Cooking & Food Play |Toddler Mini-Project Planner
1-week mini-project planner for Toddlers (18–36 months)
A focused, sensory-rich mini-project that uses food, cooking play and preparation routines to build independence, fine motor strength and rich descriptive language through child-led exploration.
(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 Cooking & Food Play for children aged 18–36 months.
It provides a short, high-impact framework for creating sensory, practical food-based experiences that support toddlers’ self-help skills, fine motor development and early language around taste, texture and process.
The mini-project is designed to be used flexibly — as a responsive follow-on from children’s interests, a confidence-building independence week, or a standalone project that complements your wider toddler curriculum.
It is intended to support professional judgement and reflective practice 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 supporting independence and self-help
Nursery leaders and curriculum coordinators
Childminders working with toddlers
Settings wanting a short, purposeful project that builds confidence around food, mess and routine
What this document helps you do
This document supports you to:
Plan a meaningful cooking-focused week without formal activities or adult-led teaching
Build toddlers’ self-help skills through real, achievable routines (washing, spreading, clearing)
Develop descriptive language for taste, texture and action (sticky, smooth, pour, knead)
Strengthen fine motor control needed for later mark-making and tool use
Support confidence with sensory exploration and messy play
Clearly articulate the learning value of food play to parents, leaders and inspectors
What’s included in this mini-project planner
This mini-project planner provides a complete, practitioner-friendly framework for a coherent 1-week focus, while remaining fully responsive to children’s interests.
Inside, you’ll find:
A clear Project Intent explaining why cooking and food play are powerful learning contexts for toddlers
EYFS-aligned Intended Learning Focuses, prioritising PSED, C&L and PD with strong seeds in Maths, Literacy and UW
A concise 1-week project overview outlining the core purpose and learning direction
A core and extension vocabulary set to support consistent adult language modelling
Environment enhancement guidance for:
a sensory kitchen and role-play area
preparation and tasting stations
creative and mark-making spaces linked to food
Practical adult prompts and interaction language to support sustained shared thinking
A set of high-impact focus activities to be offered flexibly across the week (not a daily timetable)
Optional 2–5 minute learning bursts for songs, movement, sorting and sequencing
Inclusion and differentiation guidance (EAL, sensory needs, SEND)
Family engagement ideas to extend self-help and food language into home routines
An evaluation and reflection section to support next steps and responsive planning
How this fits within our Toddler curriculum framework
This document forms part of our wider Toddler Mini-Project Planner series within the Projects, Themes & Schema-Responsive Contexts pathway, and is designed to be used alongside:
How Projects Work in Toddler Rooms (Guidance)
Schema Coverage & Support Map (Toddler Curriculum)
Continuous Provision Setup Guides (Toddler Room)
Toddler Pedagogy Position Statement (18–36 months)
Mini-projects provide short, focused bursts of shared experience, while keeping play, repetition, schemas and responsive provision at the heart 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.
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👉 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]
Curriculum Intent in Toddler Rooms (What It Means — and What It Doesn’t)
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👉 Adult understanding, not child targets.
Progression across 6-month bands (18–24 | 24–30 | 30–36 months)
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👉 Observation is the driver of planning.
Communication & Language
PSED
Physical Development
Maths Seeds
Characteristics of Effective Learning
Behaviour & Emotional Regulation
Schema Observation & Analysis
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👉 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
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👉 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
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👉 Projects are optional contexts, not directives.
How Projects Work in Toddler Rooms (Guidance)
Project/Theme Planners:
12 × Main Project Planners (3–4 Weeks)
8 × Mini-Project Planners (1 Week)
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👉 Invitations, provocations and shared experiences.
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
Understanding the World – Experience Progression Pack
Expressive Arts & Design – Creative Media & Expression Toolkit
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👉 Proportionate, meaningful assessment.
Report Template
Practitioner Guidance
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👉 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
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👉 Strong partnerships, realistic expectations.
Transition
Home–Setting Communication
Parent Information Pages
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.
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Early Years Schemas - Practitioner Toolkit | EYFS Birth-5
↪ Schema Cards (definition, behaviours, age-related examples, enabling resources)
↪ Schema Observation & Responsive Provision Planning Template
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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
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↪ Clear, practitioner-friendly explanations of key curriculum and pedagogy terms used throughout our guidance.
Looking for a different age group pathway?
Select the pathway that best reflects your role or the age group you work with. You do not need to use everything. (Some practitioners may use more than one pathway.)
What is Professional Membership?
Find our more about our Professional guidance for confident, reflective EYFS practice (Birth–5)
Alternatively, learn more about and explore our printable provision resources.
Thousands of ready-to-use printables to support provision, organisation, routines and learning across EYFS.
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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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