Learning Journal

Photo of Child
My name

is: .........................................................

I was born on: ......................................................

I began my Learning Journey at .............................................. on ..................

All providers (pre-schools, nurseries etc) and childminders are required to follow the statutory
requirements and guidance of the EYFS and work together to support the children in their care.

The EYFS focuses on learning through play and my observations and planning will follow this
focus.

For further information on the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework please see the
following websites:

www.foundationyears.org.uk or www.education.gov.uk

When your child is between 24-36 months, I am required to complete an assessment, to

coincide with their Health Check, with their Health Visitor. If you have not already told me or
you do not yet have the date then please let me know the date of the Health Check, as soon
as you know, in order for me to complete the necessary paperwork, for you to take along this
appointment?

If your child is attending another childcare setting, I am required to share information with them
on your child’s learning and development; they too, are required to do this for me. All
information will be shared with you in this booklet. The information shared, is to ensure that we
do not duplicate our work but enhance on it, for your child within our individual settings.

This booklet belongs to your child; we can all contribute to the book. It is a great aid for
recalling memories and special moments. When your child grows older, I am sure you and
they will love looking through the book together, to see how they have grown and developed.

In this book there will be photographs, observations, parent and child contributions, planning
and next steps, ideas for you to support your child’s learning and development at home. This
book will be a guide to how your child is being cared for and how they are learning and
developing.

Don’t forget you and your child’s contributions are as important as mine!

Your child’s starting points in their learning and development.

The information gathered below will help me to plan activities that your child will enjoy and to
help him/her to settle them into my setting. There are seven areas of learning and
development that must shape educational programmes in early year’s settings. All areas of
learning and development are important and inter-connected.

Three areas are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm. This will be
a great start for their learning, form relationships and thrive.

Prime Areas of learning: Personal, Social & Emotional Development (PSED)

Communication & Language (CL)
Physical Development (PD)
Specific Areas of learning: Literacy Development (L)
Mathematics (M)

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Understand the World (UW)
Expressive Arts & Design (EAD)

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 All About Me
My name is: Age:

I liked to be called: I was born on:

This is me!

Please add a photograph/s of your child or, if they wish, a drawing

they have done of themselves

My family language is

Here are some words in my home language I use or understand

The people in my family are

This is how you can support my Religion, Culture or Tradition

My pets are

My favourite toy is
My preferred comfort object is
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Any things I worry about

Am I used to being away from my family? Yes / No

Am I confident with toileting? Yes / No

Words I use for needing the toilet

My favourite food is

My favourite drink is

I have/have not got any allergies, dietary requirements and/or health issues

Please summarise information from registration/health plan documents.

What I like doing at home

Have there been any recent changes in my life?

Tell us some more about your child

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 Please let me know if
there were any
complications or
difficulties – e.g. low
birth weight or
significant
prematurity.

Please let me know

when your child sat,
crawled, walked.

Please state if you

have any diagnosed
special educational
or medical needs.

 Please note if yes to the above with your permission I will share this information with
Early Years SEN Development Officer at Bournemouth Local Authority to ensure I get
the right support for your child
 Please also note that I can access a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator at the
local Children’s Centre, who can give you and I further advice and support if needed
 Please discuss with me if you feel that I need to make any reasonable adjustments to
my setting, to accommodate your child

Do you have a Family Yes /No Number:

Common
Assessment State Professionals Involved:
Framework in place if
so please state?
the number and list
the professionals
involved

 This will help me to make contact with the professionals stated, if I think you may
need further support

Please state name

and address of any
other Early Years
Setting that you
attend

 It is important for me to know this, as I have to make links with this setting to find out
what you are learning so that I can enhance on that learning in my setting
 Parents/Carer: By giving me this information you agree for me to contact them for

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this reason

Have you and your

child attended, or are
you currently
attending any
groups, such as Sure
Start, Stay and Play,
Parent and Toddlers
etc.

Are you currently

registered with a
Children Centre? If
so please state which
one

Does your child sleep

during the day?
If so when and how
do you like to sleep?

Does your child need Yes / No (please circle one)

support to feed
themselves, go to the This is the help I need:
toilet, wash their
hands/teeth or
anything else?

Is there anything else Yes / No (please circle one)

that you may need
support to do? Such This is the help I need:
as holding a pencil or
brush, catching a
ball, unsteady on my
feet or coping with
loud noise.

If your child is aged This information is important as it is my duty as a key

between 24- 36 person to complete this progress check and to share

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months please tell the information with your health visitor. If you do not
me the Name and know this date, please remember to give it to me
Address of your when you have it.
Health Visitor along
with the date of their Date: .................................... Not know (please
Health Check if you circle)
know it.

Any other
information that you
wish to share that will
help me to support
your child

Please tell me what

you hope your child
will gain from
attending my setting

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 My Photos
With your child please choose some of their favourite photographs of themselves and of people and
things that are most important to them.

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 Date completed:
Age in months:

Look what I can do already!

Communication & Language

Personal Social & Emotional development

Age Band:
If your child is learning English as an additional
language, would you describe him/her as: (please
tick)
New to English
Becoming familiar with English
Age Band: Becoming a confident user of English
A fluent user of English

My Photograph
Physical Development

Age Band:

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 Date completed:
Age in months:

Look what I can do already!

