale action research project (Kent and Stevens, 2011). The nursery offers a stimulating, rich environment and the children are all very familiar with 'number rhymes' and explore these through props and experiences.

The nursery team knew that many of the children were engaged in current play themes around monsters, dinosaurs and aeroplanes. They loved to talk about 'big' things, and often clambered into a climbing tree in the outdoor area - "I'm bigger than you, I am." So, an obvious 'way in to learning' was to introduce new descriptive vocabulary about size through a book that is very similar to the beloved traditional tale of The Enormous Turnip: Brenda Parkes and Judith Smith's The Enormous Watermelon.

The class teacher began by sharing the big book with two groups of children, including a group of children due to move into the Reception class at the end of the term, and a group of three-year-olds. The children were excited and engaged by the story, joining in animatedly with the telling. Unsurprisingly, when the youngest children were asked to share words that mean the same as, or are similar to 'enormous', the words included just 'big' and 'giant'. More surprisingly, the older children didn't really use many more descriptive words, suggesting 'big' and 'giant' and also 'gigantic', 'massive' and 'fat' - a total of just five descriptive words.

A short while after sharing the book, the children went home, each clutching a speech bubble. Every family was asked to talk about 'size' words with their child, and to bring back one word, written in the bubble. Over the following week, more than 50 words were identified, with children and families engaging enthusiastically with the task.

Practitioners used the words gathered to form a word cloud - these can be created very easily online at worditout.com or wordle.net. The resulting cloud was shared with families and displayed in the maths workshop, so that all practitioners could use the words for the rest of the term. Soon children were using wider descriptive vocabulary for things that are 'enormous', and this impacted on use of descriptive vocabulary in general too.

Finally...

When you are developing your planning, remember to include mathematical vocabulary at all stages. In your long-term overview, have some idea of the breadth of vocabulary you want to include. Ensure that you use your observations of children and their interests to inform your short-term plans. Be sure to display the vocabulary, and possible enabling statements and questions so that all adults can use them - and share the words with families too. One good idea is to laminate individual words and phrases and hang them on folding sock dryers above the sand, water or small world play areas, so that everyone remembers to focus on maths talk.

Extend their vocabulary!

When we are supporting children's developing knowledge and understanding of shape, space and measures, we can introduce specific vocabulary and use questions that extend learning and enabling statements that will support children's thinking.

Try the following:

● What can you say about the weight of this car?

● I wonder if anything weighs more than the red car.

● Which bag feels the heaviest?

● I can't see out of the window from here.

● Can you explain how you know they weigh the same amount?

● Gosh, if you lay on the floor, your model looks different.

● How many shells do you think it takes to balance the box?

● How strange that you can make a cylinder shape by rolling that flat piece of paper.

Try: Make a word cloud with the children - if a word is included four times, it isn't repeated four times in the word cloud but is shown four times bigger. So, if lots of children use words like 'big', 'huge' and 'giant' then these words will be bigger in the word cloud, and unique words like 'humongous' or 'mammoth' would be smaller.
Judith Stevens is an author, consultant and trainer specialising in communication and language and mathematics. She is co-author, with Carole Skinner, of Foundations of Mathematics - An active approach to number, shape and measures in the Early Years.
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Why early experience of books and stories is important

Early experiences of reading will have significant influence on children's views and feelings about reading as they get older. It is crucial for children to develop a love of early reading to enable them to learn the necessary skills to become successful readers themselves.

National Literacy Trust research has shown that reading for pleasure can help children access wider benefits for learning and wellbeing as they grow. The foundations for children enjoying reading and actively choosing to read are established from their earliest experiences.

Using our early years reading guidance

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Outlines the skills in communication and language comprehension children need to develop

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Includes guidance on planning for high-quality reading opportunities and tips for putting them into practice.

Support the babies and children you work with to develop a love of reading right from the very start.

Download your copy to inform planning and ensure you are providing high-quality early reading opportunities in your setting.

Communication development

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Free Letters and Sounds resources

Whether you are a parent or teacher, you can use these free resources to help support the DfES Letters and Sounds phonics programme. If you're new to Letters and Sounds and want to find out what it's all about, visit What is Letters and Sounds to find out more.

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In the Early Years, phonics is a huge part of learning. From being able to recognise different sounds all around them, to sounding out whole words, phonics is where a child’s journey to reading and writing begins!

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What is phonics?
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You may have heard about phonics at a parents' evening, or even from your own child on the walk home from school.

In the Early Years, phonics is a huge part of learning. From being able to recognise different sounds all around them, to sounding out whole words, phonics is where a child's journey to reading and writing begins!

These tips will help you support your child's learning to make phonics a fun and engaging experience for you both.

1. It starts with you

The way we teach phonics (and as a result, reading and writing) has changed a lot over the last couple of decades, so your own memories of learning ABCs might not match your child's way of learning today.

It's important to make sure you're pronouncing each sound correctly and avoiding common mistakes. For example, the 'm' sound should be 'mmmm', but many adults incorrectly place an 'uh' sound on the end, so it sounds more like 'muh'.

The sounds this happens to the most are usually f, l, m, n, r, s, and t. Don't worry if you do this - it's easy to change the habit once you know!

2. Model: show your child how to do it

Once you feel a bit more confident with phonics, it's helpful to show your child how we say each sound. Let them clearly see your mouth when you speak so they can watch your mouth move differently for each sound or word. Join them in sounding out some words, so they can observe the technique before trying it themselves.

Don't panic if you get something wrong - it's always good for children to see that grown-ups make mistakes too. Correct yourself and carry on... unless your child has already corrected you, in which case they're clearly learning something!

3. Remember: it's not just about letters

When children reach Reception, there is a big emphasis on learning which sounds correspond to which letters. Before this stage though, children have been learning phonics skills since they were born; differentiating between sounds such as their mother's voice and a phone ringing, or trees rustling and birds tweeting.

You can play with sound by using instruments (or simply drumming on anything they can find), listening to stories and joining in with nursery rhymes are all activities that build a good foundation for later letter and sound learning.

4. Make reading fun!

Reading should be a fun, shared experience. Read together, read to your child, read in a tent, in the garden, upside down... shake things up a bit!

Even if your child is a confident reader, reading together (and being read to) allows them to share the experience and be exposed to that all-important modelling. Read books that interest your child, even if they can't read all of the words themselves. Read fiction and non-fiction, read street signs, posters and recipes. Find the wider world of words!

5. Work at your child's level

If a child is struggling to sound out the word 'cat', there's no point in asking them to read the word 'thought'. Children can become very self-conscious when they feel they aren't 'good' at reading, so although we want to challenge them, we also need to help build their confidence.

Phonics always requires repetition and sometimes it takes a lot of it, but there are plenty of games and activities you can do to make it more enjoyable.

Activities

Here are some activities you can try at home to support your child with their phonics learning:

As we now know, phonics isn't just about letters. Try going on a walk, through a park for example, and noticing all of the individual sounds you can hear. In the park, you might hear leaves crunching under your feet, children laughing as they play and bushes rustling in the breeze. In a busy city-centre, you might hear cars passing, people chatting and a cyclist's bell ringing.

Just like the traditional version of I-Spy, but with a little twist: use the letter sounds rather than the letter names when playing this game. For example, I spy with my little eye something beginning with 'g' should lead you to 'goat' rather than a 'giraffe'.

Use flashcards (you can make your own by drawing/writing on pieces of paper) to play this game. You might just use picture cards at first and move onto reading the words when your child is more confident sounding out words. Place three to five cards down and look at them together. Which is the odd one out? You can focus on initial sounds (cat, cow, cot, pig), rhyming words (bat, mat, hat, pot) or a particular area of phonics your child is working on.

This game allows you to focus on sounds your child is learning at the moment. Simply write a sound on a sticky-note or paper, and hide it somewhere in the house. Do this with 5-10 sticky-notes, either writing the same sound on each or using different sounds, depending on your child's phonics knowledge. Your child then needs to find each sound and tell you what it is. Use a timer to make the game even more of a challenge!

This is just like the game mentioned above, but this time you're telling your child what sound they're looking for. The challenge is, the note has been placed on something that starts with that sound. For example, the note with 't' written on it has been placed on a tap, 'd' on a door, 'b' on a book and so on.

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Start young children off with mark making and work on hand-eye coordination and finger strength to prepare them for later writing.

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Why writing is important

Writing is an important lifelong skill. Children need to learn to write so they can communicate and express themselves.

Formal writing, taught later in reception, involves transcription (spelling and handwriting) and composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech, before writing).

Formal writing before reception is not necessary, however, you can provide lots of meaningful opportunities for children to learn about the written word and to support them to understand that symbols carry meaning.

Research shows that for writing to develop, you should provide young children with opportunities to build their physical strength and control in the core, upper body, hands and fingers.

Writing develops alongside all learning areas, especially communication and language, reading and mathematics.

When you read texts, you show that print carries meaning. When you write, you explain what decisions you are making in your mind, so children understand how they share thoughts, ideas and feelings. As you model writing you support children to:

understand language patterns

develop their thinking skills

solve problems

make sense of their experiences

Listening to children talking and modelling how to write down the words they say helps children to see how sounds become words on paper.

Sharing children's early mark-making attempts with parents and carers builds children's confidence and self-esteem.

Video

An early years expert explains how to prepare children for writing in the early years foundation stage framework (EYFS). There are also some tips on how to support children in this area.

What the EYFS framework says

Writing involves transcription (spelling and handwriting) and composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech, before writing).

Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage, page 8, childminder EYFS, page 9, group and school-based EYFS.

What this means in practice

Children learn that you can communicate through writing, and that marks have meaning, by watching you write. You could write labels in front of them, while you explain, the direction of print, or what the word is. Use these labels for everyday objects the children are interested in. For example, cars, pram or bike park.

To support transcription, give children opportunities to develop finger strength. In the early stages children need lots of fun, play activities. Provide lots of activities to work at a large scale using brushes on walls outside, before they move on to using chunky crayons or pencils. For example, to develop finger strength in preparation for writing, show them activities like manipulating dough, completing puzzles or threading blocks onto a rope.

Help children develop fine motor skills to grasp, hold, and strengthen fingers and thumbs by scrunching paper and using pick-up tools. For example, use big tweezers to pick up plastic shapes.

