Portfolios:
Portfolios are so important. They are professional and priceless.
I bought a couple sets of 1" notebooks at Costco, I think that they are around $9.00 per set. I fill them with clear sheet protectors, and keep samples of my students' work in them. I include photos (a class picture too). I document frequent observations of the child during class-time, and put those in there too.
Portfolios are available for parents to read throughout the school year. During parent/teacher conference time at the end of the year, I write a positive summary about the child's achievements, things to work on, and future goals. At the end of the year, I send them home for the family to keep.
Here is a sample of what I included in my portfolios. Parents are the child's first teacher, and anything that childcare professionals can do to help them out is a blessing. PBS has a great site full of information for parents and teachers. I printed out and made copies of this information for each child's portfolio, depending on the age of the child. Here is the link to their page: PBS Child Development Tracker
"Research shows that if children start school with a strong set of attitudes and skills that help them "learn how to learn," they will be better able to take advantage of educational opportunities. While some learning skills come naturally to children, others can be developed through a supportive environment.
Tips for building learning skills:
§ Let them choose.
Give kids a chance to make simple choices, such as what to wear or what to eat for a snack.
§ Help them finish what they start.
Children experience great satisfaction when they try and finish new things. Give them a bit of support when they need it, but be careful not to take over completely.
§ Nurture creativity.
Encourage children to ask questions, try different ways of using materials, or offer them a wide range of new experiences.
§ Don't rush activities.
Whether at home or in preschool, children need extended periods of time to really get involved in activities and to experience the "engagement" that is such an important foundation for learning.
§ Provide encouragement.
All children start life eager to learn, but if adults are critical, that eagerness may disappear by the elementary grades. Look for achievements to praise and acknowledge your child's progress whenever possible."
”There is no one like your
child
Every child's development is unique and complex. Although children
develop through a generally predictable sequence of steps and milestones, they
may not proceed through these steps in the same way or at the same time. A
child's development is also greatly influenced by factors in his or her
environment and the experiences he or she has. The information in this guide
explains what child development experts consider to be "widely-held
expectations" for what an average child might achieve within a given year.
Please consider what you read in the context of your child's unique
development.
Below is a snapshot of this year.
How your child may develop
this year
§ Everything
is new and interesting to one-year-olds. They enthusiastically use their five
senses to actively explore the world around them. They find pleasure in causing
things to happen and in completing basic tasks. And once a discovery is made,
one-year-olds want to make it happen again and again and again!
§ Emotionally,
one-year-olds are just learning to recognize and manage their feelings. They
experience a wide range of emotions and have tantrums when they are tired or
frustrated. They may also respond to conflict by hitting, biting, screaming, or
crying. One-year-olds seek autonomy and may say, "No!" to adult
suggestions or insist that they, "Do myself!" Then, moments later,
they might cling to an adult's leg or ask for help.
§ During
this year, language skills typically progress from grunting and pointing to
speaking single words and experimenting with simple word combinations.
Pronunciation is quite difficult, however and familiar adults almost always
need to "translate" for others. One-year-olds steadily build their
vocabularies by absorbing the language around them. They are able to understand
common phrases and simple directions used in routine situations.
§ Even
though one-year-olds have no awareness of print at this age, they take pleasure
in nursery rhymes and books with single pictures of familiar and related items.
They may apply their growing vocabularies by naming pictures in books read to
them. Children this age also have no understanding of true "writing,"
but many enjoy experimenting with marks and scribbles on a surface.
§ As
one-year olds play, they start to build their mathematical thinking by
recognizing patterns and understanding shapes. For example, they notice that
night is followed by day and that socks go on feet before shoes. They begin to
sort familiar objects by one characteristic, such as whether they are
"hard" or "soft." They may enjoy filling and emptying
containers. They know that when an object is hidden, it is still there. Many
can also do simple insert puzzles when the puzzle pieces show whole objects.
§ One-year-olds
are just discovering their creative abilities. Their interest in art is focused
on the sensory exploration of art materials, such as paint and clay. With
music, they can respond with their whole bodies to rhythm, beat and melody.
Children this age make an important developmental leap by beginning to pretend
during play, often by imitating adult movements.
