Understanding the World: Curriculum Experience Progression
Toddlers (18–36 Months)
Curiosity • Connection • Noticing Change • Cause & Effect • Living Things • Materials & Properties • Identity & Culture
A practitioner-facing guidance pack designed to support high-quality Understanding the World (UTW) practice for toddlers through real experiences, enabling environments and responsive adult interaction.
(This pathway component will be available for download by: March 31st 2026)
What this pack is
The Understanding the World — Experience Progression Pack supports practitioners to plan for UTW in a way that is developmentally appropriate for under-3s: rooted in sensory exploration, repetition, inquiry and relationship, rather than “content knowledge” or topic delivery.
It positions UTW as a lived, everyday area of learning where toddlers make sense of the world through touching, watching, testing, comparing, dropping, repeating and noticing change — with adults extending learning through careful language, modelling and environment design (not over-questioning).
It is intended to support professional judgement and reflective practice and does not replace statutory EYFS guidance or Development Matters.
Conceptual structure of the pack
This pack organises UTW learning through three concept threads, reflecting how toddlers encounter the world:
The Living World: animals, plants, growth, decay, habitats, weather and seasonal change
The Physical World: water, wind, forces, movement, cause and effect, materials changing state
My Social & Cultural World: people, families, routines, belonging, identity, traditions and community
This helps practitioners plan UTW as a coherent progression of experience → behaviour → early thinking, rather than a list of topics.
Who this pack is for
Designed for UK early years practice, this pack supports:
Toddler room practitioners (18–36 months)
Room leaders and curriculum leads building a coherent UTW offer
Childminders and small settings embedding UTW through daily life
SEND teams and SENCos supporting accessible, inclusive UTW experiences
Practitioners strengthening cultural representation and belonging in provision
What this pack helps practitioners do
This pack supports teams to:
Offer sensory-rich, real-world UTW experiences that toddlers can repeat and master
Scaffold curiosity and early scientific thinking without turning play into a Q&A session
Recognise UTW learning as it happens (testing, noticing, repeating, predicting)
Plan enabling environments that naturally invite cause & effect, change, properties and inquiry
Build belonging and representation through authentic cultural objects and lived experience
Make observation lighter and more meaningful (notice what matters; record what is significant)
What’s included in this pack
This pack includes:
A clear UTW philosophy and introduction, explaining what UTW means for under-3s (experience-led, not knowledge-led)
Practical guidance on how to use the pack, including:
what the resource is and is not (not a scheme, not a syllabus, not memorisation)
how to use it flexibly without feeling you must “cover” everything
why evidence should be captured only when meaningful/significant
Progression and provocation guidance across three developmental bands, each organised by the same three concept threads:
18–24 months: noticing, repeating actions, exploring through senses
24–30 months: comparing, recognising differences, early cause & effect noticing
30–36 months (ambitious): anticipating change, experimenting intentionally, early explanations
Provocation starters (environment enhancements) for each age band and concept thread, with:
set-up ideas (what to offer and how)
examples of appropriate adult language (invitational, descriptive, non-testing)
observation clues (“look for…”) linked to early thinking
Adult role and interaction guidance, including:
modelling language (“It changed”, “That one didn’t move”, “It went fast”)
extending learning through careful additions to provision
prompts that support inquiry without pressuring verbal answers
Cultural and SEND notes embedded within the UTW guidance, emphasising:
authentic representation (real objects; avoid stereotypes and “costumes”)
belonging shown through participation and routines, not always words
inclusive access to inquiry (sensory supports, pacing, alternative response modes)
A one-page printable overview table: UTW Seed Skills Progression (18–36 months) covering:
Living World, Physical Processes, Materials, Change, Identity, Culture
clear developmental progression across the three bands
A detailed Continuous Provision Map for UTW (18–36 months) (as part of this UTW resource set), offering practical provision guidance across:
water, sand, construction, small world, creative media, outdoors, snack time, book area, role play, heuristic play
adult language prompts and extension ideas to keep learning child-led and repeatable
How this pack fits into high-quality UK EYFS practice
This UTW pack supports a curriculum approach where:
experience comes before explanation
repetition is learning (testing again is thinking)
adults prioritise narration, modelling, and carefully designed environments
UTW builds wonder and connection through nature, materials, community, identity and culture
inclusion is built-in through representation, access and flexible response expectations
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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