Give them opportunities to develop core strength and 'muscle isolation', a crucial first step towards writing. Activities like reaching across the body to put on socks and shoes help children to use their right, or left, body side without the other side moving at the same time. Also, encourage activities like climbing, throwing and catching.

Children move through stages in their mark making. Gradually muscle control becomes more defined until they develop an ability to use straight lines and curves to form symbols.

Generally, 0 to 2 year olds enjoy sensory activities, establishing fun and fascination with shapes, marks, letters and numbers. For example, hide letters and shapes in foamy water. Share books, repeating words, phrases and rhymes. Play finger games like 'Incy Wincy Spider'. Concentrate on activities that could lead to writing, like making marks with large toys, or with fingers in wet sand.

Generally, 2 to 3 year olds like retelling favourite stories and events. Capture these through drawing lines, dots and circles. Promote physical development, communication and understanding. If children use a particular dominant hand, encourage them. This age group should learn 'mark-making'.

Generally, 3 to 4 year olds start behaving like writers, making wavy lines and distinct separate marks. If children show an interest and want to write, it is crucial that they should develop hand and finger strength to hold a chunky crayon or pencil comfortably and with control. Eventually they may be able to make attempts to write some very familiar letters, for example from their name.

Preschool children are not expected to achieve conventional spelling patterns, it is the attempt that counts, and the realisation that marks have meaning.

If children show an interest in writing letters, you can support them to be ready for the next stage of their learning by encouraging them to hold a pencil correctly and form the letter starting in the right place and moving in the right direction. This will support them to develop good habits for the future.

Support children's composition by reading stories, talking to children, re-phrasing what they have said and modelling correct sentence structure. This will support children to share their ideas and help them to develop an understanding of how sentences are formed. Activities, like those in the communication and language sections and within the exploring words section, can help to extend a child's vocabulary and give them words to as they begin to form sentences.

You provide many opportunities for children to capture their thinking and structure it for a range of purposes and audiences (composition). For example, record names of characters in their favourite picture books; make invitations to members of their family for parties, shows or local events. Role play about everyday experiences provide opportunities to write, for example, an office using a keyboard, answering a phone and making notes for Mummy or Daddy. If they go to the shops they may 'write' shopping lists for what they need to buy.

Suggested activities

Recipes for dragon soup

You'll need:

a 'mud kitchen', or outdoor area with old pots and pans, kitchen utensils and stirring sticks. If you do not have a suitable outdoor area, you could do this inside on top of newspaper, an old carpet or sheet

chefs outfits like hats, aprons or anything children might enjoy dressing up in

potion bottles, pestle and mortar

clipboards, marker pens or felt tips

vegetables, these can be wooden, plastic, playdough or real

herbs, to smell and talk about

flower petals, if available

containers, dishes, bowls, colanders

If you cannot do muddy play, provide other materials like a baking tray with a thin layer of sand, salt, glitter, or sieved flour. Children could make marks with the back of a fork or spoon, a paintbrush, finger or stick.

Ask children to be 'chef', making new dragon soup recipes.

Talk about ingredients, how to prepare and sort them. Do we cut them? How many do we need? Make lists together using letters, words or shapes. Either write them yourself with the children watching, or the children could make marks.

Children can pick up ingredients using utensils, stirring, scooping or pouring from one pan to another. Poke the mixture through a colander's holes, building finger strength.

Children can record or write their used ingredients using the clipboard, paper and tools. Younger children may talk about what they do, as a running commentary. Older children may attempt to write words or letters, showing used ingredients, for example, 'c' for carrot, 'o' for onion.

Children gain real life experience choosing ingredients and taking a shopping list to the shops ( understanding the world). They use gross and fine motor skills to stir, poke and write ( physical development). They talk about their recipes, noticing smells and actions ( communication and language). They read about other recipes and dragon stories ( reading comprehension).

Little Red Riding Hood

You'll need:

a copy of Little Red Riding Hood, there are many versions, so children can understand different character viewpoints. In some versions, Little Red Riding Hood is a boy or girl. Anyone can be the character

dressing up clothes, a piece of red cloth, a headband with ears, a tail, a basket with shopping items

a large piece of paper taped under the table, a selection of small paper sheets, envelopes, postcards, various crayons, paints and pencils

miniature characters, trees and animals

sensory materials, like playdough or fabrics

Tell or read your copy of Little Red Riding Hood. Talk about characters, while exploring and sharing thoughts, ideas and feelings using the storyline.

Help children write an invitation to Little Red Riding Hood visiting Grandma's house, addressing an envelope.

What do they need to take? Make a list, a map, food and water, a basket.

Draw a map on the large paper. Draw pictures on it, and label them. Help the children write instructions, so Little Red Riding Hood can find the way.

Roleplay, listening to and developing children's ideas. Find opportunities for as many mark-making or writing attempts for older children as possible.

Adapt based on the children's ages. Some will be able to make some marks, while older ones might write down character's names, or shopping lists.

Mark-making will develop gross and fine motor skills ( physical development). Roleplay will mean acting out the stories ( imagination and creativity), while listening to them ( reading comprehension). While listening, children will seek out rhyming words and sounds ( exploring words).

Other activities
Learning to write activities, short video. Developing fine motor skills in preparation for writing, First Discoverers.
What other nurseries and childminders are doing

"Writing is a form of communication. We encourage children to look at print around preschool, and on our listening walks. There are opportunities in all areas to write using different mark-makers. As fine and gross motor skills are essential for a child to be ready to write, we make sure children develop hand muscles though small, loose-part play. Roleplay creates confidence, helping children get ready for school."

Angela, Hatch Warren Preschool, Basingstoke.

Summary

Writing is a lifelong skill, allowing children to share thoughts, ideas and feelings.

Children need hand-eye coordination and finger strength before learning to write.

Younger children should learn basic mark-making and older children to make plausible attempts at capturing some sounds they hear in words.

Writing builds on children's understanding of language and how print works.

You should model writing and explain your thinking and decision making to help children understand what happens as you write and can begin to copy you.

Next steps

Think about the opportunities you give children to develop muscle strength.

Motivate children to make plausible attempts to behave like a writer, and to draw freely making marks that have meaning.

Provide a wide range of opportunities, such as, wet sand, corn flour, foam, chunky markers, clipboards, chalks for paving stones, and notepads.

Plan small muscle coordination for hands and fingers, through things like using scissors, learning to sew, eating with cutlery, using small painting brushes or drawing pencils and crayons.

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Writing is an important lifelong skill. Children need to learn to write so they can communicate and express themselves. Formal writing, taught later in reception, involves transcription (spelling and handwriting) and composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech, before writing).

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Learning to write is a complex process that involves learning many skills. First, children need to learn to speak, build their vocabulary and develop the fine motor coordination they will need to manipulate a writing instrument. As they grow, they need to learn about the alphabet and to make connections between spoken and written words.

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From scribbling to spelling, learn the best ways to support and facilitate the stages of writing development in early childhood education.

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The Stages of Writing Development in Early Childhood

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From scribbling to spelling, learn the best ways to support and facilitate the stages of writing development in early childhood education.

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Writing places significant demands on pupils’ working memory so it is vital to teach it in a sequenced way that helps to manage those demands.

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Applies to England

Summary

Summary of the messages in the writing framework.

Writing is complex

Writing places significant demands on pupils' working memory so it is vital to teach it in a sequenced way that helps to manage those demands.

Teach handwriting and spelling in reception

Teaching handwriting and spelling (transcription) from the reception year is crucial to ensure that these skills become automatic for children. This will free up their working memory for composition.

Sentence instruction is essential

All writing is made up of sentences. Knowledge of grammar helps pupils to control sentences and convey meaning, but it does not support their writing fluency when taught in isolation.

Spoken language is as important for writing as for reading

Pupils should compose orally while they are developing their transcription skills. This can still be valuable even when they can transcribe fluently.

Quality is more important than length

Pupils need to master the foundations of writing - handwriting, spelling and sentence construction. They should not be expected to write at length before they are ready.

The reception year is vital

The reception year builds the foundations that support pupils' writing throughout primary school and underpin their future success.

Identify pupils who need additional support

It is important to identify the pupils who need additional support with writing as early as possible, from reception onwards. Teachers can then adapt their teaching and make it accessible. This includes giving pupils more time and practice so that they can make good progress.

It will take time to tackle all the challenges in teaching writing

Schools should concentrate initially on teaching high-quality transcription and sentence instruction, while gradually developing broader writing skills.

Avoid focusing too heavily on test preparation

This can limit the development of skills and knowledge, stifling pupils' creativity and wider writing development.

Leaders must establish the culture and curriculum

Leaders are responsible for:

establishing a positive writing culture

developing a well-sequenced curriculum

ensuring that all teachers are trained to teach writing

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We use some essential cookies to make this website work. We'd like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. You have accepted additional cookies.

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Young children need to learn to enjoy writing and to understand its purpose. Mark making will help them to be more willing to join in as they face the challenging task of learning to write.

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EYFS Mark Making Ideas & Activities that Help Children – Play of the Wild

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See these hands-on EYFS mark making activities that will benefits children’s learning and development. See how they can learn through play!

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EYFS Mark Making Ideas & Activities that Help Children

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***This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase via these links I may receive a small commission but this is at no additional cost to you, it does however support this blog.***

Mark Making was one of the first targets my kids were given in their reports from nursery. It would also say a multisensory approach was needed. So in this post I am going to share some really easy ideas that have worked well for us.
What is mark making?
Mark making is a large part of early years development. Making marks, dots and lines along with first scribbles is a key step in developing the skills needed for writing. Alongside this sitting, attention and concentration skills all need to develop to support the ability to write later on.

A Multisensory Approach

Multi sensory basically means using lots of your senses - sight, hearing, smell, movement etc. Touch is a key one here and finding different ways to interact with mark making to help find what works for your child. My boys are both sensory seekers and will spend much longer on something like a water pen or blackboard than they would with pen and paper.

Every child will have different preferences and at first we just want them to have fun and develop the motor skills while they play. Some will engage quickly with mark making others will take a bit longer. Initially some will only do a couple of dots or strokes then lose interest, this is fine because it will develop over time.

The most important thing you can do as a parent / carer is provide lots of access to different multi sensory approaches to help encourage mark making.

