Characteristics of Effective Learning: What They Mean in Practice

The Characteristics of Effective Learning (CEL) are one of the most conceptually important but practically underused aspects of the EYFS. While the seven areas of learning describe what children should learn, the Characteristics describe how they learn – the dispositions, attitudes and approaches to learning that enable children to engage effectively with experiences and to make meaning from them. Children who develop strong learning characteristics are not just better prepared for school; they are developing the psychological infrastructure for lifelong learning.

The Characteristics were introduced in the 2012 EYFS revision, drawing on research about learning motivation, self-regulation and metacognition. Their inclusion reflects a broader shift in early years thinking: away from a narrow focus on what children can do and towards a richer understanding of how they approach challenges, manage uncertainty and develop as learners. They are not an optional addition to the EYFS (practitioners must consider the Characteristics in planning and assessment) but their implementation is less prescriptive than the seven areas, leaving greater room for professional judgement.

Playing and Exploring: Finding Out and Exploring; Playing with What They Know; Being Willing to ‘Have a Go’

The first characteristic (Playing and Exploring) describes children’s drive to investigate, experiment and experience: to find out what things are and how they work, to use what they have learned in their play and to approach new experiences with curiosity rather than anxiety. It encompasses three aspects: finding out and exploring (engaging with the environment with all their senses; noticing and being curious about things); playing with what they know (engaging in pretend play; representing their experiences through play); and being willing to “have a go” (trying things out without worrying too much about getting it wrong; taking a risk and initiating activities).

Children who are strong in this characteristic are visible in settings:

• they are the children who bring a snail to show a practitioner at the start of the session, who disappear into the construction area and emerge 40 minutes later having built something complex, who try a new art technique with enthusiasm and who approach unfamiliar activities with interest rather than withdrawal. Practitioners can support this characteristic by providing rich, varied environments
• by resisting the impulse to over-direct play
• by creating a culture in which mistakes and experiments are genuinely valued

Active Learning: Being Involved and Concentrating; Keeping on Trying; Enjoying Achieving What They Set Out to Do

The second characteristic (Active Learning) describes children’s motivation, persistence and sense of achievement. It covers: being involved and concentrating (maintaining focus on an activity; showing high levels of engagement, interest and concentration); keeping on trying (persisting when a task is difficult; showing resilience and a willingness to keep trying); and enjoying achieving what they set out to do (demonstrating satisfaction in mastery; feeling proud of accomplishment).

Active Learning is closely linked to the psychological concept of intrinsic motivation – motivation that comes from the child themselves, from genuine interest and the desire to master a challenge, rather than from external rewards or praise. Research by Carol Dweck and others on growth mindset suggests that children who believe their abilities can be developed through effort are significantly more persistent and ultimately more successful learners than those who believe ability is fixed. Early years practitioners can support a growth mindset by praising effort and strategy rather than ability (“You worked so hard on that” rather than “You’re so clever”), by framing challenges as opportunities to learn and by modelling a positive response to their own mistakes and challenges.

Creating and Thinking Critically: Having Their Own Ideas; Making Links; Choosing Ways to Do Things

The third characteristic (Creating and Thinking Critically) describes children’s developing capacity for metacognition, creative thinking and planning. It covers: having their own ideas (thinking of ideas; finding ways to solve problems; finding new ways to do things); making links (making connections between experiences; noticing patterns; making predictions); and choosing ways to do things (planning and making decisions about how to approach a task; checking how well a plan is working; changing strategy as needed).

This characteristic develops gradually through childhood and is most visible in the thinking of children who have been given regular opportunities for open-ended problem-solving, for extending their ideas without adult direction and for reflecting on what they have done. Sustained shared thinking (the back-and-forth intellectual engagement between practitioner and child identified by the EPPE research as a key quality indicator) directly supports Creating and Thinking Critically by modelling the kind of reflective, exploratory thinking the characteristic describes.

Assessing and Tracking the Characteristics

The Characteristics are assessed by Reception teachers as part of the EYFS Profile at the end of Reception year. Unlike the 17 Early Learning Goals, which are assessed against defined descriptors on a three-point scale, the Characteristics are assessed through practitioner judgement based on observations of individual children’s typical approaches to learning. The assessment asks practitioners to describe each child’s learning in terms of the three characteristics, providing a rounded picture of the child as a learner that complements the more specific ELG assessments.

During the EYFS before Reception, practitioners should observe children’s learning characteristics as part of their normal observation practice. Notes on how a child approached a particular challenge (their persistence, their creativity, their independence) are as valuable as records of specific skills demonstrated. This information feeds into planning: a child who is strong in Playing and Exploring but who finds it difficult to keep on trying when challenged may need specific support in developing resilience; a child who is highly intrinsically motivated but who rarely makes connections between experiences may benefit from more opportunities for open-ended projects that bridge different areas of experience.

Implications for Practice

The most important implication of the Characteristics of Effective Learning for practice is that they should inform how adults organise provision and interact with children, not just how they assess them. A setting that genuinely values the Characteristics creates environments rich with open-ended materials and problems; provides extended time for children to pursue their own ideas; values process over product; celebrates persistence, creativity and thinking alongside achievement; and ensures that adult interactions frequently extend rather than direct children’s thinking.

Settings that focus heavily on adult-led activities with clear right and wrong answers, that restrict children’s ability to pursue their own ideas or that emphasise the completion of tasks over the quality of the thinking involved are unlikely to develop strong learning characteristics even if they produce impressive displays of completed work. The Characteristics ask practitioners to think about who children are becoming as learners, not just what they have learned – a deeper and, ultimately, more important question.

For related guidance, see also our articles on safeguarding responsibilities, SEND support, quality childcare provision and the Childcare Act 2006.