Babies and toddlers need to explore the world and develop a range of ways to communicate before they can express their own ideas through arts and design.
Expresses self through physical action and sound.
Pretends that one object represents another, especially when objects have characteristics in common.
Beginning to use representation to communicate, e.g. drawing a line and saying ‘That’s me.’
Beginning to make-believe by pretending.
Developing preferences for forms of expression.
Uses movement to express feelings.
Creates movement in response to music.
Sings to self and makes up simple songs.
Makes up rhythms.
Notices what adults do, imitating what is observed and then doing it spontaneously when the adult is not there.
Engages in imaginative role play based on own first-hand experiences.
Builds stories around toys, e.g. farm animals needing rescue from an armchair ‘cliff’.
Uses available resources to create props to support role play.
Captures experiences and responses with a range of media, such as music, dance and paint and other materials or words.