20 multisensory mark making approches:

1: Paint

Painting is something most of us do with our kids but try to introduce different instruments. Try painting with different objects brushes, sponges combs, leaves, cotton reels, kitchen utensils. A great one is driving toys through paint, for some extra sensory feedback try doing it on foil.

2: Pens

Board marker pens are great as they are thicker so easier to grip for little hands. Letting kids loose on a white board is usually worth it. My boy's loved the Think Board we had. Lots of different coloured pens are great, I like to use the Crayola washable pens so its easily wiped up when they mark the table / wall / me! My boys seem to love using biro's too especially when I leave my diary open so they can scribble over all my appointments!

3: Pencils

You can buy thicker pencils which are again easier for small hands, we use these BIC learner pencils. Having a set of coloured pencils as well as pens allows more choice and will work better on paper and colouring in books.

4: Crayons

Crayons are a must for early mark making, they are great for teaching the need for pressure. Remember you don't need to just use paper with crayons why not draw on a cardboard box or piece of fabric.

5: Chalk

Chalk is one that has great sensory feedback but remember some may hate the noise of chalk on a blackboard. Others like my youngest will love it and spend ages on his chalk picture! The kids easel from Ikea is great as it has a blackboard one side and whiteboard the other, plus it folds away easily.

6: Stamps

Stamps can be great fun from foam stamps or homemade vegetable stamps for paint to ink sets with our favourite characters. My youngest has hyperlexia so he is a big letters fan and loves his letter stamps.

7: Light up board

A bit like a whiteboard these LED drawing boards are brilliant. Another one perfect for sensory seekers.

8: Foam

My boys love a bit of foam play and we tend to use bath foam soap rather than shaving cream but both work. You can just put some foam on a tray and use fingers, brushes or utensils to make lots of marks. A fun one with foam is to make fluffy paint. My son loves to help make this up by simply mixing foam, PVA glue and food colouring.

9: Sand

Sand is great for mark making, especially with a big stick or your foot on the beach. A sandpit in the garden is ideal in summer, my son would sit in his turtle sandpit for hours with small sticks making patterns.

10: Flour

Flour and also icing sugar are great for using fingers to make patterns. Or as my son decided below why not use a toy sword! PECS has a fun puffy sidewalk chalk activity you can do outside with flour.

11: Mud

If your kids love getting messy then mud is just as fun, preferable with a stick but I know my boys love sitting in some mud using their hands. It is easy to add a little soil with water in a tray for some fun on a rainy day.

12: Snow / ice

Snow is brilliant because most kids love it. As we don't get much snow here ice can be just as fun. On a hot day use some ice to make marks on the pavement. On a cold day use paintbrushes dipped in hot water to mark and melt a block of ice. This can be great if you freeze some toys into the block.

13: Scratch art

Scratch art sets are great as your child gets to slowly reveal the picture. This Gruffalo set was very popular with my boys. You can also get scratch books that you use a coin to reveal the picture.

14: Water magic

Another brilliant sensory picture reveal is water magic. My boys particularly like the Galt water magic books which include little water pens (pictured above).

15: Apps

There are some brilliant apps that are designed to get kids tracing letters or making art with their fingers. My kids love 'Peppa's Paintbox' which is a free app. Lots of apps have alphabet tracing which has really helped my boys to form letters. We use 'ABC Alphabet Letter Tracing' which is free and Otsimo which is paid but includes letter tracing and much more.

16: Wipe clean books

Wipe clean books really helped my boys with concentration, I think they are particularly good for visual learners. Ideal when you want to start with lines and shapes, you can then move on to letters, numbers and words.

17: Air writing

Ideal for very active kids, you can use you arm or finger to write and make shapes in the air. When starting try things like dance ribbons that will make shapes as you move them. This is also great for crossing the midline.

18: Worksheets

As mark making develops worksheets are a great way to encourage shapes and then letters. I often use Twinkl worksheets in our TEACCH bag. Here are some good ones to try:

19: Stencils / rulers

Introduce stencils and rulers to help make more defined marks. Rulers can be great fun when they are first introduced. Letter stencils are good for those starting letter formation.

20: Messy play

Messy play often works well for mark making. Cornflour and water gloop is ideal and usually a hit with sensory seekers. Another fun one on a sunny day is a large paintbrush and bucket of water so your child can 'paint' a wall or window.

Learning to write takes a long time but all of this early activity helps build the skills needed. Kids will start with mark making and move on to shape and letter formation. When they start to form shapes teaching a child to write their own name can be great motivation.

My kids also do Handwriting without Tears at school which includes a multi sensory approach to handwriting. Over lockdown school sent home the kit (picture below) and it is a great way to support handwriting for those that may need a bit longer and a different approach.

I hope this has given you some ideas. Please share your mark making tips and suggestions in the comments below.

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20 Easy ways to support mark making - The Autism Page

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Mark making is the first step towards learning to write. There are so many ways to make this fun for our kids.

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Encourage children to make their mark! Young children have a natural desire to explore and experiment. They relish in the sensory and physical experience of mark-making

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John Matthews

Encourage children to make their mark! Young children have a natural desire to explore and experiment. They relish in the sensory and physical experience of mark-making. This includes the sensation of marker pens gliding across a whiteboard, paint smearing onto an easel, chalk scraping into the tarmac and grains of sand running through their fingers.

Mark-making is much more than just a scribble! Babies and toddlers learn and begin to make sense of the world through mark-making. It is the beginning of a child's journey towards writing and is an important step in a child's development. It contributes to handwriting, creativity and coordination. Initially, children take pleasure from the physical activity of mark-making. But as they develop, they realise that they can control their marks and their creativity starts to thrive.

What is mark making?

Mark-making simply refers to the creation of different patterns, lines, textures and shapes. This term is typically used to describe the scribbles that early years children make on a piece of paper. However, this doesn't just refer to squiggles made with stationery. Children are still making marks if they use their hands, paintbrushes or sticks.

This gives children the opportunity to express themselves and explore new materials other than pen and paper. Encourage them to create marks using their fingers to draw in the sand, paint on an easel or prod them into a soft dough. This activity isn't just bound to the indoors either. Head outside and engage your children in some outdoor mark-making to explore the natural world and take mark-making to the next level! Let them drag a stick through the mud or go wild with colours with a jumbo Outdoor Kit!

Why is mark-making so important?

A step towards writing...

Research has shown that mark-making is crucial for a child's development and learning. It not only teaches young children how to hold a pen correctly, but it also prepares them for writing and develops their handwriting skills.

Physical development

When children are making these early marks, they are practising holding a pencil and attempting to control their marks with their muscles. This enhances their physical development by improving their fine motor skills and helps to develop their hand-eye coordination.

Creative representation

Mark-making can also represent a child's thoughts and ideas. It gives children the opportunity to express themselves creatively and allows them to communicate their feelings through their drawings or even use their marks to tell a story! As they develop, their marks become more complex and sophisticated and their creativity blooms.

Brain and language development

By giving children the opportunity to explore different mediums of mark-making, engages them in sensory play and allows them to discover new exciting materials. This helps to enhance a child's critical thinking, brain development and language development. Together this gives them the ability to build towards more complex learning tasks in the future. These marks can also support emerging concepts of maths, developing into a mathematical representation and enhancing learning.

How do you encourage mark-making in early years settings?

When trying to encourage mark-making in an early years setting, creating a nurturing and supportive environment where children feel empowered to mark-make is the most important thing to consider. Below are some ways to encourage mark-making in the early years:

Talk through marks - ask your children what marks they are making and what they mean.

Provide a range of materials - this variety of materials will stimulate children's curiosity and interest in experimenting with mark-making.

Create an inviting space - ensure that you have a dedicated area for mark making, keeping materials organised and accessible so children can freely explore and experiment without restriction.

Use open-ended prompts - instead of giving children instructions on what to do, offer open-ended prompts or questions like "What do you want to express today?" or "What story are you telling with your marks" This approach encourages children to think creatively and express their own thoughts and feelings

Connect mark-making to their interests - for example, if your children love animals, try and integrate mark-making activities into small-world animal play. This connection will allow them to be more enthusiastic about mark-making.

Embrace messiness - provide children with aprons and smocks to protect clothing and ensure that they feel comfortable exploring the mess!

Modelling and demonstration - visually show children how to use different materials and mark-making techniques.

Encourage collaboration - try and get your whole early years setting involved. Children love working together on a larger canvas. This is a great way to promote communication and cooperation.

Document and celebrate - Be sure to take photos of children's creations and display them in the classroom. This can reinforce their sense of accomplishment and self-esteem.

Respect unique styles - avoid comparing or criticising work, as this can discourage creativity.

Get children outdoors - encourage them to adventure outdoors to find materials to mark make with.

Change up the materials - try to change up the mark-making tools and materials to keep children engaged. This helps to prevent monotony and encourages continued exploration.

Ask thoughtful questions - ask them questions like " Why did you choose this colour", or "What do your marks represent?" This helps promote self-reflection and communication.

How does mark-marking support a child's learning?

Mark-making plays an important role in supporting a child's learning and development, especially during the early stages of their education. Mark-making goes beyond just creating art, through mark making children can further their cognitive, social, physical and emotional growth.

Below are some of the ways mark-making helps to support a child's learning:

Fine motor skills - Children train small muscles in their hands as they use drawing and writing tools. This helps with the development of fine motor skills, which play an important role in everyday tasks like writing, buttoning clothes and using utensils.

Hand-eye coordination - as children create marks, they learn to coordinate hand movements and visual inputs. This is essential for tasks like reading, writing and motor control in sports.

Spatial awareness - creating marks on paper helps children better understand shapes, sizes, proportions and relativity.

Self-expression - Mark-making allows children to express themselves and their emotions in a nonverbal and creative way. This makes mark-making a great activity for children who struggle to talk and verbalise their feelings.

Confidence and self-esteem - through mark-making, children can create and watch their efforts turn into visual outcomes freely. This in turn boosts confidence and self-esteem

Creativity - mark making is a great way for children to explore creating different shapes, colours, sizes and more.

Problem-solving - children can experiment with different problem-solving tools and determine how to create certain shapes, textures and marks.

Learning about colour and texture - Mark making with different colours and consistencies of paint can help them learn more about the properties of different colours, colour mixing and textures.

Pre-writing skills - creating lines, curves and shapes during mark-making lays the foundation for children to learn how to write.

What materials can you use for mark-making?

