PSED Activity Pack
Toddlers (18–36 Months)
Adult-focused activities to strengthen toddlers’ self-regulation, independence and relationships
A practical, print-ready toolkit of play-based, adult-led Personal, Social & Emotional Development activities for toddlers aged 18–36 months, designed to support secure relationships, emotional coaching and consistent PSED practice across your setting.
(This pathway component will be available for download by: March 31st 2026)
What this document is
The PSED Activity Pack (18–36 months) is an adult-facing activity bank designed to support relationship-centred, developmentally grounded PSED practice in toddler rooms.
Rather than acting as a programme or checklist, this pack helps practitioners plan and deliver brief, flexible adult-led interactions that sit alongside continuous provision and daily routines. The activities are sequenced across three developmental bands (18–24m, 24–30m, 30–36m) and are structured to support progression in:
Self-Regulation
Managing Self
Building Relationships
The pack is designed to help teams strengthen attachment-aware practice, embed emotional coaching, and support toddlers as they move from co-regulation towards early self-regulation, in a way that is realistic for this age group.
It is intended to support professional judgement and reflective practice and does not replace statutory EYFS guidance or Development Matters.
Who this is for
This pack is particularly useful for:
Toddler room practitioners supporting emotional security and daily regulation
Key persons building consistent relational routines and attachment-led practice
Room leaders who want a shared PSED approach across the team
SENCOs supporting regulation, behaviour, and individual differences (including SEND)
Apprentices/new practitioners developing confidence in emotional coaching language
Settings refining their PSED provision without over-formalising toddler practice
What this document helps you do
This resource helps you to:
Strengthen PSED through intentional adult interactions, not “circle-time lessons”
Choose experiences based on developmental stage, not chronological age
Plan 2–4 short adult-focused PSED interactions per week (1:1, small group, or routine-based)
Build consistency around secure-base routines, transitions, and daily co-regulation
Develop children’s emotional understanding using simple vocabulary and modelling
Support peer interaction: turn-taking, gentle hands, early empathy and cooperation
Use observation to notice what children need next and adapt without pressure or targets
Include all children through clear differentiation and SEND adaptations embedded in every activity
What’s included in this pack
This is a printable, setting-ready pack containing:
Introduction and aims pages grounded in toddler PSED (relationships, routines, attachment, security, independence)
How to Use This Pack guidance, including:
selecting activities by developmental stage (not age)
using activities in 1:1, small groups, or woven through routines
repeating activities over time for security and depth
using routines as natural PSED teaching moments
observing, responding and revisiting in a reflective cycle
Three section divider pages to support printing and team navigation:
Section 1: 18–24 months (security, emerging emotional skills, early independence)
Section 2: 24–30 months (emotional language, social confidence, simple boundaries/rules)
Section 3: 30–36 months (early self-regulation strategies, empathy, cooperation, resilience)
30 adult-focused PSED activities (10 per band), each presented in a consistent, practitioner-friendly format:
learning intention (skill focus)
resources + set-up
adult modelling prompts (warm, simple scripts)
emotion vocabulary
differentiation (easier/harder)
SEND adaptations
“assessment to notice” (observational cues, not checklists)
How this fits within the wider Toddler framework
This pack forms part of our Adult-Focused Invitations & Activity Resources strand for toddlers (18–36 months). It is designed to sit alongside:
Toddler Pedagogy Position Statement (relationships first; adults as co-regulators)
In-the-moment planning and observational assessment (notice → respond → revisit)
Continuous provision guidance (PSED is built through routines, transitions and interaction)
Behaviour & emotional regulation supports (shared language, predictable adult responses)
Used consistently, this pack helps settings build a coherent approach where emotional security, routines and relationships become the foundation for all learning in the toddler room.
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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