The IEYC has a set of four Learning Strands that underpin all learning and development. Each Learning Strand was developed after extensive evaluation of the learning experiences that are regarded internationally as developmentally appropriate for this age range. Each of the four Learning Strands describes what children will experience and learn about through contextualised activities woven into IEYC units of learning. Each IEYC unit of learning has been carefully designed around a central theme, holistically linking all four Learning Strands to relevant and engaging activities that can be adapted and extended to meet individual needs. The four Learning Strands should be used to guide teachers’ planning so that there is rigour to what and how children learn.

Where appropriate, the statements within each Learning Strand have been grouped according to the areas of learning and development that they match. For example, the Learning Strand ‘Communicating’ is broken down into seven sub-categories. Each IEYC Learning Strand has two developmentally-linked lists of learning experiences. Each list is connected to a ‘Phase’ of development. Phase A outlines learning experiences with the youngest children in mind, whilst Phase B outlines learning experiences that provide more of a challenge.

There is no age range connected to either Phase A or B experiences; this re ects the non- linear nature of learning and development for this age range. However, some settings nd it useful to consider Phase A learning experiences typically suited to 2 and 3 year olds and Phase B learning experiences typically suited to 4 and 5 year olds. Phase B learning experiences can be easily extended to include older children in settings and countries where early years education goes beyond the age of ve years. The IEYC believes that children should have experiences which are both appealing to them and developmentally appropriate. This means that at times, a combination of both Phase A and B learning experiences may be appropriate for some children, whilst at other times their interests and developmental needs may fall speci cally into either Phase A or B. For children requiring more of a challenge, Phase A tasks may be helpful to consolidate previous learning and Phase B tasks will support new learning.