Below are some great materials to use for mark-making:

Drawing tools - coloured pencils, crayons, markers, oil pastels, charcoal sticks, jumbo chalk

Paints - watercolours, finger paints, tempera paints, ready mix paints

Ink-stamp markers, ink, number stamps

Natural resources- leaves, twigs, feathers, pine cones. seashells

Textures - bubble wrap, fabric scraps, mesh

Household resources - toothbrushes, cotton buds, cotton balls, combs, potato stamps

Printmaking resources- rollers, rubber stamp

Sculpting elements - clay and playdough

Recyclable materials - bottle caps, cardboard tubes, plastic containers

What mark-making resources are available?

There is a huge range of stationery available for mark making - including various colouring pens, markers, crayons, chalks, pastels, pencils, paper and card. But, you're not bound to stationery. Explore our complete Arts and Crafts and handwriting section on our website to discover an exciting range of different mark making materials - including paints, dough, sand and much more!

We also boast a fantastic selection of kids mark making kits, specifically designed for children to make their mark! Introduce a child to mark making with their very First Set or make it easier for those small hands with the Easi Grip Kit - or why not level up with the funky EYR Rock & Roll Pack. Whatever materials children use, it's extremely important to encourage mark making for their transition into writing.

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The Importance of Mark Making for Early Years

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Discover the why mark making is so important for early years developing their development skills from fine motor skills to handwriting.

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Why is mark making an important form of early writing and how can practitioners support and resource for it in their settings?

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Observing children's development is one of the many joys of working in the early years. This is particularly true when it comes to mark making. While babies may enjoy smearing food onto their faces, four-year-olds take great delight in producing strings of letter shapes.

So why is this form of writing so important and how can we promote it in the early years?

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF WRITING
Before looking at mark making and how it supports later writing, it is worth exploring the nature of writing. Writing is language, usually spoken, that has been turned into symbols. Put simply, writing is all about words!

Interestingly, in the revised EYFS framework, the literacy education programme emphasises this. In practice, it means plenty of opportunities for talk, but also opportunities for children to narrate what they have been doing as this helps children to sequence what eventually they may want to write.

Provide plenty of opportunities for children to talk and develop their language.

Use photographs as prompts to help children talk about what they have been doing.

Look out for books with no or limited print and work with children to work out what the story might be.

Create times for children to repeat their personal stories to others so that their stories become more fluent.

Scribe children's stories down so that they can see how their words can be turned into meaningful text.

AVOID CONFUSING HANDWRITING WITH WRITING
The key difference between talk and writing is the process by which words become text.

This can happen in a variety of ways. Words can be handwritten using tools such as pens, pencils or, in the case of stonemasons, chisels. They can also be recorded using keyboards, both mechanical and touchscreen. Finally, there is dictation. Someone can act as a scribe. Dictaphones or voice-activated software can be used. As well as turning words into text, older children also have to learn the conventions of punctuation and spelling.

In this country, we teach children to record their words using handwriting. There are advantages to this as it is a sensory process, but the reality is that handwriting in everyday life has been surpassed by typewritten text. Recognising that handwriting is not the same as writing is important as sometimes adults focus on the construction of letter shapes rather than what children are trying to express.

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY MARK MAKING?
Mark making is sometimes referred to as emergent writing. It is the first step in children's journey towards the type of writing that can be read and understood by others. The concept of emergent writing is that over time and with support, children's mark-making metamorphoses into something that is recognisably writing. To the untrained eye, early mark making may look fairly inconsequential as children smear, scribble and splat, but this process helps children to develop the skills and attitudes needed to become confident and competent writers. The table shows a loose guide to the process from mark making to writing. It is worth noting that stages are not neat and even. A child in Reception who can write a simple sentence may in their own pretend play make a series of zigzags to represent writing.

LEARNING TO WRITE TAKES TIME
There is a package of skills alongside language that children need to develop. Researchers Puranik and Lonigan (2014), have usefully divided them into three broad areas: conceptual knowledge, procedural knowledge and generative knowledge. If we look at these three areas, we can see that learning to write will take time and most children do not become fluent until they are around 11 years old.

CONCEPTUAL KNOWLEDGE
This is about building children's knowledge of the purpose of print. It links also to learning to read as children start to notice print in the environment. They may ask what things say and also start to be interested in the reasons that adults are writing. Children who are developing conceptual knowledge of writing will, for example, announce that they are 'writing', even though their marks may look random.

PROCEDURAL KNOWLEDGE
Children also need to develop a wide range of skills in order to create their own print. They need fine motor skills to control writing implements as well as learning how to form letter shapes, although it is worth noting that gross motor movements need to precede these. Children also need to link letter shapes to sounds and also to be able to detect phonemes or sounds in the words that they wish to write. These skills are linked to learning to read, and so while children may be interested in mark making, leaps forward in their writing tend to come after they have started to master reading. This means that many children will be in Key Stage 1 when they start to write sentences with ease.

GENERATIVE KNOWLEDGE
This is the cognitive-linguistic aspect to writing. It is the ability to structure thoughts into sentences in a coherent way. While early on in the writing journey, children may copy sentences or write single words, as their generative knowledge develops, they start to think more about what they want to say independently of adult prompting. Scribing for children is a useful way of supporting generative knowledge.

SUPPORTING CHILDREN'S WRITING JOURNEYS
There are a number of things that adults can do to support children towards becoming a competent writer.
Role-modelling
One of the most important factors in supporting children's mark making is to create opportunities for children to see adults write. Children, from early on, notice what adults do, and this inspires them to have a go. As handwriting is the first tool that children are taught, this means that children need to see adults with 'pen in hand'.

This may seem straightforward, but more thought needs to be given to this aspect than in previous years. Many of the writing activities that adults used to do using handwriting, such as write shopping lists or take orders in restaurants, are being done using technology. Early years settings have also increased the use of technology to record observations and to pass information to parents. The arrival of Covid has sped this up, with many early years settings now passing all information to parents using online platforms rather than the traditional home-nursery book. Given that role-modelling has a significant influence on children's interest in writing, it is worth reflecting on opportunities to model writing in front of children.

How many times a day will children see adults with 'pen in hand'?

Do you encourage parents to look for opportunities to handwrite in front of their children?

Do you provide opportunities for children to use the same or similar resources that adults use, e.g. pens, markers, envelopes and forms?

The way we model writing can also make a difference to children's understanding of the writing process, as well as the link between letters, shapes and sounds.

Talk about why you are writing things down, e.g. 'I'll write a note so that I won't forget about it.'

Show children how you think about what you are about to write - 'I think I'll write "Remember Madison's coat".'

If possible, ask older children what they think that you should write - 'What should I write to help me remember this?' Invite children to contribute to what you are doing - this might be adding in their own marks on top of yours.

Write slowly and narrate how you construct some of the letter shapes that might be of interest to children.

Draw children's attention to the initial sound in words.

WRITING IS FUN
As well as role-modelling, we have to make sure that children associate writing activities with pleasure. We have seen that there are many skills for children to learn and that learning to write takes time. If children lose confidence or dislike writing activities during their journey, they spend less time engaged in it and so are less likely to develop the skills needed.

Avoid any criticism of, or corrections to, children's writing.

Encourage children to talk about their writing. Was there anything that they particularly enjoyed doing?

Ask them if they would like to know how to do something, such as writing the first letter in their name.

Keep mark-making activities playful and meaningful.

Make sure that parents recognise the difference between letters and words that children have copied and those that they have generated independently.

PROVIDE A WIDE RANGE OF OPPORTUNITIES
A wide range of opportunities to engage in mark making activities is essential, especially in the early stages of mark making. Sensory resources can help children to develop hand-eye co-ordination as well as gross motor skills. The sensory feedback from activities such as using brushes with dry rice or using a stick in damp sand can help children to associate writing with pleasure. When choosing resources for mark making, think about whether they will produce a 'satisfying and successful' mark for the child. In practical terms, it is the difference between a box of felt tips that are past their best and a chunky marker on a large whiteboard.

In a similar vein, if you have a designated mark-making area, it needs to be a place of inspiration. This might mean regularly changing some resources so there are new things on offer, but also combining it with resources associated with painting, collage or junk-modelling. Alongside a mark making area, it is essential that mark making opportunities are woven into the other areas of play and the routines of the setting both indoors and outdoors.

IMAGINATIVE PLAY AND EARLY WRITING
From around three years old, most children start to be interested in some form of imaginative play. This might include small-world play as well as role play. Imaginative play is a natural fit with early writing. Children may want to pretend they are doing surveys or are writing signs to bring in customers to their shoe shop. Look out for as many real-life resources as possible and remember that quite often adults may need to play alongside children to incorporate writing into play.

WRITING FOR A PURPOSE
It is helpful to create plenty of opportunities for writing to have an authentic purpose, such as signing in at the start of sessions or putting a mark to vote for today's snack. Children also love receiving and sending letters and cards, while older children love resources reflecting the adult world, such as forms, duplicate books and making signs.

BOYS AND WRITING
Finally, it is not uncommon for early years settings to report that some of their older boys are not interested in mark making activities. One explanation for this might be that some boys perceive that writing using pens and pencils is not a 'male' activity. This is perhaps borne out by settings who find that boys show great enthusiasm when writing activities are masculinised in some way, e.g. creating a pirate den where treasure maps and messages are written. In addition, settings that encourage dads and key male figures in boys' lives to pick up a pen often find that this can make a real difference to children's interest in writing.

Put up photographs of boys' fathers and older brothers using a pen.

Encourage dads, granddads and older siblings into the setting to join in mark making activities.

Consider 'masculinising' some writing opportunities, e.g. dinosaur surveys, builders' shopping lists.

Provide information for parents about the benefits of role-modelling, especially fathers and sons.

