Toddler Project Planners (18–36 Months) | Play-Led, Schema-Informed, EYFS Aligned

Home › EYFS Curriculum & Pedagogy › Toddler Curriculum & Pedagogy

Toddler Project Planners (18–36 Months)

Play-Led, Schema-Informed, EYFS Aligned

EYFS Curriculum & Pedagogy Membership (Professional)

(Elements of this pathway component Available Now | Remaining documents available for download by: March 31st 2026)

Purpose of This Resource

This collection of Toddler Project Planners provides a year-long sequence of flexible, developmentally appropriate projects designed to support children aged 18–36 months.

The planners exist to:

• support consistent, confident practice across teams

• provide shared context and language for toddlers’ learning

• protect play-led, schema-driven pedagogy

• offer clear articulation of intent, implementation and impact for leadership and inspection

• prevent projects being misapplied as topic teaching or activity delivery

Projects provide context, not content.

What These Project Planners Are

Each project planner is a 3–4 week flexible framework that supports adults to think intentionally about:

• environment enhancements

• adult interaction and language modelling

• schematic play opportunities

• inclusion and access

• progression over time

The planners:

• sit alongside continuous provision, not instead of it

• offer multiple entry points for different interests and schemas

• are designed to be adapted, paused, extended or shortened in response to children

Projects are held by adults as pedagogical thinking tools, not delivered to children as lessons.

What These Project Planners Are Not

These planners are not:

• lesson plans or schemes of work

• activity checklists

• outcome-driven topic webs

• expectations that all children will engage

• evidence of “coverage”

Children are never expected to complete a project.
Engagement is always voluntary and child-led.

How Projects Work Within the Toddler Curriculum

Projects function as a light overlay to continuous provision by:

• introducing shared vocabulary and experiences

• guiding resource choices and enhancements

• supporting sustained language exposure

• offering emotional security through familiarity

If a child’s schema, interest or emotional need leads learning away from the project theme, the child’s need takes priority.

Pedagogical Foundations

All project planners are grounded in:

• play-based learning

• schema theory

• attachment-aware practice

• Development Matters guidance

• Characteristics of Effective Learning

• inclusive, strengths-based pedagogy

Adult-led moments within projects are:

• short (2–5 minutes)

• optional

• playful

• never interrupt deep engagement

Assessment & Progression

Projects support adults to:

• notice changes in engagement, language and independence

• observe emerging schemas and interests

• reflect on the effectiveness of provision and interaction

Assessment remains:

• narrative

• observational

• focused on wellbeing and involvement

Projects are never assessed against outcomes.

Inclusion & SEND

Projects are inherently inclusive because they:

• draw on everyday lived experience

• value non-verbal and sensory learning

• allow multiple ways to engage

• adapt through environment and interaction

Support is embedded into daily practice rather than delivered as a separate curriculum.

How to Use These Planners Well

Practitioners should:

• read the planner as guidance, not instruction

• select enhancements responsively

• prioritise schemas and emotional regulation

• use professional judgement at all times

• document learning through brief narrative observations

Leaders should use the planners to:

• support shared language and consistency

• articulate curriculum intent clearly

• evidence reflective, responsive practice

Included Toddler Project Planners

This pack includes 12 core project planners, aligned to the year-long curriculum map:

• 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

Each planner includes:

• project intent

• learning focuses across EYFS

• vocabulary sets

• environment enhancements

• schematic links

• inclusion guidance

• reflection and evaluation prompts

Professional Disclaimer

This resource is intended to support professional judgement, reflection and shared understanding.
It does not replace the EYFS statutory framework, Development Matters guidance, or practitioner decision-making in response to individual children.

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.

(Elements of this pathway component Available Now | Remaining documents 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?

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.

Latest EYFS Articles & Practical Guides | From Our Blog

Stay informed, get expert advice, and find inspiration from our collection of articles and useful external resources, tailored specifically for EYFS practitioners. We regularly publish in-depth articles to support you with current best practices, regulatory changes, and fresh ideas.

Are you looking for a specific resource or document for your provision?

Use our 🔍 SEARCH Bar located at the top of every page.

___________________________

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.

_____________________________