Early School Skills Development

THE DEVELOPMENT OF LANGUAGE

The labeled illustrations show young children using language for a variety of purposes. The age timeline indicates how the young child’s receptive and expressive language grows over the first five years. A strong home (first) language is the foundation for all communication and literacy. Remember that learning begins at home.

Babble- respond. Your baby communicates with facial expressions, gestures and sounds. First he coos and later babbles producing consonant and vowel sounds. Those early sounds convert to words, the names for father and mother and ‘bye-bye’. Your baby understands what you are saying when you talk to him. He likes to imitate what you say and what he hears.

The young child’s ability to understand and respond by following directions increases over the preschool years. Directions become progressively more difficult and multi-step. They may begin with a simple getting-dressed command to a toddler, “put your arms up” to “go and get your striped shirt out of the laundry basket by washer” to a preschooler. Following directions is a crucial school skill.

A child’s vocabulary grows tremendously in the first few years. The baby who is beginning to understand the home language and says “mama” and “da-da” develops into the five-year old who may know about two thousand words.

Young children learn to use language for many different purposes: to name people and things, to tell, sing, answer and ask questions, to describe, explain, recall, predict and argue.

The skills and concepts that the young child acquires are the basis for school readiness.

Language skills: The ability to understand and speak the home language increases rapidly with age. Keep in mind that young children understand more than they can say. This is an important underlying premise of early language development: receptive language precedes and is greater than expressive language.

Listen, understand and follow directions: Give simple one-step directions to begin with. Praise your child for doing what you ask.

Use language to request, name, tell, sing, answer/ask question, describe, recall, predict and argue. Model using language in for many different purposes. Praise your child for expressing his needs and wants in words.

Use more and more varied vocabulary: As the child grows and has different experiences his vocabulary will grow by leaps and bounds.

Concepts: Experiences with listening and talking become concepts when the child thinks and talks about them with an adult.

People use words to communicate needs, wants, feelings, idea and information. A simple but important concept that needs to be reinforced. Praise your child for asking for something in words rather than just pointing.

It is important to look at and listen to a person who is talking. Your child must understand the importance of focusing on the speaker with eye contact in our culture. Model by looking at and listening when your child talks to you. This is vital for school readiness.

Parents/caretakers:

Talk every day, everywhere. The child’s language increases as you talk about everything that you see and do at home, outside, and in your community.

Use your home language. It is important for parents to use their home (first or native) language consistently with their young child in order to build a language base, as well as for family communication. With a solid foundation in their first language, children easily learn a second language. Model or demonstrate correct speech and pronunciation. Using cute baby talk will not help a young child’s language development. Rather than correcting your child, simply repeat what he said correctly. Listen carefully to what your child says and respond appropriately. Your child’s early efforts to express herself need to be recognized and praised with smiles, hugs, and positive words (Good job!).

Interact with your child instead of with electronics. Talk to and listen to your child, Praise him for his efforts. Attention to household technology, distracts the adult from communication with the child. Cell phones, TV, the internet, i-pods all create a block between the parent and the child who wants your full attention.

Alignment of DEVELOPMENT OF LANGUAGE and EARLY LITERACY DEVELOPMENTwith Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds, 2007 and Milestones of Child Development. A Guide to Young Children’s Development from Birth to Kindergarten, Virginia’s Early Childhood Development Alignment Project

EARLY READING DEVELOPMENT

The labeled illustrations show the baby, toddler and preschooler exploring books and reading. Pictures are placed above the age they represent on the age timeline.

Listen. The baby listens to the story being read. He sits in his Mom or Dad’s lap and listens. He listens to a description of the pictures in the board book or picture book. He listens to someone telling a story.

Look at pictures. The toddler holds the book herself and looks at the pictures. She imitates other by pretending to read. She may talk to herself about the pictures.

Read together. Mom and her three-four-year old child read together. The child takes an active role in choosing books, talking about pictures and story, turning pages, repeating favorite lines.

Retell, act out story. A four-five year old can retell the main parts of a well-known story. He loves to dramatize, act out events, and pretend to be book characters.

