Big Machines & Building | Toddler Mini-Project Planner (18–36 Months)

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Big Machines & Building |Toddler Mini-Project Planner

1-week mini-project planner for Toddlers (18–36 months)

A professional mini-project planner designed to harness toddlers’ fascination with vehicles, power and construction — supporting schema play, physical development and language through high-impact, child-led provision.

EYFS Curriculum & Pedagogy Membership (Professional)

(This pathway component will be available for download by: March 31st 2026)

What this document is

This document is a 1-week Toddler Mini-Project Planner focused on Big Machines & Building for children aged 18–36 months.

It provides a short, high-impact project framework that helps practitioners create a construction-rich, schema-responsive environment where toddlers can explore transporting, lifting, dumping, pushing and building through play.

This mini-project is designed to be used flexibly — as a stand-alone “burst week”, a holiday mini-theme, or a responsive follow-on when children show strong interest in vehicles, building or heavy work.

This document supports professional judgement and responsive practice. It is not a set of required activities or a checklist for children and does not replace statutory EYFS guidance or Development Matters.

Who this document is for

This mini-project planner is designed for:

• Toddler room practitioners (18–36 months)

• EYFS teachers and key persons working with toddlers

• Nursery managers and curriculum leads

• Childminders supporting toddler development

• Settings needing a quick, purposeful project week that still aligns with EYFS intent

What this document helps you do

This document supports you to:

• Plan a high-interest construction week without over-planning or “topic teaching”

• Provide strong outlets for Transporting and Trajectory schemas (moving loads, ramps, cranes, dropping)

• Develop gross motor strength through pushing, pulling, carrying and heavy work

• Build toddlers’ language through machine names, action verbs and sound imitation

• Support collaboration, turn-taking and shared role play with highly motivating resources

• Confidently articulate the learning value of “big machine play” to leaders, parents and inspectors

What’s included in this mini-project planner

This mini-project planner includes everything practitioners need to run a coherent, play-led project week while staying responsive to children’s interests.

Inside, you’ll find:

• A clear Project Intent explaining why big machines are developmentally powerful for toddlers

• EYFS-aligned Intended Learning Focuses, prioritising prime areas with targeted seeds in Maths, Literacy and UW

• A concise 1-week overview showing the core purpose and learning direction of the mini-project

• A vocabulary set (core + extension) to support consistent language modelling across the team

• Environment enhancements for:

  • a construction/sensory “site” area

  • a vertical building + connecting zone

  • role play and mark-making linked to roads, tracks and wheels

• Practical adult prompts and interaction language to support sustained shared thinking

• A set of high-impact targeted activities that can be offered flexibly across the week (not as a daily timetable)

• Optional 2–5 minute learning bursts for songs, movement, sorting and sound play

• Inclusion and differentiation guidance (EAL, sensory needs, SEND)

• Family engagement ideas to extend machine language and noticing into home life

• An evaluation/reflection section to support next steps and responsive planning decisions

How this fits within our Toddler curriculum framework

This document forms part of our wider Toddler Projects, Themes & Schema-Responsive Contexts approach and should be used alongside:

• How Projects Work in Toddler Rooms (Guidance)

• Schema Coverage & Support Map (Toddler Curriculum)

• Year-Long Project / Theme Curriculum Map (52 Weeks)

• Continuous Provision Setup Guides (Toddler Room)

• The Toddler Pedagogy Position Statement (18–36 months)

Mini-projects are designed to add short, motivating bursts of shared context — while keeping play, schemas, and in-the-moment provision at the centre of toddler practice.

Additional Project Planners

Main Project Planners (3-4 Weeks)

• All About Me & My World

• People Who Help Us

• Autumn - Senses, Colours & Change

• Light, Dark & Celebrations

• Winter-Weather, Warmth & Cosy Spaces

• Transport & Journeys

• Growing & Changing

• Animals & Their Homes

• Food & Nutrition

• Minibeasts & Nature Explorers

• Summer - Sand, Sea & Sun

• Playful Patterns & Construction

Mini-Project Planners (1 Week)

• Big Machines & Building

• Cooking & Food Play

• Teddy Bears’ Picnic

• Colours Everywhere

• Water Play Week

• My Favourite Things

• Rhyme Time Week

• Weather Wonders

This document is part of our EYFS Curriculum & Pedagogy Membership (Professional), which provides full access to age-specific curriculum frameworks, planning guidance, assessment tools and leadership support.

