EYFS

Religious Education in the Early Years

Practical support for Reception teachers: planning, retrieval, hands-on resources and trusted links.

Why RE matters in the Early Years

RE is a legal requirement for Reception pupils in maintained schools, but not for children in nursery. In Reception, you plan RE through the EYFS framework, not through key stage programmes of study.

Where RE fits in the EYFS

Understanding the World (People, Culture and Communities): similarities and differences between communities, special times, places and people.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development: belonging, other people’s feelings and perspectives, what matters to me.
Communication and Language: talking about stories, asking questions, new vocabulary.
Expressive Arts and Design: role play, small-world retelling, music and art inspired by festivals.

Why it matters for Year 1: Ofsted’s 2024 RE report found that in schools where RE was strong, leaders had worked out what Reception children needed to know to be ready for Year 1. One example was Reception teachers reading stories from religious traditions throughout the year.

Key documents

Essex Agreed Syllabus for RE 2022: the statutory basis for RE in Essex maintained schools, including its Early Years guidance.
EYFS statutory framework for group and school-based providers (effective 1 September 2026)
Ofsted: Deep and meaningful? The RE subject report (2024)

Example planning

One Essex primary school plans Reception RE around three big questions, one each term. Each unit is about six short sessions, mixing adult-led talk, visitors and play.

What makes it work: each unit starts from the children’s own experience, includes real people from the community, and ends with play that lets children retell what they learned.

reproduced with permission of Westlands Primary School

Retrieval: making learning stick

In Reception, retrieval means coming back to stories, objects and words through talk and play, little and often. Ofsted’s 2024 report warned that RE taught only in one-off days or blocked units gives children too few chances to return to what they learned.

Quick routines (2–5 minutes)

Mystery bag: pull out an artefact from an earlier unit (a diya, a hanukiah, a palm cross). “What is it? Who uses it? When?”
Floor book or photo wall: keep photos of visits, visitors and play. Revisit them before each new unit: “Remember when…?”
Story sequencing: give children three or four pictures from a story they know and ask them to put them in order and retell it.
Word of the week: revisit key words such as celebrate, special, God, pray, story, using actions or pictures.
Continuous provision: leave artefacts and story props in the small-world, role-play or sensory area for weeks after the unit ends.

Build in links between units

Teaching the Easter story (spring)? Bring back light at Diwali, Hanukkah and Christmas. Ask: “Where have we seen candles and lights before?”
Teaching the Exodus story (spring)? Bring back Hanukkah and Jewish symbols from the autumn. Ask: “What do we remember about Jewish people’s celebrations?”
Teaching prayer (summer)? Bring back the church visit and the Hindu shrine. Ask: “Where do people go to talk to God?”
Exploring Sikh artefacts (summer)? Bring back Bandi Chhor Divas and Diwali from the autumn. Ask: “Who else lights lamps at the same time of year?”

Hands-on learning: resource boxes and artefacts

Young children learn about religion and belief best by seeing, handling and talking about real objects. Essex SACRE lends resource boxes to schools.

Boxes from Essex SACRE

Judaism (Jewish Living Experience box): available to borrow now.
Humanism: in preparation.
Sikhism, Islam and Christianity: planned for 2026–27.

To borrow a box, contact [SACRE contact details].

Building your own EYFS boxes

Celebration and light: Clay diyas (LED tealights), rangoli patterns and coloured sand, a Rama and Sita story book and puppets, a hanukiah and dreidel, an Advent wreath, Christmas cards showing the nativity

Stories (Easter, Exodus, Buddhist stories): Small-world nativity and Easter garden sets, a palm cross, a seder plate picture, a Buddha statue or picture with the story book Buddha at Bedtime

Prayer and special things: A prayer mat with compass, prayer beads (Christian, Muslim, Hindu), a cross, a kara (steel bangle), a “special object” box for children’s own treasures

Handling artefacts respectfully

Model care first: clean hands, a cloth or tray, and talk about why the object is special to some people.
Some objects need particular care, such as a Qur’an or a Sikh holy book. Use pictures, or ask a community member before bringing them in.
Say who uses it: “Many Hindus use this…”, not “Hindus use this…”.
See RE:ONLINE’s guide Artefacts for the classroom for suppliers and guidance.

Visits and visitors

Meeting real people is one of the most powerful RE experiences for young children. Parents, staff and local community members are often the best visitors.

Case study: In one Essex school, Reception children take part in a Diwali dance workshop. A Hindu learning support assistant then brings in her own festival clothes and objects to explain how her family celebrates.

Tips for visitors with 4–5 year olds

Agree a focus in advance, such as one object, one story or one question from the children.
Keep it short (15–20 minutes) and hands-on: something to hold, wear, taste or smell.
Ask visitors to speak personally: “In my family, we…”
Follow your school’s visitor and safeguarding policy, and get consent before taking photos.
Revisit the visit afterwards with photos (see section 4).