§ Some of
the most obvious changes that you will notice in your child this year are in
the area of physical development. Most one-year-olds typically move from
crawling to running by about 20 months. They hold their hands out to the side
or poke their bellies out for balance. Their gait is a bit awkward and clumsy
and falls are common. They use their new mobility to push and pull toys, dance
and climb. One-year-olds also improve in hand and finger coordination, but
skills at this age are still immature, so they fumble and drop objects
frequently.”
Preschool Ages and Stages
Two-Year-Olds:
"There is no one like your child.
Every
child's development is unique and complex. Although children develop through a
generally predictable sequence of steps and milestones, they may not proceed
through these steps in the same way or at the same time. A child's development
is also greatly influenced by factors in his or her environment and the
experiences he or she has. The information in this guide explains what child
development experts consider to be "widely-held expectations" for
what an average child might achieve within a given year. Please consider what
you read in the context of your child's unique development.
Below
is a snapshot of this year.
How your child may develop this year:
Two-year-olds enjoy
using their senses and motor skills to explore the world and are highly curious
about unfamiliar objects, events and phenomena. They can solve simple problems
with the "trial and error" method and will practice an activity many
times to master it. Children this age also pretend more during play, using
familiar objects and situations to process their daily experiences.
New
discoveries are also facilitated by a two-year-old's blossoming language skills
that prompt many "why," "what" and "how"
questions. During the year, children this age pick up most parts of speech to
form more complete sentences. They can understand and say hundreds of words,
but familiar adults may need to "translate" for others due to
immature pronunciation skills. They also understand simple directions and many
common phrases used in routine situations.
Children
this age are laying the groundwork for reading and writing. They enjoy having
books read to them and may pretend to "read" as they independently
look through familiar books. Two-year-olds can sing the A-B-C song, but they
don't yet understand that the letter names correspond to specific graphic
designs. They also make a variety of scribble marks anywhere and everywhere and
may even attempt to write the first letter of their name.
As
they play and complete their daily routines, two-year-olds learn important math
skills. They can use a toy to represent another object, recognize patterns with
daily activities and understand concepts of time like, "tomorrow" and
"yesterday." Two-year-olds are just beginning to use logical
reasoning to solve everyday problems. They can sort shapes, complete puzzles
with eight pieces or less and stack a set of rings on a peg by size. They also
understand addition and subtraction with the numbers "one" and
"two."
Physically,
two-year-olds explore all the ways to travel from here to there, including
rolling, crawling, creeping, walking, running, jumping and climbing. They can
also kick a small ball forward, catch a rolled ball and throw a ball overhand
(but with little accuracy). Two-year-olds love finger play activities (e.g.,
"The Itsy, Bitsy, Spider"), pounding and squeezing clay, shaking
rhythm instruments and scribbling. They can turn doorknobs and unscrew lids and
have improved their skills using eating utensils.
Two-year-olds
also use their motor skills to explore the creative arts. They make sounds by
banging and shaking instruments and household items. They enjoy dancing upon
request, doing finger plays and acting out chants and songs. Children this age
are also gaining control over their voices and will join in singing the
refrains of their favorite songs. With art, they enjoy the sensory pleasures of
the art materials and focus on the process of creating art, rather than the
final product.
Two-year-olds
enjoy playing alongside other children, but usually keep to themselves. When
conflicts arise, adults need to step in to prevent aggression and teach
appropriate behaviors. Children this age are beginning to label feelings that
they recognize in themselves and others. Controlling emotions is still
difficult, however, so frustration may trigger emotional meltdowns. Comfort
objects like blankets or teddy bears help two-year-olds cope with new
situations or strong emotions."
Approaches to
Learning for 2-year-olds
Two-year-olds
enjoy using their senses to explore the world, and can solve simple problems
with the "trial and error" method. They will practice an activity
many times to master it, and can complete short-term, concrete tasks. Their
budding language skills and desire to learn prompt many "why,"
"what," and "how" questions. This year typically marks the
beginning of pretend play, where two-year-olds experiment with familiar objects
and situations to process their experiences.
Initiative, Engagement, and Persistence
- Makes choices
(e.g., food, clothes, toys, activities) based on preferences, sometimes in
opposition to adult choices (e.g., child says, "No jacket. Want
hat!").
- Increases
ability to sustain attention, especially when it directly influences an
activity (e.g., repeatedly stacks blocks and knocks them down).
- Completes
self-chosen, short-term, concrete tasks. Practices an activity many times
to gain mastery (e.g., repeatedly moves magnetic letters on and off the
refrigerator).