(This pathway component will be available for download by: March 31st 2026)

Recommended next read Selection

Or read our ‘Little Owls Resources’ Curriculum Intent Statement’

Additional Documents | Professional Membership Contents (Toddler 18-36 Months)

Navigate our Curriculum & Pedagogy guidance documents here.

Pedagogical identity:
Relationship-led, sensory-rich toddler practice grounded in schemas, play, and responsive adult interaction.

• 1. Welcome to the Toddler Room (Start Here)

  👉 This section prevents over-planning and aligns practice.

  • Toddler Pedagogy Position Statement – How Toddlers Learn (18–36 Months) [Free Orienting Sample]

  • Toddler Curriculum Overview & Rationale[Free Orienting Sample]

  • How Our Toddler Curriculum Works

  • The Role of Schemas in Toddler Practice

  • Curriculum Intent in Toddler Rooms (What It Means — and What It Doesn’t)

  • FAQs: Toddler Planning & Pedagogy

• 2. Toddler Curriculum & Developmental Progression

  👉 Adult understanding, not child targets.

  • Toddler Curriculum Maps

    • Progression across 6-month bands (18–24 | 24–30 | 30–36 months)

  • Intent → Progression Grids (Practitioner Reference)

  • Area of Learning Progression Maps

• 3. Observation-Led Practice & In-the-Moment Planning

  👉 Observation is the driver of planning.

  • In-the-Moment Planning Prompt Sheets (Toddlers)

  • Weekly Planning Template

  • Toddler Narrative Observation & Analysis Template

  • Focused Observation Templates

    • Communication & Language

    • PSED

    • Physical Development

    • Maths Seeds

    • Characteristics of Effective Learning

    • Behaviour & Emotional Regulation

    • Schema Observation & Analysis

• 4. Continuous Provision in the Toddler Room

  👉 The environment does the teaching.

  Universal Continuous Provision

  • Continuous Provision Setup Guides | Toddler Room

    • Small World

    • Messy / Wet Play

    • Dry Sensory & Loose Parts

    • Construction

    • Role Play / Home Corner

    • Mark Making

    • Book Area / Reading Nook

    • Music & Sound

    • Outdoor

  • Continuous Provision Maps (18–36 Months)

    • C&L

    • PSED

    • PD

    • Maths Seeds

    • Literacy Seeds

    • UW

    • EAD

  • Continuous Provision Audit & Resourcing List

  • Continuous Provision Rotation Planner Toolkit

  • Toddler Visual Support Labelling Pack | 18–36 Months

• 5. Outdoor Learning

  👉 Movement, regulation and sensory experience.

  • Outdoor Continuous Provision Pack

    • Outdoor Zone-by-Zone Setup Guide (Gross Motor, Sensory/Nature, Creative/Mark Making, Small World Outside, Water/Mud)

    • Seasonal Adjustments Planner

    • Outdoor Risk–Benefit Assessment Template + examples

    • Nature-Based Learning & Schema Guide

    • Outdoor Mark Making & Literacy Opportunities Sheet

    • Outdoor Maths Seeds Sheet

  • Why We Learn Outdoors in All Weathers (Parent Handout)

• 6. Projects, Themes & Schema-Responsive Contexts

  👉 Projects are optional contexts, not directives.

  • Year-Long Project / Theme Curriculum Map (52 Weeks)

  • How Projects Work in Toddler Rooms (Guidance)

  • Schema Coverage & Support Map

  Project/Theme Planners:

  • 12 × Main Project Planners (3–4 Weeks)

    • All About Me & My World

    • People Who Help Us

    • Autumn - Senses, Colours & Change

    • Light, Dark & Celebrations

    • Winter-Weather, Warmth & Cosy Spaces

    • Transport & Journeys

    • Growing & Changing

    • Animals & Their Homes

    • Food & Nutrition

    • Minibeasts & Nature Explorers

    • Summer - Sand, Sea & Sun

    • Playful Patterns & Construction

  • 8 × Mini-Project Planners (1 Week)

    • Big Machines & Building

    • Cooking & Food Play

    • Teddy Bears’ Picnic

    • Colours Everywhere

    • Water Play Week

    • My Favourite Things

    • Rhyme Time Week

    • Weather Wonders

• 7. Adult-Focused Invitations & Activity Resources

  👉 Invitations, provocations and shared experiences.

