EYFS Design & Technology

In EYFS we build the foundations of Design Technology through the following areas of learning:

• Expressive Arts and Design
• Physical Development
• Mathematics

We help children to develop their small motor skills so they can use a range of tools competently. This includes scissors and knives. We offer activities to develop and refine skills such as threading, making models with junk modelling and using playdough and clay. We talk about and explore 2d and 3d shape and encourage the children to use these to build for a purpose. Providing real opportunities for engagement lays the groundwork for future Design Technology with den-making, brick play and open-ended construction. Children are expected to work collaboratively to develop and realise creative ideas and discuss how problems might be solved. Adults provide children with a wide range of materials and teach children different joining techniques for them. In planning and guiding what children learn, we reflect on the different rates at which children are developing and adjust our practice appropriately, referring to the Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning.

The table below outlines the most relevant statements taken from the Early Learning Goals in the EYFS statutory framework and the Development Matters age ranges for Three and Four-Year-Olds and Reception to match our programme of study for DT:

By the end of the EYFS, our children will be able to:

Vocabulary we use:

Recycled, paper, cardboard, plastic, foil, polystyrene, natural, man-made, waterproof, construct, build, assemble, join, plan, design, structure, thick, thin, hard, strong, twist, turn, through, on, in, underneath, next to, on top, model, screwing, building, balancing, threading, slotting, tall, taller, tallest, big, small, smaller, smallest, cook, bake, weigh, mix, roll, cut, whisk, mash, sieve, peel, chop, spread, names of fruits and vegetables, nutrition, healthy, unhealthy