- Has a growing
interest in and ability to perform routine tasks independently (e.g., puts
napkins on the table before dinner).
Curiosity and Eagerness to Learn
- Is able to
participate in a broader array of experiences (e.g., exploring outdoor
playground equipment, climbing on rocks, investigating contents of kitchen
cabinets, paging through books), thanks to increased physical and
cognitive skills.
- May ask many
"why," "what," and "how" questions about a
variety of sights, sounds, and experiences (e.g., asks, "Why mommy
cry?").
- Continues to
show enthusiasm and pleasure in daily explorations. Enjoys solving simple
problems (e.g., successfully puts on own hat after several tries, then
happily jumps up and down).
Reasoning and Problem-solving
- Becomes more
systematic in using language and physical approaches to solve problems,
but may become stuck on one solution (e.g., tries numerous strategies for
nesting a set of cups of graduated sizes, but may keep pushing harder to
get a large cup to fit into a smaller one).
- Continues to
expand use of language to get help, but may refuse assistance even when
needed (e.g., may say, "I need help!" when trying to get a
little car into the garage, but then says, "Do it myself!" when
help arrives).
- Grows in
abilities to recognize and solve problems through active exploration,
including trial and error (e.g., tries to get a large pillow into a small
container by turning it this way and that; eventually folds up pillow so
it fits).
Invention and Imagination
- Engages in
simple pretend play with familiar objects and situations (e.g., puts doll
to bed and lays blanket over her).
- Expands use of
objects, art materials, and toys in new and unexpected ways (e.g., takes
bath towels out of a closet and drapes them over chairs, crumples up paper
in interesting shapes when pasting onto cardboard)"
There is no one like your child:
"Every
child's development is unique and complex. Although children develop through a
generally predictable sequence of steps and milestones, they may not proceed
through these steps in the same way or at the same time. A child's development
is also greatly influenced by factors in his or her environment and the
experiences he or she has. The information in this guide explains what child
development experts consider to be "widely-held expectations" for
what an average child might achieve within a given year. Please consider what
you read in the context of your child's unique development.
How your child may develop this year
- Three-year-olds
learn primarily through exploring, using all the senses. While playing,
they are better able to ignore distractions and focus on the task at hand.
They will even persist in completing something that is a bit difficult and
can think more creatively and methodically when solving problems.
- Language for
three-year-olds is taking off. They learn lots of new words and make major
improvements in pronunciation. They communicate in simple sentences and
are refining their use of grammar. Children this age begin to initiate
conversations, want to talk about areas of interest and can relate
personal experiences to others with the support of some prompting from
grown-ups.
- Three-year-olds
are also able to listen to and understand conversations, stories, songs
and poems. They are learning their letters, but may also refer to numbers
as "letters." They notice print in the environment and may ask
what it means. They also realize that print in books tells a reader what
to say. During the year, scribbles begin to appear more like letters and
children may string several of these "letters" together to form
mock words. They become aware of the uses for writing and may dictate
words for adults to write down.
- Children this
age develop their logical reasoning skills as they play. They can put
together simple puzzles and understand that a whole object can be
separated into parts. They are able to classify and sort objects, but
usually by only one characteristic at a time. Three-year-olds identify and
describe objects that are the "same" or "different."
They can count up to "five," and begin to recognize written
numerals "0" through "9." When counting items in a
collection, they can now label each object with just one number word to
determine the total ("one to one correspondence").
- Physically,
three-year-olds are less top-heavy than toddlers and move with greater
sureness. They have improved their abilities to run, climb and perform
other large-muscle activities. They can ride a tricycle or pump a swing.
They can catch a large ball using two hands and their bodies. Improved
finger dexterity allows them to put together simple puzzles, use tools,
hold crayons with fingers instead of fists, make balls and snakes out of
clay and undress without assistance.
- Emotionally,
three-year-olds need familiar adults nearby for security as they explore
and play. As they develop more independence, children this age begin to
have real friendships with other children. When conflicts arise with
peers, three-year-olds will typically seek adult assistance. They are
learning to recognize the causes of feelings and will give simple help,
such as a hug, to those who are upset. Three-year-olds can better manage
their emotions, but may still fall apart under stress.