Characteristics of effective learning

Playing & Exploring

Active learning

Creating and thinking critically

Specific Area of Learning (3 years plus)

Literacy: Age band:

Maths: Age band:

Understanding the world: Age Band:

Expressive Arts: Age Band:

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 My first week plan at [setting name]

PSED C&L

PD Specific

I would like to play with.......

This is how I want to be settled......

e.g. mummy will bring me on my first day and will stay and play with me for 10
minutes. She will say goodbye to me when she goes. She will come back in one
hour. If I am happy she will do this each day and gradually leave me for longer.

I need to have my teddy with me all the time. I will also bring a photograph of
mummy and daddy.

If I am not happy the nursery will phone my mummy to come back sooner.

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 How you can help me at home
Session Things to try Parent/Carer comments

e.g. talk to your child about coming

After to pre-school and what will happen.
visit Choose photographs together to
stick into this book. Let them
decorate the cover however they
choose.

After Remind your child of all the fun

Stay & things they played with today. Tell
play them next time they can stay and
play while you pop out. Help them
choose a favourite toy/comforter to
bring in with them.

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Let’s Celebrate My First Week!
Add Wow observations and photographs of child’s first week

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 Parents’ and Carers’
Observations/Comments
Please share with us what your child is doing at home. We would love to
see photographs, children’s drawings and comments from you.

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 Planning for your child’s learning journey
Next week we will be focusing on _________________________. We will be observing
them while they play to find out more about their interests and how they are
progressing. Please take some pictures of your child/family enjoying activities out of
school.

We value the knowledge and understanding you have of your child and would really
appreciate it if you would share this with us so that together we can plan activities to
meet your child’s needs. This will help us plan for their future learning and
development.

Is there anything significant happening in your child’s life at the moment, e.g. visits,
holidays, new pets, family celebrations? Is there anything you would like to tell us about
your child?

Do you have anything you would like to ask us about your child’s progress and
development in the setting?

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Please return this sheet by _______________________ so we can add your thoughts and
ideas to the planning process.

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 Learning Journey For: ........................................................ Age: .................................. Date: ..............

Areas of Observation
Identified Areas For Focus: learning
PSED
General: C&L
PD
LIT
From Parents:
MATHS
UTW
From next steps: EAD
Playing exploring
Active learning
Creating &
thinking critically
Conversation
with child
Conversation
with parent
Parent
meeting

Ideas Future Areas For Focus:

General:

Parents:

Next steps:
Identified Areas For Focus:

General:

From Parents:
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From next steps:

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 Wow Observation Sheet

Name Name

Date Date

Playing & Exploring Playing & Exploring

Being Active Being Active
Creating & thinking critically Creating & thinking critically

PSED C&L PD L M UW EA&D PSED C&L PD L M UW EA&D

Name Name

Date Date

Playing & Exploring Playing & Exploring

Being Active Being Active
Creating & thinking critically Creating & thinking critically

PSED C&L PD L M UW EA&D PSED C&L PD L M UW EA&D

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 Date completed:
Age in months:

Look what I can do now!

Communication & Language

Personal Social & Emotional

Development

Age band

Age Band

My Interests

Characteristics of Effective learning

Playing & exploring
Active learning
Creating and thinking critically
Physical Development

Age band 26
 Date completed:
Age in months:

Look what I can do now!

Mathematics

Literacy

Age Band:

Age Band:

My Interests

Understanding the World Expressive Arts and design

Age band:
Age band:
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 (Example 1) ...........................................................’s progress tracker

Date of birth Start date

Key
Date
Age (months)

Personal, social Birth to 11 8-20 months 16-26 months 22-36 months 30-50 months 40-60+ months
and emotional months
development
Making relationships
Self confidence and
self awareness
Managing feelings
and behaviour

Communication Birth to 11 8-20 months 16-26 months 22-36 months 30-50 months 40-60+ months
and language months
Listening and
attention
Understanding

Speaking

Physical Birth to 11 8-20 months 16-26 months 22-36 months 30-50 months 40-60+ months
Development months
Moving and handling

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Health and self care
Birth to 11 8-20 months 16-26 months 22-36 months 30-50 months 40-60+ months
Literacy
months
Reading

Writing

Birth to 11 8-20 months 16-26 months 22-36 months 30-50 months 40-60+ months
Mathematics
months
Numbers
Shape, space and
measures

Understanding the Birth to 11 8-20 months 16-26 months 22-36 months 30-50 months 40-60+ months
world months
People and
communities
The world

Technology

Expressive arts and Birth to 11 8-20 months 16-26 months 22-36 months 30-50 months 40-60+ months
design months
Exploring media and
materials
Being imaginative

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 (Example 2) Development Tracker for Early Years Child’s Name:
0-11 months 8-20 months 16-26 months 22-36 months 30-50 months 40-60 months

Early Years Outcome Aspect Working In Working In Working In Working In Working In Working In
towards place towards place towards place towards place towards place towards place
Communication & Listening & attention
language
Understanding
speaking
Physical development Moving & handling
Health & self care
Personal, social & Self confidence & self
emotional awareness
development Managing feelings &
behaviour
Making relationships
Literacy Reading

Writing

Mathematics Numbers

Shape, space &

measures
Understanding the People &
world communities
The world

Technology

Expressive arts & Exploring & using

design media & materials
Being Imaginative

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 My Last Day

Photograph

Comments from Key Person

Comments from Parent/Carer

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