Read signs. The five to six-year old reads various kinds of environmental print: signs and labels, ads and commercials. He may recognize and read familiar street and business signs, spelling out the letters.

Concepts: Experiences with reading become concepts when the child thinks and talks about them with an adult.

A picture represents a real object. Adults take this basic understanding for granted. A young child needs to develop the concept of representation.

Books have pages with pictures, words, and stories. Through their experiences with books and talking with you, preschoolers easily acquire this basic concept.

Print is talk that is written. We read the words. This major understanding is the basis for literacy. The young child gradually understands that what we say is represented by written symbols - letters and numbers.

We turn from one page to the next. We read from left to right, top to bottom. As you turn the pages, and ask him to do so, he will soon learn. When you track the words that you are reading with your finger, your child will begin to see that we read from left to right, from top to bottom of a page. Tell him what you are doing.

Parents/Caregivers:

Read every day. Read everywhere. Read aloud whatever is around you. Read signs, names, labels, menus, program titles, e-mails, and letters. Read everything so that your child understands the importance of reading. Include reading time in your daily routines.

Read favorite books many times. You may get tired of it, but she’ll soon be able to recite the story and fill in words when you pause. It’s the beginning of a love of reading.

Talk about the pictures and story. Your child becomes involved with the pictures and story. He examines the picture closely. He turns pages purposefully, looking at most of them. He may point to words. Talk about everything in the book.

Use your home language. Read or tell the story, talk about the pictures and story in your home language.

Praise your child’s interest in the reading. This reinforces his interest in the book or story.

Model reading signs, newspapers, magazines, calendars. If reading is an important part of your life, your preschool child will soon imitate you. Read all kinds of print: ads, envelopes, menus, recipes and manuals, as well as books.

Alignment of EARLY READING DEVELOPMENT and EARLY LITERACY DEVELOPMENT with Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds, 2007 and Milestones of Child Development. A Guide to Young Children’s Development from Birth to Kindergarten, Virginia’s Early Childhood Development Alignment Project

EARLY WRITING DEVELOPMENT

The labeled illustrations show preschoolers exploring the use of writing tools. Pictures are placed above the age they represent on the age timeline. Needless to say, early writing development is a basic school readiness skill. Learning begins at home.

Scribble. The one- and one-half to three-year old learns how to hold a crayon. He begins by holding it in his fist and has little control over the results, thus scribbles. Scribbling is a very important first step in the process of learning to write.

Draw shapes. The three-four year old is able to draw circular shapes as she has more control over the pencil. She holds the paper down with her other hand.

Draw objects. A four-five year old draws objects which represent something. He will tell you, “This is my Mommy.”

Write letters of the alphabet. The five-six year old has the motor control to form alphabet letters, his name and numbers.

The skills and concepts that the young child acquires are the basis for school readiness.

Fine-motor skills: Eye-hand coordination develops with age and practice.

Use left and right hand independently of each other. Bilateral skill. By the time he is three, your child is able to use his left and right hand for different actions. A right-handed child grasps the crayons with his right hand, while his left hand holds the paper down.

One hand becomes dominant. Your child may establish hand dominance by the age of four.

Develop the ability to control the pencil and hold it in an adult grasp. The child experiments until she finds an effective way to hold the crayon or pencil in her dominant hand. This may be the tripod grasp.

Concepts: Writing experiences become concepts when the child thinks and talks about them.

Paper is used to draw and write on. Provide your child with plenty of scrap paper to scribble on. Supervise your child’s early efforts with crayons and markers to ensure that he doesn’t scribble on walls or floor.

Crayons, markers, pencils and chalk are tools for writing. We use these for drawing and writing.

Much practice is needed to make lines, shapes, pictures, letters. Your child begins to understand that she has to try many times before getting the results she wants. Encourage her to keep trying, and not to give up.

Parents/Caretakers:

Provide tools and many opportunities for your child to explore drawing and writing. Supervise his early efforts with crayons and markers. You may want to include drawing time in your daily routines.

Talk about the activity. Use your home language. Ask your child what he’s drawing. Listen to his explanation.