- Three-year-olds
build on their abilities in the creative arts by developing greater
control over their voices and by recognizing, naming and singing their
favorite songs. They can play simple rhythm instruments with a developing
ability to control beat, tempo and pitch. Their art also begins to include
recognizable subjects. Three-year-olds love dramatic play and will
sometimes get so involved in their imagined scenarios that they continue
their roles even after the play stops. They also prefer to use real
objects and costumes in their pretend play."
Approaches to Learning for
Three-Year-Olds
The original link to this article is PBS Parents Child Development Tracker, and it contains tons of information.
Three-year-olds
increasingly know what they want and express their preferences. While playing,
they are better able to ignore distractions and focus on the task at hand. They
will even persist in completing something that is a bit difficult. Learning
still happens primarily through exploring, using all the senses. Their growing
language skills allow for more complex questions and discussion, and they can
think more creatively and methodically when solving problems.
Initiative, Engagement, and Persistence
§ Becomes increasingly deliberate
when choosing preferred activities and companions (e.g., child says, "I
want to play at Jeremy's house today.").
§ Is able to focus attention
for longer periods of time, even with distractions or interruptions, as long as
the activity is age-appropriate and of interest (e.g., can repeatedly solve and
dump out a wooden puzzle, even with the TV on in the background).
§ Persists with a wider
variety of tasks, activities, and experiences. Keeps working to complete a task
even if it is moderately difficult (e.g., persists with a somewhat challenging
wooden puzzle).
§ Expands abilities to
independently complete a range of self-help skills (e.g., feeding, undressing,
grooming). May refuse adult assistance (e.g., tries over and over to pull on a
sweater and pushes mom's hands away when she tries to help).
Curiosity and Eagerness to Learn
§ Continues to seek and
engage in sensory and other experiences (e.g., listens to stories, plays with
friends, takes trips to the fire station).
§ Continues to ask numerous
questions, which are becoming more verbally complex (e.g., asks, "How we
get to Nana's house?").
§ Seeks out new challenges
(e.g., tries to dress a doll or put together a new construction toy).
Reasoning and Problem-solving
§ Continues to become more
flexible in problem-solving and thinking through alternatives (e.g., when
trying to put on shoes, talks to self about what to do first. If the shoe won't
easily go on one foot, he or she tries the other foot.).
§ Increasingly able to ask
for help on challenging tasks (e.g., says, "Can you put Teddy's pants
on?").
§ Thinks more systematically.
Benefits from conversations with adults and peers, as well as physical
investigation.
Invention and Imagination
§ Grows in ability to sustain
pretend play with other children (e.g., plays in pretend kitchen with friend,
serving "cookies"). Takes on familiar roles (e.g., mom or dad) in
pretend play.
§ Plays creatively with both
language and objects. Expresses inventive ideas in an expanding set of
situations (e.g., creates interesting scenes with small plastic animals;
strings nonsense words together, "Mommy, nommy, sommy, tommy")."
4-year-olds:
There is no one like your child
Every
child's development is unique and complex. Although children develop through a
generally predictable sequence of steps and milestones, they may not proceed
through these steps in the same way or at the same time. A child's development
is also greatly influenced by factors in his or her environment and the
experiences he or she has. The information in this guide explains what child
development experts consider to be "widely-held expectations" for
what an average child might achieve within a given year. Please consider what
you read in the context of your child's unique development.
How your child may develop this year
- When it comes to
learning, four-year-olds are developing greater self-control and
ingenuity. Their pretend play is more complex and imaginative and can be
sustained for longer periods. They can also make plans and complete tasks.
Four-year-olds want to try new experiences. They also want to be more
self-reliant and seek to expand the areas of their lives where they can be
independent decision-makers.
- The language
skills of four-year-olds expand rapidly. They begin communicating in
complex and compound sentences, have very few pronunciation errors and
expand their vocabularies daily. They can follow multi-step directions and
understand explanations given for things they can see. Four-year-olds
frequently initiate conversations and are less likely to change the
subject of conversation to areas of personal interest. They are also
getting better at sharing personal experiences without prompts from
adults.
- Four-year-olds
are building their knowledge of written language. They want to know what
words in their environment say and can recognize many letters. By the end
of this year, many children understand that letters represent the sounds
in spoken words and may associate some letters with their sounds. Most
children also are capable of writing some legible letters and know that
writing goes from left-to-right and top to bottom.
