Kitewren / Practitioner guidance

Inclusive EYFS activities: practical ideas to adapt

A small set of activity invitations for nursery teams, childminders, and Reception teams. Each idea offers different ways to join in, respond, or pause; adapt the materials and invitation to your setting.

Two different kinds of guidance

Statutory requirements and suggested practice

Non-statutory supporting guidance

Suggested practice is labelled separately

Development Matters is DfE non-statutory curriculum guidance. The activity ideas below are separate Kitewren planning suggestions; they are not statutory requirements and are not presented as findings from the unavailable research.

Development Matters: non-statutory DfE curriculum guidance

Kitewren planning suggestions

A simple lens for adapting an activity

Use these questions as prompts when you prepare an invitation or revisit it with your team. They are suggestions, not assessment criteria.

  • Can a child choose a role, material, or way to take part?
  • Can an idea be shared through words, marks, movement, choosing, or arranging?
  • Is there a low-pressure way to watch, pause, or return to the activity?

Optional activity invitations

Four ideas to try and adapt

Each example is a Kitewren-created starting point. Choose materials that suit your room and follow your setting’s usual safety procedures.

  1. Activity 1

    A story with many possible roles

    Set up

    Place a few story objects, picture cards, paper, and mark-making materials together. Leave one moment in the story open for children to shape.

    Ways to join in

    • Choose or arrange an object or picture.
    • Suggest what happens next with words, a drawing, movement, or a chosen picture.
    • Listen first, pass for now, or return to the story later.

    A prompt to try

    “Would you like to choose what happens next, show it, or watch for now?”

    One possible variation

    Try the invitation with two objects and a clear choice of roles, or leave a blank page for children to draw a new moment.

  2. Activity 2

    Make a route for a story character

    Set up

    Set out blocks, paper, and a figure from a familiar play story. Invite children to make a route and decide what the character might meet along the way.

    Ways to join in

    • Build a route, place landmarks, or move the figure.
    • Draw or mark a map, or choose a landmark for someone else to place.
    • Watch the route take shape and suggest a change when ready.

    A prompt to try

    “What other way could the character go?”

    One possible variation

    Offer a map-making or landmark role alongside building, so the activity does not depend on travelling around the route.

  3. Activity 3

    Choose, make, or map a sound

    Set up

    Offer a few sound-making objects, large paper, and marks or picture cards that can stand for stop, start, or repeat.

    Ways to join in

    • Make a sound, choose which one comes next, or arrange a pattern on paper.
    • Listen, watch, or take a quiet observer role.
    • Show when the pattern should pause or begin again.

    A prompt to try

    “How could we show that this part should stop or start again?”

    One possible variation

    Keep a quiet version available: children can arrange the sequence with marks or cards without making the sounds themselves.

  4. Activity 4

    Set up a pretend market

    Set up

    Use clean empty boxes, picture cards, paper, and reusable tokens to make a small shop or market stall.

    Ways to join in

    • Choose a role, arrange the display, or make a sign.
    • Use a picture card or token to take a turn in the play.
    • Observe the play and add an idea when ready.

    A prompt to try

    “What could we put on the sign so someone knows what is here?”

    One possible variation

    Let roles change during the play and keep a picture choice available for children who prefer to point or select rather than speak.

Keep the ideas general

These are general planning prompts, not individualized guidance or medical advice. They do not assess a child or replace the setting’s usual safeguarding and support procedures.

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