Observing the characteristics of effective learning

Most observations record what a child did. The characteristics of effective learning ask a different question: how did the child go about it? Did they have a go? Did they keep trying when it went wrong? Did they have an idea of their own? These are the dispositions that predict how a child will cope with school and with life, and they are easy to miss if you are only looking for milestones. This guide explains the three characteristics as the framework defines them, what each looks like in practice, and how to capture them in an observation without doubling your writing.

What the framework says

The EYFS statutory framework effective from 1 September 2026 sets them out in paragraph 1.12. Practitioners "must reflect on the different rates at which children are developing and adjust their practice appropriately. Three characteristics of effective teaching and learning are:"

• Playing and exploring. "Children investigate and experience things, and 'have a go'."
• Active learning. "Children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties and enjoy achievements."
• Creating and thinking critically. "Children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things."

That is the full statutory text. Note the word "must": reflecting on how children learn and adjusting your practice is a requirement. Writing about it is not. The framework's position on written records applies here as everywhere else: there is no requirement to keep any.

Both Development Matters and Birth to 5 Matters expand on the three characteristics at length and are useful background reading. Neither is statutory and neither is a checklist.

Playing and exploring

This is the child's willingness to engage: to touch, try, pretend and find out. It shows up as curiosity about new things, using what they know in play, and the "have a go" attitude that lets a child attempt something before they are sure they can do it.

What it looks like:

• A baby mouthing, shaking and banging a new object in turn to find out what it does.
• A two-year-old who walks straight to the new tray and puts both hands in.
• A three-year-old pretending the cardboard box is a boat, then a bed, then a cave.
• A four-year-old who attempts the big climbing frame for the first time, with an adult nearby, because a friend did.

What it looks like when it is missing: a child who waits to be shown, who only chooses familiar activities, who asks "is this right?" before starting, or who watches new things from a distance for weeks. None of these is a problem in itself, but a pattern is worth noticing and worth a gentle plan.

An observation: "Mila (2y 8m) went straight to the new light box, pressed the switch on and off six times, then put her hand over the light and watched the shadow. She said 'dark, light, dark'." The characteristic is obvious and you do not need a separate sentence to name it.

Active learning

This is motivation: concentration, persistence through difficulty, and satisfaction in achieving something the child set out to do. It is the characteristic most closely tied to what later gets called resilience, and it is the one adults most often undermine by helping too soon.

What it looks like:

• A baby reaching again and again for a toy just out of range, then squealing when they get it.
• A toddler trying to put their own shoe on for several minutes and refusing help.
• A three-year-old rebuilding a tower that keeps falling and changing how they build it.
• A four-year-old spending twenty minutes on a drawing and then insisting it goes on the wall.

What it looks like when it is missing: a child who gives up at the first difficulty, who looks to an adult the moment something goes wrong, who flits between activities without finishing any, or who shows no pleasure in getting something right. Again, every child does this sometimes. The pattern is what matters.

An observation: "Finn (3y 8m) built a marble run that collapsed three times. Each time he said 'again' and rebuilt it, the third time with a wider base. It worked and he shouted for everyone to look." Persistence, adjustment, and pride, all in three sentences.

Creating and thinking critically

This is thinking: having ideas, connecting them, predicting, testing, and working out how to do things. It is the characteristic that shows a child is not just doing but reasoning, and it is often visible in talk.

What it looks like:

• A toddler who uses a stick to reach a ball under the sofa.
• A two-year-old who says "the bear's hiding" before the page is turned.
• A three-year-old who tries a plank bridge, decides it is wobbly, and builds piers.
• A four-year-old who says "if we put the big ones at the bottom it won't fall" and is right.

What it looks like when it is missing: a child who repeats the same action without variation, who does not predict or plan, who does not connect today's experience with yesterday's, or who cannot say why they did something. Some of this is age; some of it is an invitation to offer more open-ended materials and more "I wonder" questions.

An observation: "Layla (4y 4m) wanted the teddies to cross the 'river'. She tried a plank of blocks, said 'too wobbly', built two piers with a plank across and said 'now it's a proper bridge'." An idea, a test, a change of strategy and an evaluation.

How to record them without doubling your work

You do not need a separate observation for the characteristics. A good observation of what a child did will usually show how they did it, because you described the process rather than just the outcome. The practical habits are:

• Describe the process, not just the result. "Built a tower" tells you nothing about learning. "Built it, it fell, rebuilt it wider" tells you everything.
• Note the time span. "For about ten minutes" is a measure of concentration that no checklist captures.
• Quote the thinking. Children narrate their reasoning out loud. Write it down.
• Add a characteristic tag only when it is the point. If the significant thing about a moment is the persistence rather than the physical skill, say so in a few words. Otherwise let the description speak.

If your system has a tag for each characteristic, use it lightly: for the handful of observations a month where how the child learned was the story. In Taylormade Care an observation is tagged to an area of learning, and you can note a characteristic in the text where it matters, which keeps the thirty-second observation at thirty seconds.

Using what you notice

The point of noticing the characteristics is the "adjust their practice" half of paragraph 1.12. A child low on playing and exploring needs novelty introduced gently and an adult who models having a go. A child low on active learning needs tasks with a visible goal, adults who wait before helping, and specific praise for effort rather than outcome. A child low on creating and thinking critically needs open-ended materials, time, and adults who ask "what could we try?" rather than giving the answer. None of this requires a form. It requires that you noticed.

Common questions

Are the characteristics of effective learning statutory?

The three characteristics are named in the statutory framework and practitioners must reflect on how children learn and adjust their practice. There is no requirement to assess, record or report on them. The only place they appear in a written assessment is the EYFS Profile at the end of reception, where the framework says teachers may choose to add a short commentary on each child's skills in relation to the three characteristics to inform the handover to Year 1. That is optional, and almost always done by the reception teacher.

Should every observation be tagged with a characteristic?

No. Tag or mention one when it is the significant feature of the moment. Tagging everything turns a useful idea into another checklist.

How are the characteristics different from the areas of learning?

The areas of learning describe what children learn. The characteristics describe how they learn. The same moment can show both: a child counting cups (mathematics) by trying, miscounting and trying again (active learning).

Do babies show the characteristics?

Yes, clearly. A baby exploring a treasure basket is playing and exploring; a baby persisting in reaching for a toy is active learning; a baby who shakes the rattle, then bangs it, then tries the other end is developing strategies. Our baby observation examples include several.