Characteristics of Effective Learning Progression — Nursery to Year 2 | EYFS and KS1

A clear, detailed progression document mapping all three Characteristics of Effective Learning — Playing and Exploring, Active Learning, and Creating and Thinking Critically — as a continuous thread from Nursery through Reception, Year 1 and into Year 2. Created as part of the Is it Time to Play? progression resources, this document supports teachers to understand how the habits and dispositions that underpin great learning develop over time — and how to nurture them at every stage.

Because the Characteristics of Effective Learning are not just an EYFS concept. They describe how children learn, not what they learn — and those habits carry across every subject and every phase, including the move into and through the National Curriculum.

What’s Included?

• Progression across all three Characteristics of Effective Learning from Nursery through to Year 2
• Clear developmental stages for Playing and Exploring, Active Learning, and Creating and Thinking Critically
• Progression mapped across Nursery → Reception → Year 1 → Year 2
• Adult interaction prompts and questions linked to each Characteristic to support purposeful engagement

Why Teachers Love It

• Makes the Characteristics of Effective Learning visible and trackable across EYFS and KS1
• Supports teachers to see the CoEL as a genuine bridge between play-based EYFS practice and the more structured expectations of Key Stage 1
• Helps children build the independence, resilience and problem-solving skills that underpin positive learning behaviours well beyond Reception
• Supports confident planning, observation and professional conversations about how children learn
• Reinforces that strong learning dispositions are developed over time — not switched on at the start of Year 1

How Can I Use This Resource?

• Use to map the development of learning dispositions from Nursery through to Year 2 with clarity and confidence
• Reference during planning to ensure provision and adult interactions nurture the Characteristics of Effective Learning at every stage
• Share with your team — including Year 1 and Year 2 teachers — to build a shared understanding of how children develop as learners across EYFS and KS1
• Use to support transition conversations between EYFS and KS1, showing the continuity of effective learning behaviours across phases
• Use alongside the Continuous Provision Planning and Play Skills Progression for a fully joined-up approach to purposeful provision

💡 This resource is also available inside the Is it Time to Play? Membership, giving members access to hundreds of planning tools, resources and professional development materials for no additional cost.

Now using credits • Your plan limit resets Jul 29 at 10:40 PM.