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Birth–11 monthsThe Natural World

The beginnings of understanding technology lie in babies exploring and making sense of objects and how they behave.

Observe whether the child: the beginnings of understanding technology lie in babies exploring and making sense of objects and how they behave.

What it looks like

Three ways this behaviour shows up as a child grows. Each level includes everyday moments to watch for.

Emerging

Just starting

Shows curiosity through brief exploration (looking, touching, mouthing) and sometimes repeats an action when an effect occurs, but exploration is inconsistent. Needs highly salient effects (sound/movement) to sustain interest.

What you might see

  • Given a toy within reach, does not attempt to grasp or explore it; gaze drifts away quickly.
  • Holds an object briefly but does not look at it or act on it (no mouthing, shaking, turning).
  • Briefly mouths or pats a toy, then drops it and does not return to it.
  • Accidentally makes a toy sound once and shows a short pause/interest, but does not attempt to recreate it.

Expected

On track

Actively explores objects using more than one approach (look, mouth, shake, bang) and shows growing "making sense" by repeating actions to recreate effects. Exploration is more sustained in familiar routines and with adult support/positioning.

What you might see

  • Explores a toy by mouthing and then shaking it, watching for the sound/movement.
  • Repeats a simple action that produces an effect (shakes rattle again; bats hanging toy again) when set up within easy reach.

Exceeding

Going further

Consistently explores objects to learn how they behave (tries actions, watches outcomes, repeats) across different objects and contexts. Shows clear cause–effect learning (does action → expects effect) and persists through short challenges.

What you might see

  • Tries several actions on the same object (shake, bang, turn) and repeats the one that makes an interesting effect.
  • When an object behaves differently (falls, rolls, makes noise), looks closely and repeats an action to see it happen again.
  • When a toy stops making noise, changes approach (e.g., bangs it instead of shaking) to try to get an effect back.
  • Given a new object with an obvious feature (button/hinge/slider), immediately explores that feature to see what it does.

Try this at home

Small everyday moments where you can notice this behaviour without setting up anything special.

  • Play mat: offer one object and watch whether your baby explores it in more than one way (look, mouth, shake, bang) to find out what it does.

  • Mealtime: give a safe object on a tray and notice whether your baby repeats an action (tap/bang/drop) to recreate an effect (sound/movement).

  • Bath time: offer a floating cup/toy and observe whether your baby experiments to see how it behaves (pushes, splashes, tips).

  • Story/play: present a toy with a simple feature (flap, big button) and see whether your baby targets the feature to make something happen.

  • Out-and-about: offer a familiar toy in a new place and notice whether your baby explores it again as if checking how it behaves there.

Connected behaviours

Behaviours that scaffold, follow, or co-emerge with this one.

Where this comes from

The framework source and supporting developmental research.

Framework source

  • Development Matters in the EYFS (2012), DfE (DM2012).

    Explicitly grounds early technology understanding in observable exploration and sense-making about object behaviour in birth–11 months.

Developmental research

  • Gopnik, A., Meltzoff, A. N., & Kuhl, P. K. (1999). The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind.

    Supports the idea that infants learn about the world through active exploration and causal inference, aligning with observing how babies test object behaviour.

Five-level rubric (detailed)Show

The full progression underlying the three levels above. Used by the platform’s reasoning agent when planning activities and observations.

Not Yet
Exploration of objects is limited; baby shows little active engagement (reaching, grasping, looking) or quickly disengages. Behaviours do not show attempts to find out "what this does" through action.
  • Given a toy within reach, does not attempt to grasp or explore it; gaze drifts away quickly.
  • Holds an object briefly but does not look at it or act on it (no mouthing, shaking, turning).
Emerging
Shows curiosity through brief exploration (looking, touching, mouthing) and sometimes repeats an action when an effect occurs, but exploration is inconsistent. Needs highly salient effects (sound/movement) to sustain interest.
  • Briefly mouths or pats a toy, then drops it and does not return to it.
  • Accidentally makes a toy sound once and shows a short pause/interest, but does not attempt to recreate it.
Developing
Actively explores objects using more than one approach (look, mouth, shake, bang) and shows growing "making sense" by repeating actions to recreate effects. Exploration is more sustained in familiar routines and with adult support/positioning.
  • Explores a toy by mouthing and then shaking it, watching for the sound/movement.
  • Repeats a simple action that produces an effect (shakes rattle again; bats hanging toy again) when set up within easy reach.
Secure
Consistently explores objects to learn how they behave (tries actions, watches outcomes, repeats) across different objects and contexts. Shows clear cause–effect learning (does action → expects effect) and persists through short challenges.
  • Tries several actions on the same object (shake, bang, turn) and repeats the one that makes an interesting effect.
  • When an object behaves differently (falls, rolls, makes noise), looks closely and repeats an action to see it happen again.
Reflexive
Adapts exploration strategically (tries new actions when one doesn’t work, compares objects, anticipates outcomes) and generalises "how it works" thinking to new objects. May involve an adult by offering an object to activate or by repeating an action to invite a response.
  • When a toy stops making noise, changes approach (e.g., bangs it instead of shaking) to try to get an effect back.
  • Given a new object with an obvious feature (button/hinge/slider), immediately explores that feature to see what it does.