Early Learning Goals

The Early Learning Goals describe what children at the expected level of development will be able to do at the end of Reception.

Communication and Language

Listening, Attention and Understanding ELG:

Children at the expected level of development will:
• Listen attentively and respond to what they hear with relevant questions,
comments and actions when being read to and during whole class discussions
and small group interactions;
• Make comments about what they have heard and ask questions to clarify their
understanding;
• Hold conversation when engaged in back-and-forth exchanges with their teacher
and peers.  

Speaking ELG:

Children at the expected level of development will:
• Participate in small group, class and one-to-one discussions, offering their own
ideas, using recently introduced vocabulary;
• Offer explanations for why things might happen, making use of recently introduced
vocabulary from stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems when appropriate;
• Express their ideas and feelings about their experiences using full sentences,
including use of past, present, and future tenses and making use of conjunctions,
with modelling and support from their teacher. 

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Self-Regulation ELG:

Children at the expected level of development will:
• Show an understanding of their own feelings and those of others, and begin to
regulate their behaviour accordingly;
• Set and work towards simple goals, being able to wait for what they want and
control their immediate impulses when appropriate;
• Give focused attention to what the teacher says, responding appropriately even
when engaged in activity, and show an ability to follow instructions involving
several ideas or actions.

Managing Self ELG:

Children at the expected level of development will:
• Be confident to try new activities and show independence, resilience and
perseverance in the face of challenge;
• Explain the reasons for rules, know right from wrong and try to behave
accordingly;
• Manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs, including dressing, going to
the toilet, and understanding the importance of healthy food choices. 

Building Relationships ELG:

Children at the expected level of development will:
• Work and play cooperatively and take turns with others;
• Form positive attachments to adults and friendships with peers;
• Show sensitivity to their own and to others’ needs. 

Physical Development

Gross Motor Skills ELG:

Children at the expected level of development will:
• Negotiate space and obstacles safely, with consideration for themselves and
others;
• Demonstrate strength, balance and coordination when playing;
• Move energetically, such as running, jumping, dancing, hopping, skipping and
climbing.  

Fine Motor Skills ELG:

Children at the expected level of development will:
• Hold a pencil effectively in preparation for fluent writing – using the tripod grip in
almost all cases;
• Use a range of small tools, including scissors, paint brushes and cutlery;
• Begin to show accuracy and care when drawing. 

Literacy

Comprehension ELG:

Children at the expected level of development will:
• Demonstrate understanding of what has been read to them by retelling stories and
narratives using their own words and recently introduced vocabulary;
• Anticipate – where appropriate – key events in stories;
• Use and understand recently introduced vocabulary during discussions about
stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems and during role-play. 

Word Reading ELG:

Children at the expected level of development will:
• Say a sound for each letter in the alphabet and at least 10 digraphs;
• Read words consistent with their phonic knowledge by sound-blending;
• Read aloud simple sentences and books that are consistent with their phonic
knowledge, including some common exception words. 

Writing ELG:

Children at the expected level of development will:
• Write recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed;
• Spell words by identifying sounds in them and representing the sounds with a
letter or letters;
• Write simple phrases and sentences that can be read by others. 

Mathematics

Number ELG:

Children at the expected level of development will:
• Have a deep understanding of number to 10, including the composition of each
number;
• Subitise (recognise quantities without counting) up to 5;
• Automatically recall (without reference to rhymes, counting or other aids) number
bonds up to 5 (including subtraction facts) and some number bonds to 10,
including double facts. 

Numerical Patterns ELG:

Children at the expected level of development will:
• Verbally count beyond 20, recognising the pattern of the counting system;
• Compare quantities up to 10 in different contexts, recognising when one quantity
is greater than, less than or the same as the other quantity;
• Explore and represent patterns within numbers up to 10, including evens and
odds, double facts and how quantities can be distributed equally. 

Understanding the World

Past and Present ELG:

Children at the expected level of development will:
• Talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society;
• Know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now,
drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class;
• Understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in
books read in class and storytelling.

People, Culture and Communities ELG:

Children at the expected level of development will:
• Describe their immediate environment using knowledge from observation,
discussion, stories, non-fiction texts, and maps;
• Know some similarities and differences between different religious and cultural
communities in this country, drawing on their experiences and what has been read
in class;
• Explain some similarities and differences between life in this country and life in
other countries, drawing on knowledge from stories, non-fiction texts and – when
appropriate – maps.  

The Natural World ELG:

Children at the expected level of development will:
• Explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures
of animals and plants;
• Know some similarities and differences between the natural world around them
and contrasting environments, drawing on their experiences and what has been
read in class;
• Understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around
them, including the seasons and changing states of matter. 

Expressive Arts and Design

Creating with Materials ELG:

Children at the expected level of development will:
• Safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting
with colour, design, texture, form, and function;
• Share their creations, explaining the process they have used;
• Make use of props and materials when role playing characters in narratives and
stories. 

Being Imaginative and Expressive ELG:

Children at the expected level of development will:
• Invent, adapt and recount narratives and stories with peers and their teacher;
• Sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs;
• Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and – when appropriate
try to move in time with music. 

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