- Four-year-olds
have an increased capacity for learning math concepts. They use logical
reasoning to solve everyday problems and can effectively use language to
compare and describe objects and shapes. They can count to
"ten," recognize written numerals "0" to "9"
and add and subtract using numbers up to "four." Four-year-olds
know some variations of a circle, square, triangle and rectangle.
- They
know days of the week, months and the seasons, but still cannot tell time.
- Children this
age can engage in long periods of active play and exercise. They are
skillful at walking, climbing, jumping, hopping, skipping, marching and
galloping. They also are better able to throw, catch, kick and bounce
balls. Improved finger dexterity allows them to hold writing tools with a
more mature, tripod grip. Advances in hand-eye coordination help
four-year-olds do puzzles, play with toys that have small parts and dress
and undress without assistance.
- Four-year-olds
approach the world with great curiosity and use their imaginations to help
understand it. Hands-on explorations help them to separate reality from
fantasy. They can participate in the planning and implementation of simple
scientific investigations and over the course of the year, will increase
their abilities to make observations, gather information, compare data,
identify patterns, describe and discuss observations and form explanations
and generalizations.
- Emotionally,
four-year-olds continue to learn what causes certain feelings and realize
that others may react to the same situation differently. They have learned
to better manage intense emotions with coping strategies like talking it
out or drawing a picture. Four-year-olds also show further progress in
their social interactions with peers, such as by smoothly joining in a
group play situation, being sympathetic to others, or suggesting ways to
resolve conflicts.
- In exploring the
creative arts, children this age can identify changes in pitch, tempo,
loudness and musical duration. They can sing songs of their own creation
as well as memorized ones. Their art begins to be more realistic and may
incorporate letters. Four-year-olds love to dance and are able to move
rhythmically and smoothly. Their dramatic play is highly imaginative and
now has the structure of specific scenarios, like going to the grocery
store or rescuing a cat stuck in a tree.
Approaches to learning for 4-year-olds:
When it comes to learning, four-year-olds are developing greater
self-control and ingenuity. Their pretend play is more complex and imaginative,
and can be sustained for longer periods. They can also make plans and complete
tasks. Four-year-olds want to try new experiences. They also want to be more
self-reliant, and seek to expand the areas of their lives where they can be
independent decision-makers
Initiative, Engagement, and
Persistence
§ Further
expands areas of decision-making (e.g., child may say, "This morning I'm
going to work on my Lego building.").
§ Has an
increased ability to focus attention, and can ignore more distractions and
interruptions (e.g., at preschool, can focus on a drawing even when other
children are nearby; might say, "I'll play with you later. I want to
finish this.").
§ Is
increasingly able to complete tasks, even those that are longer-term and
less-concrete (e.g., keeping track of the days until his or her birthday on a
calendar). Has greater ability to set goals and follow a plan (e.g., child
says, "I'm going to pick up all these branches," and then works until
it is done).
§ Increasingly
makes independent choices and shows self-reliance (e.g., chooses clothes, feeds
and dresses self).
Curiosity and Eagerness to
Learn
§ Asks to
participate in new experiences that he or she has observed or has heard of
others participating in (e.g., says, "Jack goes fishing. Can I?").
§ Asks
questions about future events, as well as about the here and now (e.g., asks,
"When will we go to Sarah's house again?").
§ Starts to
show more enthusiasm for learning letters, shapes, and numbers (e.g., while
looking at a book with dad, points to a word that contains the letter
"S" and says, "S! That's in my name! What is that word?").
Reasoning and
Problem-solving
§ More
flexible and able to draw on varied resources in solving problems (e.g., tries
to build a large structure with blocks, but the building keeps falling down.
After several failed attempts, he or she tries making a larger base. May also
look at how other children have made their buildings.).
§ Seeks
help from both adults and peers, and has a greater understanding of the kind of
help that may be needed (e.g., says, "Can you hold this end of the string
for me, so I can tie this?").
§ Grows in
ability to understand abstract concepts, especially when his or her thinking is
supported by physical interaction with materials (e.g., systematically pours
sand into measuring cups, then looks at and comments on amounts).
Invention and Imagination
§ Engages
in more sustained and complex pretend play (e.g., creates a long scenario with
several other children, taking a pretend trip with many stops). Expands the
roles acted out in pretend play. Is less dependent on realistic props.
§ Offers
creative, unusual ideas about how to do a task, how to make something, or how
to get from one place to another (e.g., says, "I've got a great idea!
Let's walk backwards to the kitchen!").”