Type of mark-making / Development and understanding
Random marks: Marks are made without any particular aim.
Scribbling with the intention of writing: Children make marks and say that they are writing. They recognise that writing and drawing are different.
Zigzag patterns/ lines as children imitate the appearance of adult handwriting: Children start to show that they understand that in English, print goes from left to right and text goes from top to bottom. They might have noticed adults underline important things.
Letter shapes appearing in mark-making: Letter shapes can be seen alongside other marks. Letters from children's names are likely to appear. Some letters may be repeated. Children may copy letters from signs or props that they can see.
Strings of letter shapes and sometimes repeated letter shapes in lines: Most marks are now letter shapes. They may be organised into straight lines. Children are deliberate about why they are writing. They may choose to copy words or ask adults to show them how to write a letter shape of interest to them.
Groups of letter shapes and spaces to represent sentences: Children show that they understand that groups of letters represent words. They put spaces between words in their mark-making. They are clear about what they are expressing.
Attempts to use letters to represent sounds in words: Children start to think about the sounds and letter shapes needed to write words. They may write an 'm' for mummy.
Increased use of phonic/graphic knowledge of words to create simple sentences: Children start to use their phonic knowledge to write simple words. Their writing may become formulaic, e.g. 'I like dogs', 'I like cats', 'I like mummy'.

CASE STUDY: Little Acorns in Wendover
Little Acorns in Wendover is a sessional pre-school. In 2020 it was judged Outstanding by Ofsted. Jackie Bird, assistant manager, explains that its approach to supporting children's early writing is child centred: 'We believe that early writing is an organic process and that while it can be encouraged, it can't be forced.'

Jackie goes onto explain that while there are always plenty of chunky pens, crayons and traditional writing materials around, they also use a wide range of sensory opportunities including playdough and gloop that can entice children into mark making.

'Gloop is always a favourite, but so too are glitter trays with older children. We often find that children are interested in making the shape of the initial letter in their name with the glitter, although if children are not interested, there is never any pressure. We regularly put out a long strip of paper on the floor and have an "anything goes" approach where children can come and make as many or few marks as they want.'

Jackie recommends easy access to writing opportunities in all areas of the setting, especially outdoors. 'With Covid this year, we have spent a lot of time outdoors. Children have chosen to paint with water but also use the chunky chalks outdoors. Some children also love our whiteboards. They make marks and then wipe them clean. We have also used paint and games to encourage older children to make large circles and crosses to develop early writing movements.'

In common with other early years settings, Jackie says she has had to be creative when there are any reluctant writers. 'We had a group of boys who were not taking up the mark making opportunities on offer. We were slightly concerned as they were due to go to the Reception class. We took them outdoors away from the other children and put out two tables covered in shaving foam. As we are near an RAF base and there were planes flying overhead, we said that we were on a secret mission and needed to write messages.

They found this hugely exciting and we repeated this activity for several weeks. We gradually introduced sticks and then pencils.

Over time, we moved the activity indoors and started to use paper and pens. The children became increasingly confident and started to see themselves as writers.'

MORE INFORMATION

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EYFS Best Practice - All about... mark making - Nursery World

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Why is mark making an important form of early writing and how can practitioners support and resource for it in their settings? Penny Tassoni investigates

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Mark-making is one of the key building blocks in developing early writing – but why, and how?

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One of the most joyful aspects of working in the early years is seeing children experiment with making marks.

These are the marks that will gradually develop into writing and drawing, and which allow children to express themselves and their ideas. Even before they are able to talk fluently, we gain an insight into our children's thinking through the marks that they make.

Writing in all its forms is a powerful tool for communication. But how does it begin? And what role does early mark-making have?

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Writing is a physical skill

The act of writing is very much a physical skill as well as an intellectual one.

A key area for development in the early years is around this physical aspect of mark-making - building the strength and coordination needed to make those marks to begin with. Where we see issues around motor control and writing later on, it is often because the child's initial physical development was not sufficient for building the strength and dexterity required to write.

When a baby is born, she cannot hold up her head. Gradually her strength develops, and this happens from the head downwards, and from the body out. In other words, she must learn to balance her head on her neck before she can move on to crawl, then walk, and then to build the strength and dexterity required to sit still and write.

So of course, this core strength is needed before children can even begin to make the fine motor movements required to manipulate a writing tool.

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Fine and gross motor control

That's why in order to develop the physical skills needed to write, settings should focus on lots of physical play, including activities that promote both fine and gross motor development. Children can build this core strength in all sorts of different ways - climbing, lifting, carrying buckets of water, hanging from bars and so on.

Fine motor and eye-to-hand coordination will develop through lots of activities that utilise actions like pinching, grasping, twisting, threading, squashing, and squeezing. You can incorporate these throughout your continuous provision, such as by providing sponges in an area set up as a garage, encouraging children to squeeze them out as they wash the cars in their role play.

Activities such as threading, weaving and manipulating small items with tweezers will all help build fine motor control and eye-to-hand coordination.

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Learning to focus

Another skill needed to be able to write is the ability to focus on one thing to the exclusion of all others. We can help children learn how to concentrate by offering them learning that really engages them. Multi-sensory activities typically help children to really focus their attention and will also help build those precious fine motor skills.

For instance, I once watched a two-year-old scooping out the centre of a pumpkin at Halloween time. She spent ages exploring how the texture of the pumpkin felt on her fingers and tongue. The level of focus she demonstrated, and the length of time for which she applied herself to the task, was incredible to see in such a young child.

Experiencing that concentration at such a young age is a fantastic early experience to prepare her for the demands of writing at a later date.

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Provide more multi-sensory opportunities

Although it is tempting to think about early mark-making as using a pencil, crayon, or paints, there are lots of different materials your children can use to make marks.

This could include mark-making in natural materials such as mud, sand or snow. They can also use different tools to make their marks, including natural materials such as grasses, sticks and feathers.

The key is that they're exploring the media in a way that is engaging and creative to them.

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A sea of talk

What else? Well, writing is essentially the act of turning the thoughts in our heads into marks on a page. In order to write, your children need something to write about.

They also need to learn how to formulate and structure their thoughts when putting them on the page and to develop lots of vocabulary to help them explain those thoughts too.

A lovely quote from James Britton sums up the vital role of talk and discussion in this part of the development of writing well, that "Reading and writing float on a sea of talk". Children need something to write about; they also need the chance to formulate and structure their thinking, and to build their language. The very best way for them to do this is through lots of talk.

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Serve and return conversations

'Serve and return' conversations are really important in helping children to build language and communication skills. In a 'serve and return' conversation, talk flows backwards and forwards between the child and the practitioner, in a responsive set of interactions.

The technique, known as 'sustained shared thinking', will help you to build these serve and return conversations with your children. When using this technique, you help the children to build their thinking via the use of open-ended questions and conversations during play that help increase understanding.

To learn more about sustained shared thinking - you can check out our two-part guide with Kathy Brodie here - Matt

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An act of expression and communication

Writing (and its precursor, mark-making) is an act of expression - we write in order to 'make our mark' too. Mark-making allows us to communicate with other people, helping them to understand our ideas, or to gain an insight into how we feel.

Explore the many different ways in which you can encourage your children to express themselves. For instance, they might respond with marks to a piece of music or draw images of themselves to show how they are feeling. More generally, encouraging children to express themselves in different ways is a key part in learning self-regulation and understanding their emotions too.

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Creating an audience

It is important to consider the role of an 'audience' in writing, when thinking about ways to engage and motivate your children. A piece of writing only really 'comes to life' when someone reads it - until then it is just words on a page.

You can use picture books to help you create imaginary audiences for the children's writing - for instance, writing a letter for the 'Jolly Postman' to deliver, or writing a set of instructions to make a sandwich for the 'Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch'.

There are lots of ways in which parents and carers can act as an audience for the children's mark-making, even in something as simple as drawing and writing cards for the different celebrations that punctuate the year.

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Writing in role

One of the most powerful forms of mark-making is writing done from a different perspective, or role. By taking on a role and then writing as though we are that person, we can help the children build empathy and an understanding of different viewpoints and perspectives.

By creating different role-play opportunities, we can get the children to 'take on' a character and then write the kind of things that this character might write. For instance, making signs or writing lists while in role as a shopkeeper, or creating superhero symbols while playing in role in a superhero den.

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Mark-making outdoors

Because there is less concern about 'making a mess', the outdoors can provide the perfect environment for mark making. Experiment with lots of different materials for making marks - paint, outdoor chalks, mud, sand and so on.

A lovely way to encourage mark-making in the outdoors is to set up a road system that children can 'drive' on using any ride-on vehicles you have. The children can make marks to show where the roads go, and create road signs for the other children to follow.

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'Becoming' a Writer

The process of becoming a writer is one that takes place over time, but is one that starts with the feeling that people are going to value what you say with your marks. As early years practitioners we play a vital role in helping their children take their first steps along the 'road to writing'. The joy of being involved in the first part of this process is a wonderfully rewarding part of the work that we get to do every day in our settings.
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Sue Cowley is an author, presenter and teacher educator. She has helped to run her local early years setting for ten years. Her latest book is The Ultimate Guide to Mark Making in the Early Years published by Bloomsbury.

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Sue Cowley: How to Encourage Early Years Mark-Making | Famly

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One of the most joyful aspects of working in the early years is seeing children experiment with making marks. These are the marks that will gradually develop into writing and drawing, and which allow children to express themselves and their ideas.

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Mark Making Activities For Younger Children - Early Years Careers

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There are many resources out there available to purchase to help with mark making, however, try these 10 simple mark making activities for younger children

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Activities To Support Babies Mark Making - Early Years Careers

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When deciding on mark making activities think about the children’s ages and stage of development and also what their interests are.

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Mark Making Really Matters in the Early Years - Busy Busy Learning

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Mark making matters in the early years. Early writing opportunities help develop confident writers of the future. Top resources and ideas to promote.

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Physical activity guidelines for children (under 5 years)

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Physical activity guidelines for children under five years to keep them fit and healthy, including simple ways to build activity into their day.

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Understand why physical development is important to early years children.

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Understand why physical development is important to early years children.

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These resources will help you check your current curriculum meets the requirement of the revised physical development area of learning.

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Gross and fine motor experiences develop incrementally throughout early childhood, starting with sensory explorations and the development of a child's strength, co-ordination and positional awareness through tummy time, crawling and play movement with both objects and adults.

By creating games and providing opportunities for play both indoors and outdoors, adults can support children to develop their core strength, stability, balance, spatial awareness, co-ordination and agility.

Gross motor skills provide the foundation for developing healthy bodies and social and emotional well-being.

Fine motor control and precision helps with hand-eye co-ordination which is later linked to early literacy.

Repeated and varied opportunities to explore and play with small world activities, puzzles, arts and crafts and the practise of using small tools, with feedback and support from adults, allow children to develop proficiency, control and confidence.

