Hey educators! Storykate has already talked about how to use the EYLF for writing better observations — today, it’s AERO’s Learning Trajectories’ turn.
If you’ve ever felt stuck trying to figure out the next step in a child’s learning, learning trajectories are the answer. They help you connect your observations to intentional teaching more effectively.
Unlike traditional developmental milestones, which tell you what a child should be able to do at a certain age, learning trajectories show you how children learn. They provide clear strategies to support that learning.
In this article, I’ll explain why learning trajectories are so valuable. I’ll also discuss how they align with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). Finally, I’ll show you how you can use them to strengthen your teaching strategies and planning cycle.
What Are Learning Trajectories?
Learning trajectories describe the typical paths that children follow as they develop skills and understanding in key developmental areas. Instead of simply listing developmental milestones, they focus on the process of learning — how children progress and how educators can scaffold the next steps.
The Five Key Domains
AERO’s Learning Trajectories focus on five critical domains of early childhood development:
- Mathematical Thinking – Developing number sense, patterns, and spatial awareness.
- Executive Functions – Building attention, memory, and self-regulation.
- Social and Emotional Learning – Developing relationships, empathy, and emotional regulation.
- Physical Development – Enhancing fine and gross motor skills.
- Language and Communication – Supporting listening, speaking, and understanding.
How Are Learning Trajectories Different from Traditional Milestones?
Traditional developmental milestones focus on whether a child has reached specific skills at a certain age. This can lead to a deficit-based approach where the focus is on what the child can’t do.
Learning trajectories, on the other hand, are strengths-based. They focus on:
✅ What the child can do.
✅ How the child is progressing.
✅ What the next step in learning might look like.
Instead of measuring children against a fixed timeline, learning trajectories recognise that development is not linear and that each child’s learning journey is unique.
How Learning Trajectories Support the EYLF Planning Cycle
The EYLF planning cycle includes five key stages:
- Observe – Identify where a child is within the trajectory.
- Assess – Understand how the child’s development aligns with the trajectory.
- Plan – Develop intentional strategies to support the next steps.
- Act/Implement – Engage children in meaningful learning experiences.
- Reflect – Evaluate the effectiveness of your strategies.
Learning trajectories provide a clear framework for each stage of the planning cycle, helping educators move from observation to intentional action.
Example:
A group inquiry into bugs can touch on multiple developmental domains:
- Mathematical thinking – Counting bugs and comparing sizes.
- Executive functions – Planning how to search for bugs.
- Social and emotional learning – Collaborating with peers and asking questions.
- Physical development – Using fine motor skills to draw bugs.
- Language and communication – Describing findings and asking follow-up questions.
This kind of integrated learning experience becomes easier to plan when you’re working with learning trajectories.
Strengthening Partnerships with Families and Colleagues
Learning trajectories also enhance communication and collaboration with families and fellow educators.
👩🏫 With Families: Educators can use the trajectories. These tools help explain where a child is at in their learning. They identify what their next learning steps might be. This process encourages families to extend the learning at home.
🤝 With Colleagues: Learning trajectories create a shared language for planning and reflection. This shared language makes it easier to align teaching strategies. It also supports consistent practices across a service.
The Role of Reflection and Professional Learning
Learning trajectories encourage educators to reflect on their teaching practices and identify gaps in how they support children’s development.
For example, an educator might realise that they focus heavily on language and communication. They need to incorporate more opportunities for developing executive functions. These include problem-solving and self-regulation.
Ongoing professional learning helps educators deepen their understanding of the trajectories and adjust their practice accordingly.
Planning Intentional Teaching Strategies with Learning Trajectories
One of the biggest advantages of learning trajectories is that they offer clear, actionable guidance for intentional teaching.
If a child is learning early counting skills, the trajectory might suggest:
- Encouraging counting during play.
- Introducing games that involve patterns and quantities.
- Using songs and rhymes to reinforce number sequences.
Instead of guessing what to do next, educators can confidently choose strategies that are backed by developmental research.
Contributing to the Quality Improvement Plan (QIP)
Using learning trajectories can strengthen your service’s QIP by demonstrating:
✔️ A clear, research-based approach to planning and assessment.
✔️ Consistent, intentional teaching strategies across all domains.
✔️ A commitment to reflective practice and continuous improvement.
The trajectories help meet the National Quality Standard (NQS) by providing a structured approach to planning, documentation, and assessment.
Why Every Educator Should Start Using Learning Trajectories
If you’re not already using AERO’s Learning Trajectories, now is the time to start. They provide a strengths-based, research-informed framework for supporting children’s learning across key developmental domains.
Learning trajectories help educators move beyond observation to intentional teaching, ensuring that every child receives the support they need to thrive.
👉 Access AERO’s Learning Trajectories here: AERO Learning Trajectories
Stay tuned. I am going to create a series of videos about AERO. These will focus on their use in planning in early childhood education and care.