Praise your child’s efforts. Praise him for trying. Achieving the eye-hand coordination needed for writing is difficult.

Model drawing and writing on paper. Make lists, write notes or postcards. Show your child the importance of writing in your life.

Alignment of EARLY WRITING DEVELOPMENTand EARLY LITERACY DEVELOPMENTwith Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds, 2007 and Milestones of Child Development. A Guide to Young Children’s Development from Birth to Kindergarten, Virginia’s Early Childhood Development Alignment Project

THE DEVELOPMENT OF EARLY LITERACY

The three inter-related components of early literacy are language, reading and writing. The illustrations show the sequences of language, reading and writing development through the preschool years.

Language. See The Development of Language.

Reading. See Early Reading Development.

Writing. See Early Writing Development.

Parents/caretakers:

Every day! Everywhere! Talk about everything you see and do at home, outside, in the community. Read signs and all kinds of environmental print to the child. Draw shapes with your finger in sand or on the floor. Give the child chalk, crayons, or markers to practice with while you supervise.

Use your home language. Parents need to use their home (first or native) language with their young child in order to build a language base, as well as for family communication. With a solid base in their first language, children easily learn a second language.

EARLY MATH DEVELOPMENT

The labeled illustrations show the young child using numbers in everyday activities. Pictures are placed above the age they represent on the age timeline.

Say or sing number words. The toddler learns to say ‘one, two’ and sings counting songs with finger plays.

Count from memory. The young child recites numbers from memory, counting by rote and imitating others, but is not really counting objects yet.

Count objects. The four year-old counts objects, matching the number he says to each object. He begins to understand one-to-one correspondence.

Understand that numbers show quantity. The five year-old understands that a numeral (5) represents a number (five) and recognizes some numerals.

Concepts: Counting experiences become concepts when the child thinks and talk about them with you.

When you have finished something, you want more. When you get additional objects you have more. More and less is the most basic concept in mathematics. The toddler asks for “more”. The three year-old says that it’s not fair that big sister got ‘more’. The young child equates more with bigger.

People use numbers to count things. As you go about your daily tasks, count things orally, so that numbers become part of your child’s vocabulary.

A number tells how many objects there are. (quantity) Young children gradually develop the idea of amount, number and’ how many’ as you talk about everyday activities.

A numeral (5) is a written symbol for a number (five). This concept, of course, is crucial for math. As you count, read and point to numerals.

Parents/caregivers:

Use everyday activities at home and in the community as opportunities for learning.. You can count and use numbers in many daily activities in the house, on the playground, in the supermarket. Young children love to sing and beat time, so make up number songs to well-known tunes as you sort laundry, choose fruit, put toys away, or walk up the steps.

Use your home language. Talk and sing. Count, sing and talk about numbers in your home language. Young children enjoy the repeated singing of number songs with finger plays.

Praise you child for learning. “Good job!” builds your child’s self-confidence.

You are the teacher, while children’s TV programs are only helpers. Children’s television programs can reinforce learning, but never forget you are your child’s first and most important teacher as you do things together.

Alignment of EARLY MATH DEVELOPMENT with Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds, 2007 and Milestones of Child Development. A Guide to Young Children’s Development from Birth to Kindergarten, Virginia’s Early Childhood Development Alignment Project

EARLY CUTTING DEVELOPMENT

The labeled illustrations show the young child learning to use scissors. Pictures are placed above the age they represent on the age timeline. Scissors are a school tool, and cutting on lines is an important school skill. Cutting is a complex fine motor task that requires precise eye-hand coordination.

Hold-snip. The toddler has to learn the complex skill of holding the scissors so that they will open and close. Then he has to find out how to manipulate the scissors with one hand, and hold the paper with the other hand. He makes short snips in the paper

Cut. By age three, the child will actually cut the paper, but with little control of the scissors.

Cut straight line. The four year-old learns to control the scissors, and is able to cut along a straight line.

Cut shapes. Later the child can cut rounded and other shapes. She has almost mastered this complex skill.

Fine-motor Skills. Eye-hand coordination develops with age and practice. You may want to begin by giving your child snap clothespins to practice opening.