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Help for early years providers : Physical development

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Gross and fine motor experiences develop incrementally throughout early childhood, starting with sensory explorations and the development of a child's strength, co-ordination and positional awareness through tummy time, crawling and play movement with both objects and adults.

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Approaches and practices to support physical development in the early years.

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The EEF is an independent charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement.

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Practical ideas for physical activities to help with babies and young children's physical development

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This section provides activities to develop core skills among babies aged 0-18 months along with information on the skills we would expect to see emerging at this age.

Activities in the Toddler section are suitable for children aged 18 - 36 months. Some children might be ready to move to the preschool section sooner or later, dependent on their level of development.

Activities within the Preschool section are typically suitable for children aged 3 years - reception age, although skills and activities in the younger age groups may still need to be reinforced.

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This section provides activities to develop core skills among babies aged 0-18 months along with information on the skills we would expect to see emerging at this age. Activities in the Toddler section are suitable for children aged 18 - 36 months.

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Why core strength and co-ordination is important

Core strength is children's ability to keep their position and move from the centre of their body outwards. If core strength is underdeveloped, children will struggle with gross motor skills and fine motor skills, stability and balance. This will affect their ability to coordinate more refined movements.

Coordination is the brain's ability to control movement of different body parts at the same time. When babies are born, their most developed body part is their head, and the least developed is their feet. It takes 2 months before an infant recognises their hands as their own.

To be confident with movement children must develop both core strength and coordination.

Developing core strength and co-ordination supports children's ability to communicate, learn language and eventually read and write. Whole body movements contribute to the accurate use of small tools and delicate materials. Writing, drawing and painting should be considered as whole-body skills.

Video

In this video, an early years expert explains the importance of core strength and co-ordination in the early years foundation stage framework. There are also some tips on how to support children in this area.

What the EYFS framework says

By creating games and providing opportunities for play both indoors and outdoors, adults can support children to develop their core strength, stability, balance, spatial awareness, co-ordination and agility.

Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage, page 8, childminder EYFS, page 10, group and school-based EYFS.

What this means in practice

Children must have plenty of opportunities to play indoors and outdoors. They need to be active and use their whole bodies in as many different, challenging ways as possible. Over time children have more control over their bodies, and what they can do. Less happens by chance, and movements become more deliberate, being achieved with confidence.

Children are naturally curious and love to play physically, exploring possible movement opportunities. Movement play, encouraged through challenging spaces and open-ended resources, allows children to start their own games.

Observe how the core strength of babies and children is developed. You can then decide if what you provide, indoors and outdoors, is meeting their physical development needs.

When observing babies and young children at play, notice their 'postural reflexes' that support their ability to sit up, stand still, maintain balance and move in a coordinated way.

Observe their confidence using tools like a gardening trowel, and wheeled toys such as a wheelbarrow, tricycle or balance bike.

Plan what you provide, so babies and young children can roll, crawl, walk, run, jump, balance, throw, catch, and ride wheeled toys. Well-planned play spaces let children move freely, developing their body strength.

This core strength helps develop senses, spatial awareness, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, visual development and limb co-ordination.

Suggested activities

Gardening

You'll need:

an outdoor area

child-sized gardening gloves

tools

containers and plant pots, including found resources

seeds

plants

soil, for container gardening and bulb planting

For some settings this may mean gardening on a smaller scale in containers and pots. Support children to weed the garden area. Children love to collect weeds in buckets and wheelbarrows, transporting them to the composting area.

Children dig over the garden area with your help to prepare for sowing seeds and planting plants.

Sow vegetable and flower seeds. Problem-solve with children about how to protect outdoor areas. Make homemade labels, showing where seeds have been sown. Strike a balance between plants that grow quickly, like lettuce and cress, and those that take a little longer.

Put out various containers for sowing seeds, like egg cartons and plastic trays. Children can use found materials and think about what works best, and why.

You could also buy plants to plant. Children enjoy the process of digging holes, placing the plants in and then pressing the soil down to make sure they're in position. Movements like this further develop core strength and coordination.

Gardening supports and extends children's physical development, muscular strength, fine motor skills and coordination. Bending over to pull up weeds, lifting a stone or picking up a soil bucket all support developing core strength. Joints are strengthened and made more flexible.

Check that any plants you use are appropriate, some can be poisonous, or have sharp thorns.

If you're inexperienced in gardening here's the Royal Horticultural Society's beginners guide.

Cbeebies also have guidance on gardening with young children.

Children help to make labels, learning that literacy skills have real purpose. Gardening relates to children's understanding of the world. There are good opportunities to enrich and widen children's widening vocabulary, learning the correct names of plants and gardening tools, while describing, informing, predicting and reasoning. Gardening allows you to talk about the ecological part of understanding the world with growing food, re-using containers and water conservation by collecting rainwater in a water butt.

Adventurous climbing and swinging

Adventurous climbing outside develops children's core strength and coordination. The best resource for adventurous climbing is an accessible tree. You can also attach a swing. Swings help develop children's core strength because of the muscles they use to sit securely and move with their legs.

If there are no trees in your setting or childminder home, look for other local opportunities.

Tree stumps are equally challenging, especially when arranged together. They can be donated or bought.

Follow health and safety guidance and complete the appropriate risk assessments. You could consider buying helmets for safe play.

Support every child to explore trees, tree stumps and fallen branches at their level of confidence. Words of encouragement work better than being physically supportive unless the child has a specific physical need. Encourage children to think about their safety and how to climb or adjust their bodies to balance so they know when something feels unsafe.

Praise every child's efforts. Even holding onto the trunk is an achievement, especially for very young children.

Daily experiences are the best for every child to develop their core strength and coordination over time.

Provide 'woodland' climbing daily, including low level climbing for children who find physical movement a challenge. Babies need the opportunity to have tummy time outside on different natural surfaces.

Keep the atmosphere calm when children are engaged in adventurous play as they gain confidence in their physical capabilities ( personal, social and emotional development). Children have to maintain attention as they negotiate spaces and other children ( communication and language). Being in the natural environment nourishes children's understanding of the world.

Other activities

Early movers has lots of physical development activity ideas.
NHS physical activity guidelines for children under 5.
What other nurseries and childminders are doing

"We want to make the outdoor learning environment more challenging for the children. We tied two lengths of climbing rope between two trees, to create walkways. These have improved children's muscular strength, coordination, balance and agility. As soon as the babies are walking, they are helping in the garden, watering and sweeping are their favourite tasks."

Mandy, Naturally Learning, Truro.

"I have different sized chairs to meet the needs of the growing child, starting with high chairs. This means children sit with the correct posture. This supports them when eating their meals or when they want to draw and play games."

Julie, childminder, Ilkley.

Summary

Core strength is children's ability to maintain their position and move from the centre of their body outwards.

Co-ordination is the brain's ability to control different body part movements at the same time.

Children's early years are important to sensory and physical development.

Children's core strength and co-ordination are essential to developing their ability to move in different ways, control their movements as well as fine motor control.

Developing children's core strength and coordination means they can be more agile, flexible, well-coordinated, balanced and motivated to take part in physical activity.

Next steps

Notice the physical development achievements of the children you work with. Compare what you find out with colleagues, or another provider. Consider if your curriculum enables all children to improve their core strength.

Review what you want children to learn, making sure there are opportunities for children to develop their core strength and coordination.

Share with others your best practice for supporting children's core strength and co-ordination.

Review your curriculum to ensure you cover the requirements in the EYFS for this area of learning.

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Core strength is children's ability to keep their position and move from the centre of their body outwards. If core strength is underdeveloped, children will struggle with gross motor skills and fine motor skills, stability and balance. This will affect their ability to coordinate more refined movements.

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Fine motor skills are the tiny movements we make with our hands, fingers, feet and toes.

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What are fine motor skills?

Fine motor skills are the small, precise movements we make with our hands, fingers, feet and toes. They involve the complex coordination of your muscles, joints and nerves.

We mainly think of hand, wrist and finger movements when it comes to fine motor skills, like picking up an object by pinching it with your pointer finger and thumb. But you can also make fine movements with your foot, ankle and toes. These motions are necessary for sports, like dancing and soccer, or for people who use their feet for tasks instead of their hands.

Fine motor control is a complex process that requires:

Awareness and planning.

Coordination.

Muscle strength.

Normal sensation in your hands and fingers (or feet and toes).

Precision (dexterity).

Issues with fine motor skills can develop at any age. But healthcare providers put a lot of focus on fine motor skills in child development. Child development refers to how your child grows and changes over time. Experts divide child growth and development into four areas:

Physical development. Fine motor skills fall under this category.

Cognitive development.

Language development.

Social-emotional development.

Providers carefully assess fine motor skills because significant delays in these milestones can be a sign of a variety of neurological and physical conditions. And the sooner your child's provider can catch it, the sooner your child can get the help they need.

What are examples of fine motor skills?

Examples of fine motor skills include:

Holding a pencil and writing or drawing with it.

Using scissors.

Folding clothes.

Typing on a keyboard.

Fastening a button.

Zipping a zipper

Tying your shoes.

Twisting a doorknob.

Eating with utensils, like a fork and spoon.

Playing video games using a controller.

Playing an instrument, like a guitar, flute or piano.

Why are fine motor skills important?

Life would be quite different if humans hadn't developed fine motor skills.

Countless everyday tasks require tiny, precise movements - from holding a toothbrush to cooking and eating to putting on clothes. Even texting and giving your dog a belly rub require these skills. All of these tasks are important for independence and self-care. They also allow us to enjoy certain hobbies, like playing instruments and video games and crafting.

For a child, fine motor skills are important for doing schoolwork, like drawing and writing. Several work-related tasks involve fine motor skills, too - like using construction tools or a computer or performing surgery.

What are fine motor skill milestones?

Developmental milestones are the behaviors that mark stages of typical growth. Children all develop at their own pace. However, most children pass through specific changes at roughly the same time as they get older.

Examples of fine motor skill milestones for infants and children include (but aren't limited to):

Fine motor skills continue to develop and strengthen after these ages. It's important to remember that each child develops at their own pace. If you're concerned about your child's fine motor milestones, talk to their healthcare provider.

How do you develop fine motor skills?

Fine motor skills start developing as soon as you're born. For example, babies are typically born with an involuntary (not by choice) grasp reflex. If you graze your finger along their palm, they'll usually close up their hand and cling to your finger. This is the earliest type of fine motor movement.

