Gradually gain control of their whole bodies and are becoming aware of how to negotiate the space and objects around them.
Move spontaneously within available space.
Respond to rhythm, music and story by means of gesture and movement.
Are able to stop.
Manage body to create intended movements.
Combine and repeat a range of movements.
Runs safely on whole foot, stopping and starting with ease and avoiding obstacles.
Squats with steadiness to rest or play with object on the ground, rises to feet without using hands.
Stands on one foot while kicking ball with other foot.
Pushes and pulls large toys, has difficulty steering around obstacles.
Jumps with two feet together from floor.
Can stand on tiptoe when holding onto something.
Can kick and catch a large ball.
Climbs confidently and is beginning to use nursery play climbing equipment.
The new skills children continue to achieve such as jumping, kicking a ball or balancing on one leg.
Chosen ways of moving and the way children experiment with movement and balance, turning upside down, crawling or rolling.
How a child responds physically to stimuli such as seeing an aeroplane flying overhead.
How children respond to different types of music.
The ways children try to copy movements or repeat skills they have achieved.
How children join movements such as running, stopping and jumping, climbing and turning.
The different ways children use their bodies to express themselves imaginatively.
How children begin to show an interest in climbing equipment and how they explore it.
Sitting by the sea - In a pre-school, the practitioners involve the children in a rhyme about the sea using physical actions and parachute play. [transcript]
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Be aware that children can be very energetic for short bursts and need periods of rest and relaxation.
Encourage and guide children to persevere at a skill.
Value the ways children choose to move.
Give as much opportunity as possible for children to move freely between indoors and outdoors.
Talk to children about their movements and help them to explore new ways of moving, such as squirming, slithering and twisting along the ground like a snake.
Encourage children to move, using a range of body parts, and to perform given movements at more than one speed, such as quickly, slowly, or on tiptoe.
Encourage body tension activities such as stretching, reaching, curling, twisting and turning.
Be alert to the safety of children, particularly those who might overstretch themselves.
Introduce the vocabulary of spatial relationships, such as 'between', 'through' and 'above'.
Use positional words to describe where a child is, saying "You're on the chair" or "... in the paddling pool" or "... under the table". Link this with getting children to follow simple instructions such as "Put it in the box" and "Sit on the chair".
As children become more confident walkers, some like to pull along a toy such as a toy dog on wheels or a clackety caterpillar as they go, or to push a doll in a buggy.
As children walk around the setting, try putting a toy that they like on the floor near them to see if they'll try to bend or squat to pick it up.
Look out for how children get out of narrow spaces. They can be helped to learn to take a step or two backwards and then turn around.
Encourage children to run alongside you, holding your hand. Start with just a few steps and gradually increase range. Introduce changes in direction and rapid stops.
Encourage children to run a short distance towards you on a safe surface and then reward them by picking them up and spinning them round when they reach you.
Support children as they learn to jump on a soft bouncy surface holding your hands.
Soft play facilities provide many opportunities for safe movement and exploration.
As balance and muscular strength develop, encourage children to walk upstairs, holding your hand, placing both feet on each step before moving on.
Provide a range of large play equipment that can be used in different ways, such as boxes, ladders, 'A' frames and barrels.
Plan time for children to experiment with equipment and to practise their skills.
Undertake risk assessment and provide safe spaces where children can move freely. Create 'zones' for some activities and explain safety to children and parents.
Plan to respect individual progress and preoccupations. Allow time for exploration and for children to practise movements they choose.
Provide real and role-play opportunities for children to create pathways, for example, road layouts, 'taking the pushchair to the home corner' or 'going on a picnic'.
Provide CD and tape players, scarves, streamers and musical instruments so that children can respond spontaneously to music.
Plan activities that involve moving and stopping, such as musical bumps.
Health and Bodily Awareness
Communicate their needs for things such as food, drinks and when they are uncomfortable.
Show emerging autonomy in self-care.
Feeding:
Asks, or searches for food when hungry.
Feeds self competently with spoon.
Drinks well without spilling.
Replaces cup on table without difficulty.
Keeps most food in bowl or on plate.
Toileting:
Indicates need for toilet by behaviour (such as dancing movements or holding self).
Tolerates sitting on potty or toilet.
