JLK AcademyEYFS Masterclass · Module 6 of 12

🧭 EYFS Masterclass · Module 6 of 12 · ~25 min

Planning Outstanding Meaningful Activities

The JLK Meaningful Activity Planning Model — a 10-step model that starts with a child and ends with a next step, not with an activity idea from Pinterest. Plus the full JLK activity planning template and worked strong vs weak examples.

Module progress 0 of 00%
← Back to Masterclass
Section 1

The JLK Meaningful Activity Planning Model — 10 steps

~7 min

Traditional weekly planning looks like: pick an activity from Pinterest, arrange resources on Sunday night, deliver Monday morning, hope children engage. The JLK model is the opposite: you start with a specific child and end with a documented next step for them. The activity emerges in the middle.

  1. Start with the child, not the activity. Who is this plan for? A specific named child, or a small group with a shared interest — never “the room.”
  2. Identify the developmental need or interest. What have you noticed about this child in the last fortnight? Something they're curious about, something they're working on, something you want to stretch.
  3. Select the strongest EYFS statement. From the source-of-truth bank, pick the ONE statement that most closely matches what you want to support. One statement first, cross-links later.
  4. Choose a play-based activity. What activity naturally holds space for that statement AND matches the child's interest? Play-based, not adult-led drilling.
  5. Decide the adult role. Are you observing, playing alongside, gently scaffolding, modelling language? Decide before you start — don't wing it.
  6. Plan resources. What's needed? Where does it live? Who sets it up? Include the boring logistics.
  7. Add differentiation. How does this work for a child with SEND, EAL, sensory needs, low confidence? Not a footnote — a core part of the plan.
  8. Add cross-links. What OTHER genuine statements will this activity likely touch? 2–3 honest ones. Not padding.
  9. Identify assessment look-fors. What specifically will you look for that would tell you the child engaged with the intended learning? Concrete, observable behaviours — not “seemed to enjoy it.”
  10. Decide next steps. Before the activity happens, plan two possible next steps — one if the child races ahead, one if they need more time. This is the difference between reactive and intentional practice.

🎯 The JLK principle: a plan that starts with the child and ends with the child's next step is intentional. Anything else is decoration.

Section 2

The JLK Activity Planning Template

~5 min

Every JLK activity plan — adult-led or provocation — uses the same template. It's the same shape every time, so managers reading it know exactly where to look.

Quickest start: find the statement in EYFS moments and press 📋 Plan an activity for this, or 📋 Plan this on an activity. The New activity plan opens with the area, the statement as the learning intention (word for word) and the age group in place. The rest of the template below is still yours.

📋 JLK Activity Plan

Activity name: a specific title (e.g. “Yusuf: pouring investigation with varied jugs”)

For (child/group name and age): Yusuf, 2y 3m

Date & room: Weds 5 March, Toddler Room, JLK Croydon

Age band: Birth to Three

Area of learning (strongest): Physical Development

EYFS statement (word-for-word from Development Matters): “Use large and small motor skills to do things independently, for example manage buttons and zips, and pour drinks.”

Intent (what you want to happen): Yusuf will investigate pouring with a range of container shapes and adjust his technique to succeed.

Resources: water tray, 4 different jugs (small/large, narrow/wide spouts), 3 receiving bottles (varied openings), one funnel, drying cloths.

Set-up: Room leader sets tray on the table by 08:45; funnel added at 10:15 if Yusuf hasn't already noticed it.

Adult role: observe only for first 5 minutes. If Yusuf gets frustrated after 3+ failed attempts without adjustment, kneel and quietly say “I wonder what would happen with the wider jug.” No teaching. No demonstrating.

Key vocabulary: pour, spill, narrow, wide, funnel, spout.

Differentiation (SEND / EAL / low confidence): larger jugs with easy handles for Yusuf if his fine motor is tired; encouragement in his home language (Yoruba) via keyword prompt cards if needed.

Stretch / challenge: if he masters the wide-mouth quickly, offer bottles with narrower openings and a funnel. Watch whether he predicts the funnel's use before trying it.

Assessment look-fors: (1) Yusuf changes jug at least once in response to spilling. (2) Yusuf uses at least one new vocabulary word (“pour”, “spill”, “wide”). (3) Yusuf sustains attention for 10+ minutes.