These tiny movements keep improving as a child gets older - and into adulthood. Over time, your child's muscles get stronger, and they develop more coordination to perform more precise movements.

Even adults can refine their fine motor skills. For example, rock climbers may work on improving their grip strength to better cling to rock crevices. And surgeons may do exercises to practice making accurate, steady and precise movements with their hands.

There are also ways to help your child practice fine motor skills.

Fine motor skill activities for children

Here are some activities you can do to help your infant or child develop fine motor skills:

What conditions can affect fine motor skills?

Issues with any of the following body areas can affect fine motor skills:

Spinal cord.

Peripheral nerves (the nerves outside of your brain and spinal cord).

Joints in your hands and feet.

Bones in your hands and feet.

Because of this, hundreds of conditions can interfere with fine motor skills. The interference can range from mild to severe. For example, it may take more focus and time than usual to fasten a button, or you may not be able to complete the task at all.

Some of these conditions are treatable or manageable. Others may cause permanent issues with fine motor skills.

Conditions that can affect fine motor skills in children include (but aren't limited to):

Autism spectrum disorder.

Cerebral palsy.

Developmental delay.

Down syndrome.

Dysgraphia (difficulty with writing).

Developmental coordination disorder.

Hydrocephalus.

Sensory processing disorder (a condition that affects how your brain processes sensory information, like things you touch, see, hear, smell or taste).

Spina bifida.

Conditions that can affect fine motor skills in children and adults include (but aren't limited to):

Conditions that can affect fine motor skills in adults include (but aren't limited to):

Adapting to fine motor skill difficulties

It may be challenging at first to learn you or your child has fine motor skill difficulties. The good news is that there are countless ways to adapt or modify everyday tasks and activities to make them more accessible.

An occupational therapist can help you. An occupational therapist is a healthcare provider who helps people of all ages improve their ability to perform daily tasks. They'll help you learn how to use different tools or techniques to participate in your activities safely. The therapist may help you learn exercises and ways to manipulate objects. For children, this can include playing with toys and using school manipulatives. Occupational therapy helps people live as self-sufficiently as possible. They'll provide ideas, exercises and tools to use at home.

Examples of adaptations include:

Stabilizing: This refers to making toys or objects more stable while someone interacts with them. To prevent toys or objects from tipping over too easily, you can use Velcro®, suction cups, clamps or magnets to keep them in place while your child uses them.

Extending or enlarging: This refers to adding something to a toy or object so that it's easier to manipulate or grasp it. For example, you may add a large pencil grip to a pencil to make it easier to hold. Or you could add knobs to puzzle pieces to make them easier to manipulate.

Simplifying: This refers to reducing the steps necessary to complete a task. For example, your child could wear Velcro-fastening shoes instead of shoes with laces to put on shoes more easily. Stretchy clothing may be easier to put on and take off than clothing that has zippers or buttons. Using a straw to drink may be easier than grasping and lifting a cup to your mouth.

There are also several types of adaptive equipment. For example, a button hook allows you to fasten buttons without using your fingers (you grasp the base of the hook). There are also eating utensils of various types that are specially designed to allow you to eat independently.

When should I call my provider about fine motor skill issues?

If you're worried your child isn't reaching fine motor skill milestones, talk to their pediatrician. They'll ask questions about your concerns and can perform tests. You can also reach out to your child's school for an evaluation.

If you or your child has a regression (worsening) in fine motor skills, talk to your healthcare provider as soon as possible, especially if the regression is sudden. This could be a sign of a serious underlying condition.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Fine motor skills develop throughout your life from birth to adulthood. While simply exploring their environment can help infants and children develop these skills, there are activities you can do to help support their development. If you're concerned about your child's fine motor skills, talk to their healthcare provider. Several conditions can interfere with these tiny movements.

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Fine motor skills are the tiny movements we make with our hands, fingers, feet and toes. Find out how they develop from birth to adulthood.

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Fine Motor Skills Five Steps to Function - Alder Hey Children’s Hospital Trust

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This leaflet provides information for parents and carers on Fine Motor Skills Five Steps to Function in children and young people.

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Physical Development

Physical activity is vital in children’s all-round development, enabling them to pursue happy, healthy and active lives9. Gross and fine motor experiences develop incrementally throughout early childhood, starting with sensory explorations and the development of a child’s strength, co-ordination and positional awareness through tummy time, crawling and play movement with both objects and adults. By creating games and providing opportunities for play both indoors and outdoors, adults can support children to develop their core strength, stability, balance, spatial awareness, co-ordination and agility. Gross motor skills provide the foundation for developing healthy bodies and social and emotional well-being. Fine motor control and precision helps with hand-eye co-ordination, which is later linked to early literacy. Repeated and varied opportunities to explore and play with small world activities, puzzles, arts and crafts and the practice of using small tools, with feedback and support from adults, allow children to develop proficiency, control and confidence.

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Here is a collection of 40 fine motor skills activities for young children that are easy to set up and promote a whole range of skills. They're creative, open-ended, appropriate and varied with ideas for practising motor skills through art, sensory play and simple manipulative games, and there are so many to choose from!

One of the most important ways we can help our children while playing with them at home or in a childcare/ classroom setting is through setting up simple activities that help to develop fine motor skills. Young children need to be able to hold and use scissors and pencils appropriately before using them in a classroom context. We cannot expect them to be able to write if they haven't yet developed the strength needed in their hands and fingers.

There are plenty of easy ways to strengthen these muscles, practise co-ordination and develop hand:eye co-ordination using simple, everyday materials and a bit of creative fun! Here are 40 that we have done over the past few years with babies to 5 year olds. There are a million variations you could make from each of these to cater for your own child's particular interests and learning dispositions. Use these as a springboard and pin it for future reference too!

[ Herbal play dough with natural materials to explore]

My personal favourite tool for developing all fine motor skills is the humble ball of homemade play dough. It can be used in SO many ways by adding other combinations of materials to it, and automatically strengthens little hands as they roll, squeeze, twist and build with it. Here is a whole post about the benefits of playing with play dough and a handy guide to starting out with building your own play dough tool kit. Of course, baking with real dough is another wonderful way to play and learn simultaneously!
The many benefits of play dough (and a tool kit)
Other activities we have loved have included exploring sensory play materials, transporting small parts, threading beads, hands-on art projects, cutting and sticking, tearing and scrunching papers, opening and closing fastenings and countless others. Here is a selection of some of those favourites, all of which can be adapted for different age groups and abilities.
Threading with beads onto pipe cleaners Threading, posting and slotting toys for babies and toddlers Poking straws into holes Pasta necklaces Monster play dough Weaving around cardboard Fairy sparkle playdough Pipe cleaners and colanders Beads on spaghetti Hair rollers sticky construction First sewing basket Edible fingerpainting Making marks in fairy dust Decorating play dough eggs Mark making and scooping in lavender sensory salt Building 3D models Sorting and pattern making with shells Patterning with lego Lid posting game Snipping and doodling sticky stained glass windows Whisking up coloured sensory soap Salt dough alphabet modelling Pebble sorting Stacking cups Play dough cupcakes Foam and water window art

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40 Fine Motor Skills Activities - The Imagination Tree

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Here is a collection of 40 fine motor skills activities for young children that are easy to set up and promote a whole range of basic learning skills.

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Gross motor skills are the movements we make with large muscles, like those in our legs, arms and torso.

What are gross motor skills?

Gross motor skills are the movements we make with large muscles, like those in your legs, arms and torso. "Gross," in this case, means "large," and "motor" means "movement." Walking and waving your arm are examples of gross movements.

Gross motor skills require proper coordination and function of:

Skeletal muscles (the strength and power behind the movements).

Bones (the structures that your muscles attach to).

Nerves (the "messengers" of your brain that tell your muscles when and how to move).

They're also related to other functions, including:

Coordination.

Body awareness and spatial awareness.

Reaction time.

Issues with gross motor control can develop at any age. But healthcare providers put a lot of focus on gross motor skills in child development. Child development refers to how your child grows and changes over time.

Experts divide child growth and development into four areas:

Physical development. Gross motor skills fall under this category.

Cognitive development.

Language development.

Social-emotional development.

Providers assess gross motor skills because delays in these milestones can be a sign of certain neurological conditions. And the sooner your child's provider can catch it, the sooner your child can get the help they need.

Examples of gross motor skills

Examples of everyday movements that are gross motor skills include:

Standing.

Walking.

Running.

Sitting upright without a back support.

Chewing.

Jumping.

Twisting your torso.

Bending over.

Moving/twisting your neck.

Raising your arms and hands.

Waving your arm.

Examples of hand-eye and foot-eye coordination skills that are also gross motor skills include:

Throwing and catching a ball.

Kicking a ball.

Doing a cartwheel.

Skipping.

Swimming.

Riding a bike or skateboard.

Rollerblading or ice skating.

What's the difference between gross and fine motor skills?

Gross motor skills involve large muscle groups and large movements. Fine motor skills are the small, precise movements we make with our:

Wrists, hands and fingers.

Ankles, feet and toes.

The key difference between the two lies in the location and degree of movement. For example, writing involves fine motor skills - it requires small, precise muscle movements in your fingers and wrist. Waving your arm is a gross motor skill - it requires large, sweeping muscle movements in your shoulder and upper arm. Your core muscles also support this motion.

But both types of skills require complex coordination of your muscles, bones and nervous system. Infants develop gross motor skills before they develop fine motor skills.

Why are gross motor skills important?

Movements are a part of everyday life. Our bodies change as our gross motor skills develop and vice versa. New or improved gross motor skills allow us to explore more of our environment. This then allows more and more opportunities for learning and doing.

More specifically, gross motor skills are essential for mobility, independence and overall health. Having difficulties with gross motor skills can impact several areas of your life. They can make it hard to do key tasks and can take a toll on your confidence and self-esteem.

What are gross motor skills in child development?

Gross motor skills typically begin in infancy and keep improving throughout childhood. Healthcare providers and parents keep track of these improvements with developmental milestones. They're the behaviors that mark stages of typical growth. Children all develop at their own pace. However, most children pass through specific changes at roughly the same time as they get older.

Examples of gross motor skill milestones for infants and children include (but aren't limited to):

0 to 6 months:

Rolling over front to back and vice versa.

Sitting with support and eventually without support.

6 to 12 months:

Crawling forward on their belly.