5-year-olds:
"There is no one like your child
Every
child's development is unique and complex. Although children develop through a
generally predictable sequence of steps and milestones, they may not proceed
through these steps in the same way or at the same time. A child's development
is also greatly influenced by factors in his or her environment and the
experiences he or she has. The information in this guide explains what child
development experts consider to be "widely-held expectations" for
what an average child might achieve within a given year. Please consider what
you read in the context of your child's unique development.
How your child may develop this year
- Five-year-olds
are creative and enthusiastic problem solvers. They offer progressively
more imaginative ideas for how to do a task, make something or solve
longer-term or more abstract challenges. As they participate in a variety
of new experiences, five-year-olds ask more analytical questions and weigh
their choices. They are also more social as they learn new things and
prefer activities that involve other children.
- The language
skills of five-year-olds are well developed. They pronounce words clearly,
speak in complex and compound sentences, use correct grammar for the most
part and have good-sized vocabularies that continue to grow rapidly.
Children this age enjoy initiating conversations, can wait their turn to
speak during group conversations and are typically able to include
appropriate details when sharing personal experiences.
- Five-year-olds
begin to extend their oral language skills to reading and writing. They
know their uppercase and most lowercase letters and understand that
letters represent specific sounds in spoken words. This knowledge helps
them to sound out words in print and write out words based on their
sounds. They also can discuss stories and are able to tell their own tales.
- The mathematical
thinking of children this age becomes more abstract and expands to include
a greater understanding of the characteristics of shapes and numbers. They
can count out a collection of up to "20" items, conduct simple
addition and subtraction and identify which number in a set is larger.
Five-year-olds understand and use words related to position, such as
"under" or "behind." They sequence events
chronologically and are learning to tell time. They can also sort objects
based on more than one characteristic.
- Physically,
five-year-olds abound with energy and seek active games and environments.
Their increased abilities to balance and coordinate movements allow them
to ride a bike with training wheels, swim, jump rope and perform most
ball-related skills. They show mature form in walking and running and are
able to vary the direction, speed and quality of their movements. They can
also use their fingers flexibly to control writing and painting tools,
dress and undress dolls and manage zippers and buttons.
- Five-year-olds
really want to know more about how the world works. Hands-on experiences
help them to form theories to explain "how" and "why"
things happen. They can use tools like thermometers and scales to gather
information and are able to more independently carry out simple
investigations. Five-year-olds also use increasingly descriptive language
to relay information, ask questions and provide explanations."
Approaches to Learning for 5-year-olds:
Five-year-olds
are creative and enthusiastic problem solvers. They offer progressively more
imaginative ideas for how to do a task, make something, or solve longer-term or
more abstract challenges. As they participate in a variety of new experiences,
five-year-olds ask more analytical questions and weigh their choices. They are
also more social as they learn new things and prefer activities that involve
other children.
Initiative, Engagement, and Persistence
§ Deliberates and weighs
choices (e.g., may spend a long time thinking about whether to go to the store
with mom or to stay home and help dad).
§ Can maintain focus on a
project for a sustained period of time (e.g., spends a rainy day building a
complicated fort out of chairs and blankets, complete with props and signs). Is
able to return to an activity after being interrupted.
§ Persists in longer-term or
complex projects, with supervision. Can return to projects begun the previous
day. Uses self-talk and other strategies to help finish difficult tasks and
assignments from adults (e.g., a school project to make an alphabet book).
§ Chooses and follows through
on self-selected learning tasks. Shows interest and skill in more complex
self-help skills (e.g., decides to learn to skate, zips jacket, prepares a
snack).
Curiosity and Eagerness to Learn
§ Tries an even wider range
of new experiences, both independently and with peers and adults (e.g., goes on
a camping trip with grandparents, tries to learn to play piano like older
brother). May deliberately take risks when learning new skills.
§ Asks higher-level questions
(e.g., asks, "What would happen if we had no food?" or "Why was
Raymond mad at me"?).
§ Expands verbal and
nonverbal enthusiasm for learning new things, including academic (e.g.,
reading, writing) and physical skills (e.g., riding a bike).
Reasoning and Problem-solving
§ Is increasingly able to
think of possible solutions to problems. Can use varied and flexible approaches
to solve longer-term or more abstract challenges (e.g., when planning to have
friends over on a rainy day, thinks about how to deal with a limited space to
play).