  • Activity Cards Pack

    Supports Child-led learning and responsive provision

  • Area of Learning Progression Maps & Adult Focus Sessions

    (Organised by Age Band: 18–24 months | 24–30 months | 30–36 months)

    Supports intentional teaching, vocabulary development and staff confidence

    • Communication & Language

    • PSED

    • Physical Development

    • Maths Seeds

    • Literacy Seeds

    • Understanding the World – Experience Progression Pack

    • Expressive Arts & Design – Creative Media & Expression Toolkit

• 8. Language, Interaction & Emotional Development

  👉 Interaction is the curriculum.

  • Toddler Room Poster – Five Sentence Stems For Toddler Practitioners

  • Supporting Emotional Regulation Through Language

  • Language-First Approaches in Toddler Rooms

  • Toddler Behaviour & Regulation: A Quick Guide

• 9. Assessment, Statutory Requirements & Leadership

  👉 Proportionate, meaningful assessment.

  • Progress Check at Age 2

    • Report Template

    • Practitioner Guidance

  • OFSTED Questions We’re Ready For

• 10. SEND & Inclusion

  👉 Early identification, gentle support.

  • SEND Inclusion Strategy Pack (18–36 Months)

    • Practical SEND & inclusion strategies for toddlers aged 18–36 months

    • Six quick-reference strategy sheets covering communication, sensory needs, anxiety and behaviour

    • Aligned with the EYFS Framework and the Assess–Plan–Do–Review approach

    • Inclusive, diagnosis-free guidance ready to use in everyday practice

    • Ideal for observations, provision planning, team use and Ofsted evidence

• 11. Transition & Parent Partnership

  👉 Strong partnerships, realistic expectations.

  Transition

  • Toddler → Preschool Transition Pack

  Home–Setting Communication

  • Toddler Room Parent Update & Home Learning Sheet

  • Letter Templates Pack

  Parent Information Pages

  • Why Mark Making Matters (Before Writing)

  • Supporting Speech & Language at Home (0–3 Years)

  • How To Build Language Through Play

  • Why We Learn Outdoors in All Weathers

Additional Whole-Setting Guidance | for Professional Members

Explore our whole-setting guidance below, including overarching curriculum and pedagogy documents, early years schemas and EYFS setting policies.

• Curriculum & Pedagogy

  • Little Owls Resources’ Curriculum Intent Statement

  • EYFS from Birth to 5: Curriculum Coherence & Pedagogical Throughline

  • Whole-Setting Curriculum Map (Birth-5): Curriculum Intent & Progression

  • Pedagogy Guidance Document

  • Speech & Language Development - Setting Statement

  • EYFS Inspection-Facing Summaries

• Early Years Schemas

  Early Years Schemas - Practitioner Toolkit | EYFS Birth-5

  ↪ Schema Cards (definition, behaviours, age-related examples, enabling resources)

  ↪ Schema Observation & Responsive Provision Planning Template

• EYFS Setting Policies

  • EYFS Group Setting Policies Pack

    ↪ x 22 Policy Documents

    ↪ Policy Sign-Off and Confirmation Document

    ↪ EYFS Setting Policy Folder Contents List

  • Childminder Setting Policies Pack

    ↪ x 22 Policy Documents

    ↪ Childminder Assistant or Volunteer Policy Sign-Off and Confirmation Document

    ↪ Childminder Policy Folder Contents List

• EYFS Glossary

  EYFS Glossary

  ↪ Clear, practitioner-friendly explanations of key curriculum and pedagogy terms used throughout our guidance.

Looking for a different age group pathway?

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What is Professional Membership?

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Content within the EYFS Curriculum & Pedagogy Membership is provided as professional guidance and support. It reflects current understanding of the EYFS statutory framework, Development Matters and inspection expectations at the time of writing. Practitioners are responsible for applying professional judgement and ensuring practice aligns with current statutory requirements and their specific context. All resources, experiences and environment arrangements must be risk assessed by the setting and used in accordance with individual children’s developmental stages, needs and supervision requirements.

Safeguarding content does not replace a setting’s safeguarding and child protection policy or the statutory role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). All concerns must be managed in line with current statutory guidance and local safeguarding procedures.

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