Use left and right hand independently of each other. Bilateral skill. By the time he is three, your child is able to use his left and right hand for different actions. A right-handed child grasps the scissors with his right hand, while his left hand holds the paper. Hold the paper for your child until he has acquired this skill.

One hand becomes dominant. This will be the hand with which he can use scissors.

Develop the ability to control the scissors. This task involves a complex set of eye-muscle control skills and results from much practice.

Concepts: Cutting experiences become concepts when the child thinks and talk about them with you.

Scissors are used for cutting paper. You will, of course, give him blunt scissors to use and supervise while he’s using them. You don’t want your child to experiment with cutting hair and tablecloths. Talk about what we use scissors for.

Much practice is needed to use scissors effectively. With your encouragement, your child will understand that it takes lots of effort and many tries.

Parents/Caregivers:

Provide blunt scissors and opportunities for practice. Provide stiff paper, light cardboard and foam for your child’s first cutting attempts. Reuse scrap paper, card ads, shirt cardboard, etc. Supervise your child while he snips, and put the scissors away when cutting time is over. Be aware of safety as even blunt scissors could be dangerous if pushed against the face. Keep your pointed scissors out of his reach.

Model how to cut. Talk about the activity. Use your home language. Show your child how you hold the scissors and cut. Also show her what is and is not appropriate to cut. You want to avoid photos or certificates with snips in them. Talk about what you’re doing and how you do it in your home language.

Praise your child’s attempts. Tell your child what a good job he’s doing in learning to use scissors and to cut only appropriate paper.

Alignment of EARLY CUTTING DEVELOPMENT with Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds, 2007 and Milestones of Child Development. A Guide to Young Children’s Development from Birth to Kindergarten, Virginia’s Early Childhood Development Alignment Project

EARLY CLASSIFICATION DEVELOPMENT

The labeled illustrations show the young child engaged in sorting activities. Pictures are placed above the age they represent on the age timeline. A young child learns through play and everyday experiences. You are your child’s first teacher.

Pair: Your toddler recognizes which shoes go together. She sees that these two things are alike.

Match. The two to three-year old matches objects to pictures. He understands that a picture represents an object.

Sort. The three to four-year old preschooler sorts items into two groups.

Classify and name. The older preschooler not only classifies objects by one or two attributes, but also tells how they are alike. He is able to classify basic shapes and colors.

Contrast. A five-six year-old child contrasts objects and observes fine distinctions. She sees differences in size, color and patterns. She will soon recognize differences in position as well, such as the difference between lower case b and d, 6 and 9.

Cognitive Skills. Thinking skills develop with age and practice.

Recognize likenesses and differences in objects. Talk about how two shoes, cups or bananas are alike and different so that your child will observe the differences.

Concepts: Sorting experiences become concepts when the child thinks and talk about them with you. The concept of likeness (alike) and difference is essential and progresses over time. It is a basis for understanding patterns and numerals, letters and words, differentiating plants and animals, buildings and workers. It is fundamental in all school subjects: math, language arts, science and social studies.

A pair is two things that are exactly alike. People wear pairs of shoes, socks and mittens. Use clothing and household objects to ensure that your child understands this basic concept. Talk about it.

Differences may be due to color, size, shape, texture, feel (consistency) or pattern. The easiest difference to observe is color. Ask your child questions. Are the blue and red sock the same or different? Is the big ball the same as the little ball? Does your blanket feel the same as a chair?

Parents/Caregivers:

Provide opportunities for your child to sort objects. Let your son or daughter help you with household chores such as sorting laundry, stacking plastic dishes. Use bins or baskets for different kinds of toys. At clean-up time, all the blocks go in one bin, all the stuffed animals in another. This is also the beginning of organizational skills.

Use your home language. Talk about the experience. Discuss why and how things match or are different. Ask your child questions, and answer his.

Praise your child for his efforts. Praise encourages and builds your child’s self-confidence in his ability to do things.