Cross-linked statements:

  • PSED — Be increasingly able to talk about and manage their emotions (Birth to Three) — Yusuf's frustration when spilling.
  • C&L — Use gestures like waving and pointing to communicate (Birth to Three) — if he indicates a container he wants.
  • Maths — Compare sizes, weights etc. using gesture and language (Birth to Three) — light link, only if he shows it.

Possible next steps (planned in advance):

  • If Yusuf races ahead: introduce different liquids next week (thick oobleck) to extend the pouring investigation.
  • If Yusuf needs more time: return the same setup on Friday. Do not introduce funnel until the wide-jug/wide-mouth pouring is secure.

Reflection after activity: (leave blank — complete after the session)

Manager sign-off: the template ends with reflection AFTER the activity. That's the loop closing — and the point Ofsted checks for when they look at planning quality.

Section 3

Strong vs weak plan — same starting point, different quality

~6 min

Two practitioners, both told to “plan an activity for the 3&4-year-old room this week around Autumn.”

❌ Weak plan (do not do this)

Activity: Autumn leaves collage

Area: EAD, PD, UW, C&L, Literacy, Maths, PSED (all 7 areas — because it's leaves and glue and talking)

Resources: leaves, glue, paper

Adult role: support children

Next step: depends how it goes

Why this is weak: no named child. No strongest statement. Forces 7 area links. Vague adult role. No planned next step. No differentiation. No reflection loop. This is decoration — not a plan.

✅ Strong plan (do this)

For: Ella (4y 2m) and Tomi (3y 6m). Both currently interested in the pumpkins the garden team have been cutting up.

Age band: Three & Four-Year-Olds

Strongest area & statement: Understanding the World — “Understand the key features of the life cycle of a plant and an animal.”

Intent: Ella and Tomi will explore the seeds inside a pumpkin, discuss where they come from and where they go, and connect this to what they know about seasonal changes.

Activity: pumpkin seed investigation station — whole pumpkin cut open, tools (spoons, tweezers), sorting tray, magnifying glasses, a bowl for the pumpkin flesh (which we'll bake into a snack tomorrow — connecting the story).

Adult role: kneel alongside, wonder aloud about where the seeds go if we plant them, ask “what do you think happens next?” Do not lecture.

Vocabulary: seed, flesh, skin, stem, life cycle, sprout, grow.

Differentiation: Tomi is more tactile-cautious; provide gloves if needed. Ella has EAL and Bosnian is her home language — offer a keyword card (seed = sjeme, grow = rasti) and celebrate both languages.

Cross-links:

  • C&L — “Use a wider range of vocabulary.”
  • PD — fine motor with tweezers.
  • Maths — light — “Develop fast recognition of up to 3 objects, without having to count them individually.” if they compare seed piles.

Assessment look-fors: (1) Both children use at least 2 new vocabulary words. (2) Ella articulates a hypothesis about what happens if a seed is planted. (3) Tomi uses tweezers to move at least 5 seeds.

Next steps:

  • If they engage deeply: plant seeds in the garden next day. Return to check weekly.
  • If it feels rushed or shallow: return to it Friday. Provide seed packets to compare.

Reflection: to be completed same day.

Why this is strong: named children with real interest. ONE strongest statement (word-for-word from Development Matters). Adult role specific. Differentiation is real, not an afterthought. Assessment look-fors are observable. Two planned next steps. Reflection loop closed.

Practice task

Try it — plan an activity for one of your key children

~5 min

Pick one of your key children. Someone you know well. Then use the JLK template above to plan a real activity for them for tomorrow or later this week.

Write it out on paper or in your setting's planning system. Then bring it to your next 1:1 with your room leader or manager for sign-off. That sign-off is part of your Module 12 assessment portfolio.

Reflection prompts as you write:

  • Is this plan for a specific child? (Or did I default to “the room”?)
  • Does the strongest EYFS statement genuinely match the activity — or am I retrofitting?
  • Are the cross-links real, or padding?
  • Is the adult role specific, or vague (“support the children”)?
  • Are the assessment look-fors observable, or vague (“seemed engaged”)?
Knowledge check

End-of-module quiz · 5 questions

Pass 80%

You need 4 out of 5 to pass.

  1. Step 1 of the JLK Meaningful Activity Planning Model is:

  2. In the JLK template, how many possible next steps should be planned BEFORE the activity happens?

  3. A plan that lists “covers all 7 areas of learning” is:

  4. Differentiation for SEND / EAL is:

  5. Reflection after the activity is: