How young babies use their senses to investigate such things as your face, your hair, a rattle.
How young babies show their interest in objects and people that move nearby.
How young babies begin to explore objects by touching them, looking at them and by placing them in their mouths.
How babies show enjoyment when they listen to music, rattles and other toys that make sounds.
How babies react when something disappears from view.
Examples of young babies reaching out for things that they want.
The objects that interest and engage babies' attention.
Which toys and resources interest babies.
The sounds, sights and actions that interest young babies, for example, seeing a bottle, hearing bath water running.
The movements that young babies make as they find out about their environment.
How young babies respond to your attention.
The attachments babies make to special people.
8-20 Months
Babies' interests and the ways in which they investigate and manipulate objects.
The strategies babies use to explore objects using all their senses, such as shaking, hitting, looking, feeling, tasting, mouthing, pulling, turning and poking. Is their approach systematic?
How a baby indicates they are beginning to understand cause and effect, for example, by repeating actions to make things happen again.
How babies use objects to make noise.
How children react when a new toy is introduced to them.
How babies show they are beginning to understand that some objects belong together or can be put inside one another.
How a baby responds to pictures in books.
The different ways babies show they are learning to anticipate what might happen next.
Strategies babies use to look for objects that have fallen out of sight.
Strategies babies use as they begin to experiment such as trying something, reflecting on it and then trying something else.
Indications that babies recognise objects and toys.
How babies respond when they see an image in a mirror.
The different ways babies show that they are beginning to understand what objects are used for, for example, by putting a toy telephone to their ear.
How babies handle and arrange objects such as blocks or bricks.
How babies begin to explore technology in toys and personal items, for example, pressing a button or lifting the spout on a drinking cup.
Children's anticipation of the events of the day.
How babies explore space, objects and features of the environment.
Differences in the ways that babies respond to and communicate with adults and other children.
16-26 Months
The things young children investigate repeatedly, for example, becoming absorbed in opening and shutting.
How a child shows they are curious about the world.
The strategies children use to find out more about objects and toys.
The circumstances in which children ask adults for help so they can find out more.
How children play with objects of different sizes that go together, to learn about relative size.
Evidence that a child knows and remembers where things belong.
Skill in operating simple mechanical toys, for example, by turning a knob.
How children explore and play with bricks and jigsaw puzzles.
The things young children enjoy building, opening and closing or pushing and pulling.
The ways in which young children investigate how to push, pull, lift or press parts of toys and domestic equipment.
Actions that show young children understand the sequence of routines, for example, going to the cloakroom area when you say it is time to go outdoors.
Responses to sights, sounds and smells in the environment and what they like about playing outdoors.
Young children's questions about differences such as skin colour, hair and friends.
22-36 Months
Children's actions and talk, in response to what they find and the questions they ask.
How children express curiosity, match objects and ask questions about things that are the same and different.
Children's developing skills in remembering and telling someone else about a sequence of activities or events.
The ways in which children show they are beginning to understand simple 'if... then' logic, for example, "If I stand on a step, then I can reach the toy".
How children respond to simple explanations and reasons given to them by other people.
How children show they are becoming more independent in their thinking, exploration and understanding of the world.
Children's anticipation and forward planning, for example, when they gather together the toys they want to play with before they begin.
How children investigate by, for example, taking all the cushions from several areas, piling them up and jumping on top of them.
How children use the control technology of toys, for example, a toy electronic keyboard.
How children talk about the special events they experience in the home and in the setting.
The ways children show their growing understanding of the past, for example, familiarity with places or people seen previously.
The things children say about their environment.
How children play, socialise and talk about family life.
30-50 Months
How children examine objects and living things to find out more about them, for example, observing plants and animals, or noticing the different materials that things are made of.
How children express choices and preferences where verbal communication is through a language other than English.
How children give reasons for what they observe and reasons for their own actions.
How children use one object to represent many different things.
How children begin to use construction materials as a means to an end, for example, making a bridge for toy animals to cross.
How children are using tools, for example, using a stick to make holes in dough.
How children link experiences and use their knowledge to design and make things.
Children's developing skills in using tools, including which tools they choose for particular tasks.
The skills children develop as they become familiar with simple equipment, such as twisting or turning a knob.
Taking photographs - In a nursery school, a child explores using a digital camera, and a practitioner supports her in viewing and assessing the photos. [transcript]
You can watch the video via modem or slow / fast / superfast broadband connections. If you are behind a network firewall, why not click here to view a flash file of the video. You do need to have the flash plugin.
How children remember and recount a significant event, such as finding a dead jellyfish at the beach.
The comparisons children make about what they can do now with what they could do when they were younger.
Children's interest in things they see while out for a walk.
The questions children ask about features of the built environment, such as road signs.
How children respond to a significant event, such as the birth of a baby or the death of a pet.
The ways children recall special events such as a wedding they have attended.
40-60+ Months
The changes and patterns that children notice.
Instances of children identifying features of living things or objects.
Ways in which children find out about things in the environment, for example, by handling something and looking at it closely.
Instances of children investigating everyday events, such as why a bicycle stops when the brakes are pressed.
The ways that children make things, for example, a child might use card, scissors, glue, string and a hole punch to make a bag to carry some things home.
How children construct for their own purposes.
Children's own assessment of the fitness for purpose of their designs and the modifications they decide to make to them.
Making a model with glue - In reception class, a practitioner supports the child in fixing boxes together. [transcript]
You can watch the video, via modem or slow / fast / superfast broadband connections. If you are behind a network firewall, why not click here to view a flash file of the video. You do need to have the flash plugin.
How children coordinate actions to use technology, for example, to direct dial a telephone number.
How children refer to past events, such as how long ago it was since they visited the swimming baths.
How a child compares experiences in their own life with those of others, for example, comparing their own play and playthings with their grandparents' experiences of play and playthings.
How children talk about the different features of the surroundings, such as the sizes, shapes, uses and types of buildings or spaces they notice on a walk to the shops.
How children connect photographs to places in the environment and can work out a route, for example, from the local shop to their setting.
How children talk about and evaluate the quality of their environment, by, for example, talking about how the flower baskets improve the area, and how the litter makes it look untidy.
The interest children show in stories, music and dance from a range of cultures.
How children talk about the practices and beliefs of their friends.
How children express their attitudes such as about differences in skin colours.
How children respond to information about people's unfamiliar lifestyles.
Acknowledgements
Disclaimer
00012-2007CDO-EN