§ Analyzes complex problems
more accurately to identify the type of help needed (e.g., says, "I think
I know how to play this game, but I think you'll have to help me get started.
Then I can do the rest.").
§ Continues to benefit from
hands-on experiences to support more abstract thinking skills (e.g., makes a
book about last summer's vacation trip, complete with sections for each place
visited, drawings to illustrate, and labels written with adult help).
Invention and Imagination
§ Collaborates with other
children in extended and complex pretend play, taking on more varied roles and
situations (e.g., acts out roles of lions, hunters, rescuers, and other animals
in a dramatic and sustained scenario).
§ Offers increasingly
creative, unusual ideas about how to do a task, how to make something, or how
to get from one place to another (e.g., asks, "Let's use these old boxes
to make a spaceship! Where's some paint?")."
Thanks to PBS Parents for the above articles.
The chart below came from The Long Street Clinic's website:
Age
|
Physical /
Motor Skills
|
Language /
Communication
|
Thinking /
Cognitive
|
Social /
Emotional
|
Birth to 3 Months
|
- Makes jerky arm movements
- Holds hands in tight fists
- Brings hand within range of eyes and mouth
- Head falls back when unsupported
- Raises & moves head side to side when lying on their stomach
- Begins reflexes including, sucking, grasping & holding their tongue to the roof of their mouth
|
- Infants pay close attention to sounds and language
- Responds to speech by looking at the person speaking
- Reacts to changes in tone, pitch, volume and intonation
- Communicates with movements including crying, jabbering and laughing
- Attempts to mimic sounds
|
- Most infants can see within 13 inches clearly
- Starts to focus & follow moving objects and people
- Can see all colors
- Distinguishes tastes involving, sweet, sour, bitter and salty
- Preference for high contrast items
- Responds with facial expressions to strong odors
|
- Begins to suck fingers
- Watch and Observe Hands
- Responds positively to touch
- Starts to recognize body parts, examples, arms & legs
- Learns to feel comfort with a familiar adult
- Will respond to touch
- Begins to smile and express pleasure to social interaction
|
3 to 6 Months
|
- Becomes stronger and more alert
- Begins movements utilizing large muscle groups including rolling over and pushing the body forward
- Starts to reach for objects
- Grasps objects and puts them in their mouth
- Makes discoveries of object’s qualities including the noises they make when moving them
|
- Loves to have conversations through exchanging sounds, facial expressions and bodily gestures
- Recognizes familiar voices of mom, dad and caregiver
- Listens to conversations
- Repeats some sounds involving vowels and consonants
|
- Begins to recognize faces
- Can differentiate people by the way they look, sound or feel
- Reacts to and mimics facial expressions
- Starts to respond to familiar sounds
- Starts to anticipate routine events including changing, feeding and bathing
|
- Will begin to initiate social interaction
- Plays peek-a-boo
- Starts to recognize their name
- Can laugh out loud
- Smiles more freely
|
6 to 9
Months
|
- Babies becomes more mobile
- Starts reaching and pulling up on furniture
- Begins motions to crawl
- Grasps and pull objects towards themselves
- Transfers items between hands
|
- Vocals increase
- Begins repetitive jabbering
- Can associate gestures with small words and two word phrases like “hey” and “bye-bye”
- Starts to use vocal & non-vocal communication to express interest
|
- At an early age, babies try to learn how things work
- Begin to stare longer at suspended objects
- Can distinguish between nonliving and living objects
- Uses size of objects to decipher how close or far away they are
|
- Begins to show preferences for familiar people
- Expresses more emotions
- Will respond to voices & gestures
- Will display discontentment at the loss of a toy
|
9 to 12 Months
|
- Babies will begin to sit and stand without support
- Starts walking with assistance
- Can roll a ball and throw objects
- Will pick up and drop toys
- Begins picking up objects using thumb and one finger
|
- Children begin trying to talk
- Babies can recognize the names of familiar individuals and objects
- Displays understanding by responding with body language and facial expressions
- Can say a few simple words
- Understands and responds to “No-no” by stopping
|
- Responds to simple questions & directions with gestures, sounds and some words
- Expresses pleasure when looking at picture books
- Explores how things work
- Experiments with physical objects, turning items over and fitting them into larger containers
|
- Imitates simple actions
- Become responsive to their name
- Will begin to feed themselves finger foods
- Starts to hold cup with both hands and assistance
- Expresses apprehension when separated from mom or dad
