Being Two - Supporting 2 year-olds

Between the ages of 2-3 years children’s language and communication skills make huge developments. There is a huge development in their vocabulary and understanding of language at this time, and by the age of 3 years children are using short sentences and can engage in simple conversations with others. Communication and language skills are a prime area of development, and lay the foundations for many other skills.

The Being Two Project

High-quality effective early years provision has a significant impact on a two year old’s social, emotional and cognitive development and is a key factor in improving outcomes for children and families.

The Being two year old project is specifically designed for practitioners working with two years olds.

Over a four year cycle every setting in Waltham Forest will have the opportunity to take part.

Book here for the Being Two Project

 

Creating the right environment for 2 year olds

Working with two-year-olds is not easy. One moment they are trustful and endearing; the next, they throw their weight around like little teenagers, testing whether you really mean what you say. It's important to remain patient, to try to understand their viewpoint, to be consistent – and to keep your sense of humour!

The following tools are helpful in creating the right environment in your early years setting for 2 year olds. 

 

Continuous Provision

Continuous provision for two-year-olds creates a consistent, child-led environment that nurtures independence, supports emotional security, and promotes deep, meaningful engagement across all areas of learning.

Continuous Provision for two year olds

 

Continuous Provision Area Guides for 2 year olds

Explore practical, research-informed guidance for setting up high-quality learning environments tailored to the developmental needs of 2-year-olds. Each guide links directly to the EYFS areas of learning and development, helping practitioners create spaces that spark curiosity, build skills and support emotional wellbeing. 

 

Provision Guides

Book Area

You can easily create book friendly spaces that maximise deep levels of engagement, where children are drawn in to pick up books, listen to and share stories. You could make it a comfy enticing, cosy space with an indoor tipee or lots of cushions and blankets and of course fill it with books they can reach and sit and look at whenever they want. 

Reflection: Does your book area offer:

  • a cosy space with easy access to books & props, books displayed cover facing
  • a wide variety of books reflecting diversity, fiction, non-fiction, flap books, recipe books, home-made books with photographs, dual language
  • story sacks, puppets and props to retell stories
  • a space for adults to share books

Create a book area guidance 2 year olds
Book reading list for 2 year olds

Block Play

Research suggests that very young children develop better language skills when they engage in regular block play both in the home and in the nursery.

Reflection: Does your block play area provide:

  • Different sets of wooden and sponge blocks varying in shape and sizes
  • Role play props
  • Construction kits with interlock e.g. duplo, mega blocks, stickle bricks
  • Small world resources nearby for easy access
  • Large, light fabrics, tarpaulins, pegs, string ties for den making

The Making the Most of Block Play is designed to support practitioners to develop effective block play for two year olds in their provision.

Home Corner

Role play develops a child’s imagination. It supports cognitive development, improves social skills, grows children’s creativity and problem-solving skills and offers opportunities for young children to explore and understand events that they have observed or experienced in real life.

Reflection: Does your domestic role play offer:

  • multicultural fabrics & costumes, bags, purses/wallets, hats reflecting gender/diversity
  • babies, dolls and clothes
  • kitchen and cooking props
  • phone, diaries,
  • display photographs of two year olds and their families at home

Domestic Role Play information and guidance 2 year old. This guide is intended to support the development of the home corner to meets the specific needs of two year olds in your setting.

Water Play

With carefully chosen open ended resources, linked to children’s interests and development, young children can be supported to investigate, explore and think, follow their own lines of enquiry and make choices independently and always get it right. In water play they can be the experts.

Reflection: Does your provision offer:

  • deep enough water to scoop, fill up buckets and bottles and transport.
  • varied sized containers, bottles, funnels, spray bottles, tubing, milk crates, buckets, washing up bowls, washing up liquid, sponges and towels, large paint brushes, rollers and window squidges
  • role play props
  • loose parts & natural objects - shells, stones
  • presented in differing ways e.g. bubbles, colour change, ice cubes

Water play guidance 2 year olds - this guide is intended to support practitioners to develop water provision both inside and outside that foster’s curiosity, imagination and experimentation of two year olds.

 

Musical Play

Music is one of many languages a child can communicate. Music supports developing fine and gross motor skills. Music helps to build a two -year old’s coordination, strength and balance as they move to the beat, wiggle, stomp and jump up and down to songs.

Reflection: Does your musical and movement provision offer:

  • variety of musical instruments - percussion, home-made reflecting cultural diversity
  • music player with music from a wide range of cultures e.g. nursery rhymes, classical, pop, African, Bollywood 
  • space to dance and play instruments with scarves, ribbons, streamers, mirrors

Creating musical provision for 2 year olds. This guide is intended to support practitioners develop effective musical provision for two year olds. Musical Development matters

Sand Play

Sand trays are busy areas where social interaction is inevitable. By making your sand provision communication friendly, varied, well organised, young children will learn to wait, make conversation and develop their attention span

Reflection: Does your sand provision offer:

  • Enough sand for a few children to dig, scoop, fill up large buckets
  • Sand presented in different ways e.g. tray, boxes, on the floor, inside and outside
  • Role play props
  • Loose parts e.g tubes, lolly sticks,
  • Natural objects e.g. pine cones, shells, feathers
  • Dry and wet sand
  • Open ended and freely accessible resources that promote independence and free choice?

Creating sand play for two year olds - this guide is intended to support practitioners to develop effective sand provision for two year olds that supports independence, language and social skills.

Physical Play

The importance of movement and action is key to their learning and development. It supports physical health, personal and social well-being. Young children use their whole bodies to explore, think and communicate. Being active every day provides a foundation for a healthier and happier life

What does movement look like in your setting?

Do adults support the development of vocabulary and communication around movement and being physically active through naming body parts, actions, prepositions during play and encourage children to reflect on their activity?

Reflection: Does your setting support fine motor development by offering:

  • small building resources
  • manipulative resources e.g. threading, nuts and bolts, shape sorters, train tracks
  • varied puzzles - peg, interlocking, slot in pieces, buttons and zips
  • opportunities throughout the environment to practice fine motor skills

Reflection: Does your setting support gross motor development by offering:

  • space both inside and outside to develop physical skills e.g. climbing, jumping, balancing, throwing, catching, rolling
  • portable equipment e.g. A-frames, planks, tunnels, tyres offering stimulating physical challenges
  • space for wheeled vehicles e.g. wheel barrows, trolley, buggy, scooters, bikes
  • loose parts and den building opportunities e.g. tubes, guttering, crates

Creating a space to be physical for two year olds - this guide is intended to support practitioners to develop space and resources both inside and outside that support two year olds movement activities allowing them to be active for most of the day in different ways.

Last update: Monday 22nd of September 2025 01:05:35 PM