Areas of learning

The 7 areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory Framework, there are 7 areas of learning and development. They provide a foundation for children’s future learning and development. They are interconnected and support children in developing skills, knowledge, and understanding. These are split into the prime areas and specific areas.

Prime areas:

  • communication and language
  • physical development
  • personal, social and emotional development

Specific areas:

  • literacy
  • mathematics
  • understanding the world
  • expressive arts and design

To successfully deliver the EYFS statutory framework, early years and childcare providers must develop their own curriculum to reflect their own unique circumstances enabling children to thrive and fulfil their potential.

An aspirational curriculum, with adaptations to support individual children’s needs, will support all children to thrive and achieve their full potential. The curriculum needs to be understood by all practitioners and embedded in their everyday practice. Help for early years providers on curriculum planning is available on GOV.UK.

When developing a curriculum, settings should consider the wider context of their local community.

Best start in life is a three-part subject-based curriculum research review focused on early years education. You can access the research to inform your practice at Best start in life.

The guidance on this page supports ordinarily available inclusive practice. For information about supporting children with delays in their learning and development including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Areas of learning and development

  • The Education Endowment Evidence Store is a source of guidance on strategies proven to have a positive impact on children’s learning and development.

    The government have produced some free online training to support practitioners to understand how children typically develop and how they can support children to make good progress in their early years.

    Additional information for practitioners about communication and language development:

    The following tools can be used to support you in evaluating the communication environment that you provide in your setting:

    The following tools can be shared with parents:

  • Physical activity is vital in children’s all-round development, enabling them to pursue happy, healthy and active lives.

    Training and support is available from the DfE help for early years providers: Physical development web page that will help you check your current curriculum meets the requirement of the revised physical development area of learning.

    This includes how adults can support children to:

    • develop their core strength
    • stability
    • balance
    • spatial awareness
    • coordination
    • agility
    • gross and fine motor skills

    View the videos and explore the additional links to support you further.

    The Education Endowment Evidence Store is a source of guidance on strategies proven to have a positive impact on children’s learning and development. Visit their physical development page for more information.

    Research tells us that some children do not get the physical development opportunities and support they need. There are also studies that suggest physical development is associated with early numeracy and literacy outcomes at age 5 and supports other areas of learning. Therefore, it is important that practitioners know what children can do and what they need to learn next, to support not only their early physical development but also their wider achievements.

    Auditing your current provision

    Physical activity can be integrated into your wider curriculum, but it is important to ensure that the environment and resources provided enable children to access the experiences they need to develop key physical skills and a healthy lifestyle.

    The following tools can be used to audit your current provision for physical development outdoors in your school or setting:

    Supporting the development of core strength and gross motor skills

    Practical ideas for physical activities to help with babies and young children's physical development including core strength, fine and gross motor skills can be found at:

    Supporting the development of fine motor skills

    Practical ideas for activities to support children’s fine motor skills to develop:

  • "Children’s Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED) is crucial for children to lead healthy and happy lives."

    It supports children to have a positive sense of themselves, respect for others, enhance social skills, emotional well-being and contribute to a positive disposition to learning.

    The Education Endowment Evidence Store is a source of guidance on strategies proven to have a positive impact on children’s learning and development.

    The government have produced some free online training to support practitioners to understand how children typically develop and how they can support children to make good progress in their early years.

    Additional guidance for practitioners is available at:

     

  • The Education Endowment Evidence Store is a source of guidance on strategies proven to have a positive impact on children’s learning and development.

    The government have produced some free online training to support practitioners to understand how children typically develop and how they can support children to make good progress in their early years.

    This covers:

    • numbers
    • patterns and connections
    • spatial reasoning

    The Early Childhood Maths Group is a source of information and research to support practitioners to develop their expertise in teaching and learning early maths. They provide guidance to support adults working with children from birth to 7. You can access videos, assessment tools, resources and toolkits from the Early Childhood Maths Group website.

  • The government have produced some free online training to support practitioners to understand how children typically develop and how they can support children to make good progress in their early years.

    This area of learning is supported by the opportunities that you provide children to explore and learn about the world around them. As well as giving children the opportunities to develop their knowledge of the world that they already have, it is important to provide opportunities to children to find out about the wider world around them.

    The resources and experiences that you provide in the learning environment – including, books, songs, visitors, outings and dressing up clothes - should be planned and supported to increase children’s knowledge and experience in this area of learning.

    Resources that can support and develop children’s understanding alongside the practical experiences that you provide are available from  BBC Bitesize.

  • The government have produced some free online training to support practitioners to understand how children typically develop and how they can support children to make good progress in their early years.

    The resources cover:

    • imagination and creativity
    • self-expression
    • communicating through arts

    Effective teaching in expressive arts and design in the early years will involve teaching and modelling to children how to use equipment.

    Early Education guidance on expressive arts and design in the EYFS can be found at Expressive arts and design in EYFS.

    Access Art has resources for use in the EYFS which can be accessed at Exploring Art in Early Years Settings.

    Musical Development Matters forms part of the legacy of the Tri-Music Together project. The overall purpose of Musical Development Matters is to support practitioners, teachers, musicians and parents to see the musical attributes of young children and to offer ideas as to how they can support and nurture children’s musical development by offering broad musical experiences. You can access a range of resources and tools from the project at Youth Music Network.