Transitioning into different positions, like from sitting to being on all fours.

Walking while holding onto something for support.

12 to 18 months:

Sitting, crawling and walking.

18 months to 2 years:

Walking smoothly.

Trying out running.

Pulling or carrying a toy while walking.

Walking up and down stairs with support.

3 years:

Jumping in place with both feet together.

Walking on tiptoe.

Peddling a tricycle.

Catching a ball with their body (arms, hands and chest).

4 years:

Standing on one foot for up to five seconds.

Kicking a ball forward.

Walking straight on a line.

Running around obstacles.

5 years:

Walking backward from heel to toe.

Catching a small ball using their hands only.

Skipping forward after learning how.

6 years:

Walking on a balance beam.

Jumping rope.

Throwing and catching a ball predictably.

Gross motor skills continue to develop and strengthen after these ages. It's important to remember that each child develops at their own pace. If you're concerned about your child's gross motor milestones, talk to their healthcare provider.

How do gross motor skills develop?

The first gross movements happen in fetal development. A fetus kicks and moves its arms while in the uterus. Most people tend to feel these kicks and punches around 19 weeks of pregnancy.

Gross motor skills continue to develop rapidly after birth as both involuntary (not by choice) reflexes and purposeful movements. For example, if you hold a newborn upright with their feet on a hard surface, they typically move their legs in a way that resembles walking. This is the "newborn stepping reflex."

Purposeful movements tend to develop from the head down. Babies typically learn to first lift their heads while on their bellies. Then they learn to push up with their arms. Next, they usually learn to crawl using their arms and legs and eventually walk.

As their muscles get stronger and their brains continue to develop, the fine-tuning and number of gross motor skills grow. Gross motor skills continue to develop throughout childhood and adolescence. They get more complex. For example, by the age of 6, most kids can skip if someone shows them how. This movement requires a complex combination of muscle strength, balance, coordination and timing.

Babies and children learn a lot of gross motor skills by interacting with their environment. But there are also ways to help your child practice gross motor skills.

Gross motor skill activities

Play is a major way babies and children develop gross motor skills, especially goal-directed play. This means that the play is focused on a goal (like learning something new) or toward the completion of a task.

A few examples of ways to support your baby's or child's gross motor skill development include:

To encourage crawling, put your baby on their tummy and place an object just out of reach as you remain close by.

Put together age-appropriate obstacle courses to help your toddler or child learn balance skills and maneuvering.

Take your toddler or child to a park. They typically have several play activities and structures to practice different gross motor skills.

Encourage your child to play sports. Practice the relevant skills with them at home, like kicking a ball or hitting a ball with a bat.

Have your child help with age-appropriate tasks around the house, like wiping off the table or throwing something away. Even if they don't do these tasks efficiently, it still helps them learn.

What causes gross motor skill difficulties?

Issues with any of the following body areas can affect gross motor skills:

Because of this, countless conditions can interfere with gross motor skills. The interference can range from mild to severe. There can also be delays in gross motor skills (that eventually develop) or permanent issues with these skills.

Conditions that can affect gross motor skills in babies and children include (but aren't limited to):

Autism spectrum disorder.

Cerebral palsy.

Developmental delay.

Down syndrome and other genetic conditions.

Dyspraxia (developmental coordination disorder).

Premature birth. Some babies born prematurely experience health issues that can affect their gross motor development.

Conditions that can affect gross motor skills in children and adults include (but aren't limited to):

Brain tumor.

Movement disorders, like ataxia and spasticity.

Muscular dystrophy.

Multiple sclerosis or MS (more common in adults).

Muscle, nerve, joint and bone injuries.

Spinal cord injury.

Stroke (more common in adults).

Conditions that can affect gross motor skills in adults include (but aren't limited to):

When should I call my provider about gross motor skill issues?

If you're worried your child isn't reaching gross motor skill milestones, talk to their pediatrician. They'll ask questions about your concerns and can perform tests.

If you or your child has a regression (decline) in gross motor skills, talk to your healthcare provider as soon as possible, especially if the regression is sudden. This could be a sign of a serious underlying condition.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Gross motor skills evolve throughout your life from fetal development to adolescence. While simply exploring their environment can help infants and children develop these skills, there are activities you can do to help support their growth. If you're concerned about your child's gross motor skills, talk to their healthcare provider. Several conditions can interfere with these types of movements.

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Gross motor skills are the movements we make with large muscles, like those in our legs, arms and torso. Walking and bending over are examples of gross motor skills.

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Gross motor skills (babies and toddlers)

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Before babies are born, they spend their final few months in a very tight space, in a curled up position. When they are born, they then need to spend time adjusting to the freedom of being able to...

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Why gross motor skills are important

Gross motor skills are the skills that children develop using their whole body. You can see this from a baby's earliest efforts to move and travel, to young children coordinating whole body movements. By using their whole bodies children become increasingly confident, agile and flexible.

All children need to be confident in their gross motor skills and movements. For some children this confidence will come in smaller steps and take longer to achieve. Be patient, giving them time and space, and encouraging words. Take expert advice for children with physical and mobility additional needs. This may increase childrens' development of muscular strength, ability to take well intentioned, safe risks and become increasingly well-coordinated.

Gross motor skills affect wellbeing and give children opportunities to socialise in play. Confidence and coordination in gross motor skills are essential for children in developing their fine motor skills.

Video

In this video, an early years expert explains the importance of gross motor skills in the early years foundation stage framework. There are also some tips on how to support children in this area.

What the EYFS framework says

Gross motor skills provide the foundation for developing healthy bodies and social and emotional well-being.

Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage, page 8, childminder EYFS, page 10, group and school-based EYFS.

What this means in practice

Children need access to indoor and outdoor environments that help develop their gross motor skills, with you to guide and support them, every day. Outdoors is where children have the freedom to be as physical as they can be.

Walking to local green spaces can help build children's stamina. If babies and children have to be pushed to a destination, on arrival, give them opportunities to move around on the woodland floor, the grassy area in the park or the pebbly beach.

When considering children's gross motor skills think of crawling, walking, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, creeping and slithering, spinning, turning, twisting, pushing and pulling. Babies need to have daily 'tummy time' to develop their muscles for sitting and crawling.

Older children engage in weight bearing skills and develop upper arm strength, mobility, control and balance. This could be by hanging from climbing equipment or lifting and manipulating large, heavy and awkward objects.

You should notice what children are doing physically and make sure that what they can use indoors and outdoors is challenging enough. You need to know about each child's physical development.

Children need to take safe risks. However, most children will self-regulate and not attempt movements that they are not confident with.

Consider what equipment you have in your setting that support gross motor skills such as den making materials. Try to have a variety of objects children can lift, transport and organise on their own.

Try to help children to be physically active for at least 3 hours each day.

Suggested activities

Moving house

You'll need:

'home' toys like plates and cups

children's furniture that is safe to move like plastic chairs

the furniture and resources in the home area

cardboard boxes and bubble wrap

sticky tape and masking tape

clipboards and pens

an improvised removal van

'Moving House' play supports the development of muscular strength, core strength, whole body coordination and the ability to carry objects safely.

Many children have moved from one home to another. Naturally, they want to roleplay this experience. Children may start 'moving house' themselves, which you can support. Or you may want to start the play.

Children will know where they want to move to. Prompt discussion about the type of home the children are moving from and to, for example a flat or a house? What kind of house?

Suggest that they check that they have a safe route and space to set up. They may need to discuss it with other children and adults.

Start with wrapping things up and putting them in boxes. The children will physically pick up and move the boxes and furniture, either to the new home or into the 'removal van'. They'll need support to ensure they do this safely, but they will want to get it right.

Have clipboards for making lists and checking that all possessions have arrived safely at the new house. These can be mark making or pictures.

Wrapping the smaller objects will help their fine motor skills. Making lists will support literacy. Talking about people living in different types of accommodation links with understanding the world. Roleplaying a significant life event will help them to handle their personal, social and emotional development during a real move.

Obstacle courses

You'll need some items from this list of suggestions:

You can also include fixed climbing equipment, outdoor furniture, paths and natural features, such as tree stumps or fallen branches.

You may observe children finding their own obstacle course with what is already there, travelling in lines, going over, going under and going through. Children may repeat the route, challenging themselves and others.

Get them to help you build a course. They'll try out different parts of the course as it is being built, testing that it works.

Once the obstacle course is constructed children will revisit it. Each time they will become increasingly skilful in negotiating the different spaces, pieces of equipment and the length of the course. They will also speed up and travel faster.

Some parts will feel like more of a risk than others and the children will enjoy this element of challenging themselves.

Children will constantly communicate, non-verbally and verbally as they negotiate the course. They'll instruct each other, expressing their emotions, and encouraging each other (communication and language). There are opportunities for you and the children to use mathematical language, words to describe quantity, size, length, speed, as well as to make comparisons (mathematics).

Other activities

Physical activity guidelines for children under 5 years from the NHS.

Learning through landscapes has ideas for outdoors activities.

What other nurseries and childminders are doing

"Since Covid I have changed my provision so that everything is outside. It is working very well indeed. The children love it and they're thriving in every way."

Julie, Childminder, Ilkley West Yorkshire.

"The children spend a lot of time being adventurous outside. Not everyone has been confident with this, but now we have regular online team meetings and practitioner confidence has blossomed."

Mandy, Naturally Learning, Truro.

"Everyone comes on our walks. One destination is a particular hill in the park. Walking up the hill is a struggle for young children to start with but over time we see them running up."

Julie, Childminder, Ilkley West Yorkshire.

Summary

Gross motor skills are all the skills that children develop using their whole body.

Children's development of gross motor skills affects their learning and development.

Children need access to outdoor areas every day.

Children need to take safe risks and will usually not attempt movements that they're not confident with.

Try to help children to be physically active for at least 3 hours each day.

Next steps

Involve parents and carers by sharing the children's achievements in developing gross motor skills with them.

Observe what the children are doing and notice movements that are more advanced, such as, twisting, slithering.

Consider how your routine and resources enable children to be physically active.

Review your curriculum to ensure you cover the requirements in the EYFS for this area of learning.

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Gross motor skills are the skills that children develop using their whole body. You can see this from a baby's earliest efforts to move and travel, to young children coordinating whole body movements. By using their whole bodies children become increasingly confident, agile and flexible.