EYFS Blog – Long Term Planning, Medium Term Planning and Weekly Planning
Let’s be honest – planning for the Early Years is a big task. There is a lot to think about: children’s interests, the curriculum, assessment, staffing ratio… the list goes on. And whilst we are planning for all of this, we strive to achieve the most important task of all; enjoying the magic of working with young children!
But planning doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. When you break it down into more manageable chunks, long term planning, medium term planning and weekly planning, it all starts to make sense and, more importantly, it starts to work for you, your team and most importantly of all, the children.
Long Term Planning: The Big Picture
Long-term planning is your ‘top level view’ of the year. It’s the ‘what’s coming up’ map that helps you stay on track across all seasons, terms, and major events. Think of it as the skeleton , you’re not fleshing out the details yet, but you’re setting the structure.
So, what should it include?
– Key themes or topics (if you use them)
– Important cultural and seasonal events (festivals, changes in season, school events, etc.)
– Focus areas across the year (communication, physical development, emotional well- being, etc.)
– School-wide initiatives that need embedding
Things to consider:
– Is there room for flexibility? (Children’s interests don’t always fit into a neat yearly plan!)
– Are you covering a broad and balanced curriculum across all areas of learning?
– Does your plan reflect your cohort’s likely needs? (For example, if you know many children will start with limited language skills, can you prioritise communication early on?)
Available on our website we have a wide range of Long Term Plans, ready to use and adapt.
Medium-Term Planning
Medium-Term Planning usually looks at a half-term at a time. This is where you ‘zoom in’ a little from your long term plan and start thinking about what learning might look like in more detail.
What will a medium-term plan include?
– Possible learning themes or projects (often these are shaped by children’s emerging interests)
– Key texts, stories or songs you might want to explore
– Learning objectives or focus areas for each area of learning
– Enhancements to Continuous Provision
– Opportunities for Cultural Capital (visitors, trips, special activities)
Things to consider:
– Are the themes relevant and interesting to your children right now?
– Is there space to follow the children’s lead and adapt if interests change?
– Are you providing a variety of experiences to engage different learning styles?
A medium-term plan is where you are able to balance what you want to teach whilst still giving you the space to make appropriate changes to respond to the children’s needs. It is not ‘set in stone’.
Check out our wide range of Medium Term Plans on our website.
Weekly Planning: ‘The Here and Now’
Weekly planning is where the magic really happens. It’s your real time plan that responds directly to the children in front of you. This is about what are we doing right now to support and extend learning?
Weekly plans should feel alive. They should change as you observe, interact, and learn more about the children’s needs and interests.
What does it include?
– Child-led interests and next steps
– Focused adult-led activities (if any)
– Adjustments to the learning environment
– Opportunities for key skill development (phonics, maths, physical skills), key vocabulary
– Success criteria
– Reflections from last week that inform your planning
Things to consider:
– Are you truly following the children’s interests, or are you squeezing them into a theme?
– Are there opportunities for open-ended play and exploration?
– Are you giving time for repetition and mastery?
– Is the environment set up to promote independent learning?
Weekly planning should be flexible and responsive. It’s a working document, not a tick-box exercise. Some settings use handwritten notes, others use digital formats – whatever works for you and your team is what’s best.
We have all the weekly planning you need here.
How Do they all fit together?
It can help to think of long-term, medium-term, and weekly planning as a pyramid.
– Long-term planning is the base. It sets the foundation and broad direction.
– Medium-term planning sits in the middle. It adds focus, but still leaves room for movement.
– Weekly planning is the top. It’s specific, detailed, and directly informed by what’s happening with the children in the moment.
Each layer of the pyramid supports the next:
– Long-term planning makes sure you’re hitting the big goals.
– Medium-term planning makes those big goals achievable and relevant to the children.
– Weekly planning makes sure the learning is meaningful, flexible, and responsive.
We must remember that they all work and build on each other.
On our website we have so many resources to help and support you including Weekly Planners, Planning Templates with space to consider the intent, implementation and impact, and a huge variety of weekly plans based on different interests and settings.
Top Tips for Making Planning Work for You
Keep it simple. If your planning system feels like you’re writing a novel every week, it’s time to strip it back. Planning should help you, not drain your time.
Plan for possibilities, not certainties. Especially in the Early Years, things change fast. Leave room for spontaneity – this is where the magic happens!
Involve your team. Everyone who works with the children should have a say in planning – it brings fresh ideas and helps ensure consistency.
Use your observations. Watch, listen, and use what you see to guide your next steps.
Trust your professional judgement. You know your children. You know what excites them, challenges them, and supports them. Planning is there to guide you, not to control you.
Planning in the EYFS isn’t about predicting the future, it’s about preparing to meet children where they are, and helping them take their next step, whatever that looks like. Done well, planning can help you provide exciting, responsive, and meaningful learning experiences without drowning in paperwork.
So, embrace the plan, but don’t be afraid to scribble on it, change it, and make it work for your children.
