Sbongokuhle's developmental record is ready. Start by tracking a few skills or logging an observation, and the growth picture will build here over time.
How to grow these skills — activities for this child
A balanced starter set across all six domains for this age — begin here, then assess. Every activity uses low-cost materials and shows how to make it easier or harder.
Handwashing Song Routine
Social & Emotional
Grows: Self-care hygiene, following a familiar sequence and building a health habit
You need: A jug of water, a basin, a bar of soap, a drying cloth. Very low cost.
How to do it ↓
Set a fixed handwashing time before meals and after the toilet.
Sing a short home-language washing song that lasts about 20 seconds.
Guide the steps: wet, soap, rub palms-backs-between fingers, rinse, dry.
Praise each child by name as they finish.
Watch for: Child moves toward the basin at the right times, rubs both hands, and needs less physical help each week.
Make it easier
Do hand-over-hand and let the child copy just one step (rubbing palms) while you do the rest.
Extend it
Let the child lead a small group and 'check' that friends washed between their fingers.
My Symbol - Peg, Cup and Mat
Identity & Belonging
Grows: Personal identity and belonging through a symbol that is 'mine'
You need: A simple picture symbol per child (sun, tree, cow) on their cup, peg and mat. Free.
How to do it ↓
Give each child a personal picture symbol and a matching one on their belongings.
Show them where their cup, peg and mat are.
At routines, let children find their own symbol.
Use symbols on the attendance and job charts too.
Watch for: Child finds their own symbol reliably and shows pride in 'my' things.
Make it easier
Place their symbol first and nearest, and walk them to it.
Extend it
Let the child match symbols for the whole table or hand out cups to friends.
Story Stones
Communication
Grows: Narrative, retelling and expressive vocabulary
You need: Smooth stones with simple pictures drawn on (sun, dog, house, girl), a cloth bag. Free.
How to do it ↓
Draw simple pictures on 6-10 stones.
Pull stones out one at a time and build a story together.
Let each child add the next stone and a sentence.
Retell the whole story at the end.
Watch for: Child adds ideas that follow on, uses new words and retells parts of the story.
Make it easier
Use 3 stones and start the story for them to finish one line.
Extend it
Let the child make up and tell the whole story alone, then draw a new stone.
Homemade Playdough Modelling
Creativity
Grows: 3D making, imagination and fine-motor strength
You need: Homemade dough: flour, salt, water, a little oil (colour with beetroot/spinach/ash). Very low cost.
How to do it ↓
Make dough together: 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, water, a spoon of oil.
Let children squeeze, roll, pinch and flatten it.
Invite them to make anything they like.
Talk about what they made - never correct it.
Watch for: Child manipulates the dough with growing control and invents their own creations.
Make it easier
Focus on squeezing and poking; let them explore with no product expected.
Extend it
Suggest a challenge (make an animal, make a snake longer than your arm).
Obstacle Course - Over, Under, Through
Physical
Grows: Gross-motor coordination, balance and understanding position words
You need: Tyres, planks, boxes, a rope, chairs. Free.
How to do it ↓
Lay out a simple course: crawl through a box, step over a rope, walk a plank.
Show the way through, saying over, under, through, around.
Let each child go at their own pace.
Change the course to keep it interesting.
Watch for: Child moves through with growing control and understands the position words.
Make it easier
Make it shorter and lower and go alongside the child.
Extend it
Add balancing, jumping and timing, or let a child design the course.
Bottle-Top Colour Sort
Thinking & Reasoning
Grows: Classifying and sorting by one attribute - the base of data and number
You need: Bottle tops of different colours, tins or drawn circles to sort into. Free.
How to do it ↓
Mix up a pile of coloured bottle tops.
Show sorting reds into one tin, blues into another.
Let children sort the rest.
Talk about which group has more.
Watch for: Child groups tops correctly by colour and notices which pile is bigger.
Make it easier
Sort just two very different colours and start the piles for them.
Extend it
Sort by two things (big red vs small red), or count and compare the groups.
Development across the six domains
Social & Emotional
0%
0 achieved · 0 emerging · 0 need support · 7 not yet assessed
Track 7 skills ↓
Knows how to find someone to help them and can talk about what bothers or frightens them ELDA1 Aim5
Is more flexible, shows self-control and can adapt behaviour to suit different situations ELDA2 Aim3
Is willing to play with, ask help from and cooperate with other children ELDA2 Aim1
Shows sensitivity to the needs, views and feelings of others ELDA2 Aim1
Takes pleasure in working independently and asks for assistance when needed ELDA2 Aim2
Names different feelings and matches them to pictures or situations ELDA2 Aim1
Begins to solve social problems and resolve small conflicts with guidance ELDA1 Aim5
Identity & Belonging
0%
0 achieved · 0 emerging · 0 need support · 6 not yet assessed
Track 6 skills ↓
Is willing to play with, ask help from and cooperate with others ELDA2 Aim1
Is becoming more independent while a trusted adult stays near ELDA2 Aim1
Takes initiative and is proud of being able to take care of themselves (dressing, washing, eating) ELDA2 Aim2
Participates in appropriate rituals and customs such as birthdays and cultural or religious festivals ELDA2 Aim4
Becomes more aware of differences between customs and shows interest in their own and others' culture ELDA2 Aim4
Is able to spend longer periods of time on an activity ELDA2 Aim1
Communication
0%
0 achieved · 0 emerging · 0 need support · 7 not yet assessed
Track 7 skills ↓
Talks in complete sentences, takes turns in conversations and can be understood even by strangers ELDA3 Aim2
Listens attentively and continues to want to learn new words ELDA3 Aim1
Remembers stories they have heard and wants to tell their own stories ELDA3 Aim1
Enjoys language games and rhymes ELDA3 Aim2
Notices words around them (environmental print) and asks for them to be read ELDA3 Aim3
Starts to draw and name letters ELDA3 Aim4
Asks for their stories to be written down ELDA3 Aim4
Creativity
0%
0 achieved · 0 emerging · 0 need support · 6 not yet assessed
Track 6 skills ↓
Tries out different solutions to challenges and predicts what happens next ELDA5 Aim1
Plays more often in small cooperative groups to develop complex structures and games ELDA5 Aim2
Cuts out simple shapes and paints shapes using separate colours ELDA5 Aim3
Sings, dances and claps at the same time ELDA5 Aim4
Makes up songs, rhymes and movements to accompany stories ELDA5 Aim4
Asks a lot of 'Why' questions to find solutions ELDA5 Aim1
Physical
0%
0 achieved · 0 emerging · 0 need support · 9 not yet assessed
Track 9 skills ↓
Skips, gallops and jumps backwards and forwards ELDA1 Aim4