The signs, gestures or words young children use to convey what their needs are at any time.
Feeding:
How children tell you that they are hungry.
Toileting:
How children tell you they need the potty or toilet.
When children learn to sit on a potty or toilet.
Involve young children in the preparation of food.
Encourage repetition in movements and sensory experiences.
Give children the chance to talk about what they like to eat, while reinforcing messages about healthier choices, and to learn about each other's preferences.
Remember that children who have limited opportunity to play outdoors may lack a sense of danger.
Feeding:
Involve children in a wider range of food preparation tasks, for example, show them how to use a knife for spreading and cutting sandwiches.
Give lots of practise of cutting with a safe blade using dough and foods such as bananas, medium or soft cheese and cooked carrots.
Place some favourite foods in jars with simple screw tops and show how they can be opened. Develop this into a guessing game - shake the jar and ask what it sounds like. This will help to develop vital listening and manipulative skills.
Store children's eating equipment in an accessible place and encourage them to find their own cutlery and bowls and to put them on the table.
Set the table together with place mats, forks, knives, spoons, plates and cups.
Play 'guess the food' games by describing the food you're about to eat.
Encourage children to carry an open-topped cup with a small amount of liquid in it for a few steps. Do the same with a piece of fruit or sandwich in a bowl or plate. Extend this as skills improve.
Washing:
In addition to practising hand-washing, encourage the children to dry their hands with a towel and put it back in the appropriate place so that it can be found when next needed.
Toileting:
Encourage children to explore the toilet thoroughly and explain how it is used. Sit them on the closed lid to help them get used to its height. Provide a small step to help with getting on and to maintain good posture while sitting.
Make sure children feel secure when sitting on a toilet or potty by using a suitable child seat. Make sure they also have a stable base under their feet.
Show how the flush works and explain what happens when using public toilets or other people's bathrooms. Warn children that toilets in other places may sound different from the ones they use regularly so they won't be alarmed by different noises.
Ensure children's safety, while not unduly inhibiting their risk-taking.
Display a colourful daily menu showing healthy meals and snacks and discuss choices with the children, reminding them, for example, that they tried something previously and might like to try it again.
Be aware of eating habits at home and of the different ways people eat their food. For example, some families use hands to eat and some cultures strongly discourage the use of the left hand for eating.
Using Equipment and Materials
Balance blocks to create simple structures.
Show increasing control in holding and using hammers, books, beaters and mark-making tools.
Picks up tiny objects accurately and quickly.
Places objects down neatly and precisely.
Builds a tower of up to seven cubes.
Turns pages in a book one at a time.
Scribble writes including 'V' shape and vertical lines.
Later, imitates drawing a simple face: circle for head, with eyes, nose and mouth.
Fits square shapes into a formboard and then later round, square and triangle shapes into a puzzle or posting box.
Fits increasingly small shapes and objects into holes during posting activities.
Threads large beads onto floppier cord, for example, washing line cord or a heavy shoelace.
Makes snips in paper with child scissors.
Folds paper in half.
Turns rotating handles.
Screws and unscrews jar lids, nuts and bolts.
Can put tiny objects into a small container.
How children are developing fine movements of their fingers and hands to grip, twist, bang and make marks.
How they are building up strength in their arms and hands through large muscle activities such as climbing.
How children learn to put objects down neatly and precisely.
How children learn to pick up very small objects.
How children's control of fine movement develops as they begin to turn the pages in a book, one at a time, or to fold paper.
How children begin to use scissors on paper.
The strategies children use to open a screw-topped jar.
Encourage children in their efforts to do up buttons or pour a drink.
Introduce toys that need more than one step to be completed.
Help children measure out food quantities for dinner, for example, pouring drink from a small jug into a children's cup or measuring a helping from a serving bowl into a child's bowl. Talk about "a lot", "a little", "more", and "no more".
Use stacking toys that are more challenging and require children to put the biggest ring on the bottom and the smallest on top. Take turns playing with equipment and show children how the beakers or rings fit in relation to one another and according to size.
Resource the home play area with cooking utensils and babies' clothes so that children can handle tools and materials meaningfully in their imaginative play.
Provide 'tool boxes' containing things that make marks, so that children can explore their use both indoors and outdoors.
Acknowledgements
Disclaimer
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