Guidance and finding speakers

Voices of faith and belief in schools (NATRE): guidance and a code of conduct for visitors. Many schools give it to visitors before they come.
NATRE visits and visitors checklist: a planning checklist for teachers.
RE:ONLINE: School visits and visitors: useful organisations and contacts.
Essex SACRE Festival of Speakers: ask SACRE to connect you with local faith and worldview speakers. [SACRE contact details]

Getting it right

Build note: put this in a coloured callout box.

Teach what the overview promises. If a tradition is named on the long-term plan, make sure at least one session actually includes it.
Diwali is not the Sikh festival. At the same time of year, Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas, remembering Guru Hargobind’s release from prison. Name it rather than folding Sikhs into Diwali.
Not everyone prays. Humanists don’t believe in God or pray. In a prayer unit, ask “What do people hope for? Who would you talk to when you’re worried?” so every child can join in.
Say “many” or “some”. “Many Christians go to church at Christmas” is accurate; “Christians go to church” is not.
Respect children’s own beliefs. Invite children to share (“In my family we…”) but never expect them to speak for their religion.
RE, not just a craft. Making a diya is RE when children can say what it is for and why it matters to the people who use it.

Films and videos

Short clips work best for 4–5 year olds: watch a minute or two, pause, and talk. Always preview a film before showing it, as most are made for slightly older children.

Charlie and Blue (TrueTube and RE:ONLINE, ages 5–7, about 5 minutes each). A girl and her toy, Blue, visit people from different religions to answer a question. Each film comes with free teacher notes. They suit the summer term of Reception well.

Charlie and Blue Hear all about Hindu Worship: a mandir visit using all five senses (teacher notes). Use with: celebration; prayer.
Charlie and Blue Go to a Gurdwara. Use with: Sikh artefacts; prayer.
Charlie and Blue at Passover: food that helps Jewish people remember the Exodus story (series page). Use with: the Exodus story.
Charlie and Blue Ask about Allah and Creation. Use with: Islam; what puzzles you?
Charlie and Blue Do Some Soul Searching. Use with: what puzzles you?

TrueTube festival films (made for older pupils, so use short clips).

Diwali (10:46): the illustrated retelling of Rama and Sita’s story and the diya-lighting footage work well as short clips.
Bandi Chhor Divas: the Sikh story of Guru Hargobind, told with illustrations. Pair it with the Diwali film.
TrueTube’s Light in the Darkness blog post has discussion ideas about light in festivals that you can simplify for Reception.

More film ideas: RE:ONLINE’s Useful films for primary RE list.

Planning and classroom resources

From NATRE

10 Beginnings for RE in the Reception Class: ten flexible sets of learning ideas for 4–5 year olds. Free to download, no membership needed.
10 Beginnings for Foundation Stage RE: stories and activities exploring belonging, celebration and community. Free.
Foundations of RE: Building Strong EYFS Practice: a half-day online course on 9 February 2027, led by NATRE’s National RE Adviser. Members receive a discount.
NATRE shop: early years resources: published planning books and resources (paid).

From RE:ONLINE

Easter and Salvation: a free sequence of lessons from Early Years to Year 6, so Reception learning about Easter builds into later years.
Festivals calendar: search festivals by month or tradition to plan the year.
Glossary: plain-English definitions to check your own subject knowledge.
Useful websites, resources and films for primary RE: a curated list, including Five websites to start.

Other useful guidance

RE Today: EYFS requirements and guidance applied to RE: maps each EYFS area of learning to RE activities. Written for the 2021 framework, so check it against the current version.

Policy, research and national reports

RE is changing nationally: the 2025 Curriculum and Assessment Review recommended bringing RE into the national curriculum, and the government has set up a sector-led group to draft national RE content. Until then, the Essex Agreed Syllabus remains the statutory basis for RE in maintained schools.

EYFS statutory framework for group and school-based providers (effective September 2026): the framework you plan Reception RE through.
Curriculum and Assessment Review: final report (November 2025): recommends RE joins the national curriculum, building on the RE Council’s National Content Standard. It also recommends updating the DfE’s RE guidance, last revised in 2010.
NATRE summary of the Curriculum and Assessment Review (2025): free slides with discussion questions for staff meetings and SACREs.
Ofsted: Deep and meaningful? RE subject report (April 2024): covers Reception to sixth form. Strong schools plan what Reception children need to know for Year 1.
RE:ONLINE research spotlight on the Ofsted report (2025): a shorter summary with reflection questions.
Religious Education Council of England and Wales (2023): home of the National Content Standard for RE.
Ofsted: Research review series, religious education (May 2021): Ofsted’s description of high-quality RE, with a section on Reception and primary.
Essex Agreed Syllabus for RE 2022: the statutory syllabus for Essex maintained schools.

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