Theme: Food & Nutrition | Toddler Project Planner (18–36 Months)

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Food & Nutrition

Toddler Project Planner (18–36 Months)

A sensory-rich project planner that builds language for taste and texture, strengthens self-help skills, and supports confident, inclusive mealtime practice in toddler rooms.

EYFS Curriculum & Pedagogy Membership (Professional)

[View additional Toddler Project Planners]

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

What this document is

This document is a flexible, in-depth project planner designed for toddlers aged 18–36 months, using food and nutrition as a high-value, everyday context for learning.

Food & Nutrition is built around what toddlers need most at this age: sensory exploration, repeated routines, independence practice, and language-rich interaction. The project supports practitioners to plan responsive experiences that help toddlers explore ingredients safely, develop comfort with new textures and tastes, and build key self-help skills such as washing hands, peeling, pouring, spreading, mixing and scooping.

The planner also strengthens early thinking through sorting, classifying, counting and comparing, while keeping learning grounded in real-life routines and play.

This document is not a scheme of work or a set of required activities. It is intended to support professional judgement and reflective practice and does not replace statutory EYFS guidance or Development Matters.

Who this is for

• Toddler room practitioners working with children aged 18–36 months

• EYFS leaders and curriculum leads shaping healthy, developmentally appropriate provision

• Settings supporting independence and self-help routines

• Teams developing language-rich mealtimes and food-related provision

• Practitioners gathering meaningful evidence for the Progress Check at Age 2

What this document helps you do

• Build descriptive vocabulary for taste, texture and sensory experience (sweet, sour, crunchy, sticky, soft)

• Develop action language linked to real tasks (wash, chop, peel, stir, mix, scoop, pour, spread)

• Support self-help and independence through everyday preparation and serving routines

• Provide rich fine-motor practice through chopping soft foods, pouring, stirring, and scooping

• Reduce pressure around “trying foods” by focusing on touching, smelling and exploring first

• Embed early maths through sorting by colour/type, counting ingredients, and capacity language (full/empty)

• Support positive PSED outcomes through turn-taking, cooperation, pride and contribution

• Strengthen UW understanding through simple “where food comes from” conversations (farm/garden/tree)

What’s included in this project planner

This planner includes:

• Clear project intent grounded in toddler development (sensory learning, self-help, language)

• Targeted Intended Learning Focuses designed for toddler observation and assessment (Prime Areas plus specific seeds where the theme strongly supports them)

• Intended learning focuses across:

  • PSED

  • Communication & Language

  • Physical Development

  • Early Literacy seeds

  • Early Maths seeds

  • Understanding the World

  • Characteristics of Effective Learning

• A 3–4 week flexible project overview:

  • Week 1: Fruits & sensory exploration

  • Week 2: Vegetables & “farm to table” routines

  • Week 3: Cooking, mixing & capacity (full/empty)

  • Week 4: Texture, taste & sharing/celebration

• Continuous provision environment enhancements for:

  • Cooking and role play kitchen (prep station, pouring practice)

  • Sensory and texture exploration (smell jars, wet/sticky exploration, colour sorting)

  • Literacy and mark-making links (food shapes, texture rubbings, cutting/stamping)

• Adult prompts, observation cues and assessment guidance

• Optional short adult-led “learning bursts” (2–5 minutes)

• Family engagement ideas that support consistent language and routines at home

• Inclusion and SEND adaptations (sensory access, EAL strategies, tool adaptations)

• End-of-project evaluation and reflection prompts to support next steps and team discussion

Everything is designed to be adapted to cohort needs, allergies, cultural practices, and children’s sensory preferences.

How this fits within our Toddler framework

This project planner forms part of our wider Toddler (18–36 Months) Curriculum & Pedagogy framework, where projects offer shared context and coherence while continuous provision and responsive interaction remain the core drivers of learning.

It works alongside:

• How Projects Work in Toddler Rooms (Guidance)

• Year-Long Theme Curriculum Map (18–36 Months)

• Toddler Projects Curriculum Map: Schema Support

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

• Focused Observation Templates

• Continuous Provision Setup Guides | Toddler Room

Together, these documents help teams deliver a toddler curriculum that is practical, inclusive and developmentally respectful—supporting strong foundations through everyday experiences toddlers understand: food, routines, relationships and real work.

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.

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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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