- Waves “Bye-bye”
|
1 to 2 Years
|
- Self-initiated movements become easier
- Begins to walk alone
- Will try to walk backwards
- Picks up objects while standing
- Can seat self in children’s chairs
- Pushes and pulls objects
- Can walk up & down stairs with assistance
- Moves in response to music/singing
- Begins to scribble using fisted hand
|
- Starts to repeat & understand many words & simple phrases
- Follows series of simple directions
- Can communicate a few words clearly
- Can say single words to explain an event or request for an object
- At 18 months children begin learning about 9 words a day
|
- Spends a great deal of time observing and imitating adult’s actions and language
- Understands words & instructions by responding correctly
- Begins matching like objects
- Starts recognizing characters in books & movies with help
- Can distinguish between “you” & “me”
|
- Will begin to recognize themselves in pictures and the mirror
- Obeys few commands
- Begins to play by themselves & mimic adult behaviors during play
- Shows pleasure in new accomplishments
- Expresses negative feelings
- Starts to help with small tasks
|
2 to 3
Years
|
- Become more comfortable with motions, increased speed and coordination
- Begins movements such as, running, jumping with both feet, walking on tip toes and kicking
- Can stand on one foot with support
- Turns pages of books
- Holds drawing utensils with thumb and finger, not fist
- Children are able to maneuver small objects with more control
|
- Starts to join words to form short sentences
- Begins to use modifiers (adverbs and adjectives)
- Begins to point to familiar objects as they are named
- Names objects based on their descriptions
- Responds to simple questions including “where?” and “what?”
- Enjoys listening to stories and reading books
- Starts to recall and explain events that occurred that day
|
- Begins to group objects by category
- Identifies themselves in the mirror or pictures
- Chooses picture books
- Starts to identify objects by sound or picture
- Enjoys role-play and imitating adult actions, for example playing house
- Can stack items in order of their size
- Relates what they are doing to what others are doing
|
- Starts to identify gender differences
- Indicates the need to “potty”
- Assists with dressing and undressing themselves
- Is assertive about their preferences
- Uses “I” “me” and own name
- Illustrates fear of things
- Becomes defensive of possessions
- Participates in activities such as singing, clapping and dancing
|
3 to 4 Years
|
- Children have improved movements & balance including, walking in a line, running around objects, balancing on one foot and steering push toys
- Begins to ride tricycle
- Starts to throw and catch a ball
- Can build towers with blocks
- Begins drawing shapes
- Can use slide without help
|
- Language becomes more complex
- Able to communicate more understandably
- Uses more correct grammar such as plurals and tenses
- Understands & recognizes size comparisons involving big and small
- Understands time concepts and narrates past occurrences
- Can sing songs and repeat nursery rhymes
|
- Begins sorting objects based on physical attributes, including matching colors and shapes.
- Organizes materials without help
- Can identify parts of a whole
- Starts to learn how to write their own name
- Can tell you their full name & age
- Can attend to an activity for an extended amount of time
|
- Begins to follow directions
- Can wash hands & blow nose when reminded
- Begins to share toys & take turns
- Uses term “we”
- Initiates or joins other children in playing
- Starts to create own games
- Plays pretend (example, acting as animals, parents or objects)
|
4 to 5 Years
|
- Children are more confident with large movements including walking backwards, skipping, jumping forward, hopping on one foot, and walking up & down stairs alternating feet
- Begins turning flips and learning somersaults
- Can use children’s scissors and cut in a continuous line
- Copies more complex shapes
- Children can start writing a few letters
|
- Tries to retell stories, sometimes confusing a few facts
- Combines thoughts to form sentences
- · More curious, starts asking “when?” “how?” and “why?” questions
- Can follow a series of unlike commands
- Understands sequencing of events and comparatives using “er” & “est”
- Begins using words like “can,” “might,” "will," “should,” and “shall.”
|
- Can mimic and make sounds of letters
- Begins to make rhymes with words
- Can point to and name colors
- Comprehends order and processes
- Learns to write name
- Describes pictures
- Can draw a person with details
- Counts to five
- Is able to articulate their street address and town
|
- Shows understanding of good & bad behavior
- Begins to compare themselves with others
- Acknowledges others feelings
- Develops friendships
- Begins imaginative play
- Curious of opposite sex & other children’s bodies
- Becomes Competitive
|