Alignment of EARLY CLASSIFICATTION DEVELOPMENT with Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds, 2007 and Milestones of Child Development. A Guide to Young Children’s Development from Birth to Kindergarten, Virginia’s Early Childhood Development Alignment Project

EARLY PHYSICAL SCIENCE CONCEPTS I

The labeled illustrations show the young child engaged in everyday activities which become the basis for science concepts about matter.

Drink from cup. Your child knows that he drinks juice, milk or water from a cup or glass.

Melt. She won’t forget the time the ice cream melted before she could eat it.

Hot. The young child hears the warning, “It’s hot! Don’t touch!” When she touches a hot pot, she will truly understand her mother’s words.

Feel. Sticky, gooey, fuzzy, rough, hard, soft. How does it feel when you touch it?

Blow up. Watch a bigger boy blow up a balloon. What must he do when the balloon is full? What will happen if he doesn’t tie up the end of the balloon?

Concepts: These simple, everyday experiences become concepts when the child thinks and talk about them with you.

Liquids flow. Liquids are kept in containers. Liquids can be heated or cooled. We drink liquids. Talk about what you are doing as your child watches you pour juice into his glass. Talk about what happens when you turn on the faucet in the bathtub.

Frozen liquids melt when they get warm. The child’s experiences with her pospsicle melting or ice cubes melting into her drink are the basis for this important concept about the states of matter. When you talk with her about what happens, she will easily develop this concept.

When a liquid is heated to boiling, steam rises. Point out the steam that comes from the boiling tea kettle. Explain that she can’t touch it because it is hot and will burn her.

Solids have different consistency, feel, texture, shape and temperature. We eat solid food. Talk about the food you are eating. A banana is different from a potato, bread is different from a cookie. Touch furniture and appliances. Are they hard or soft?

A pliable object filled with air deflates when the air comes out. We cannot see, touch, smell, taste or hear air. Since a child cannot observe air with his senses, it is totally abstract. He can observe is the result of air – the balloon filling up and deflating.

Words describe objects. Play simple guessing games about nearby objects. It’s big and round and you play with it. What is it? It’s hot and we can’t touch it. What is it? Physical science concepts include many words which are opposites (antonyms), an important school skill.

Parents/Caretakers:

Use everyday experiences as opportunities for learning. Use your home language. Talk about the experience. Ask questions. You don’t need any special equipment or programs – all you need to do is talk about what you do together every day. Ask her questions and listen to her answers. What do you think will happen? Remember your role as your child’s first teacher.

Praise your child for learning. Tell him how proud you are of him.

Alignment of EARLY PHYSICAL SCIENCE CONCEPTS I with Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds, 2007 and Milestones of Child Development. A Guide to Young Children’s Development from Birth to Kindergarten, Virginia’s Early Childhood Development Alignment Project

EARLY PHYSICAL SCIENCE CONCEPTS II

The labeled illustrations show the young child engaged in play and everyday activities which become the basis for science concepts.

Push – pull. You can push toys and you can pull them to make them move.

Roll. Balls, toy trucks, toilet paper tubes roll on the floor.

Know round - square. big – little. Little blocks stack on top of big blocks, square blocks stack onto square blocks.

Build. He can build structures, if he stacks the blocks neatly and balances them on top of each other.

Fall down. When she pours sand out of a bucket, she sees that it always goes down, not up.

Concepts: Everyday experiences become concepts when the child thinks and talks about them with you.

Objects move when they are pushed, pulled or lifted. Talk to your child about the action – what he’s doing..

Round objects roll. Play with toy trucks and trains, wheels, round cans and wooden cylinders help young children acquire this concept.

Objects have different shapes, sizes and weights. The young child discovers that objects are different. The names of shapes, words for size and weight give him the tools for understanding this. The ball is round. This block is big and this one is little. That block is heavy. This one is light.

Objects with flat surfaces can be stacked. Stacked objects must be balanced by size and weight. The young child learns this by exploration with boxes, blocks , kitchen utensils and other objects. Through trial and error children learn how to balance blocks in order to build something.

When an object falls, it goes down (gravity). Young children learn about gravity through their experiences with dropping things. Of course, they need to talk about what happens. “It fell down. It fell off the table.”

Words describe the position of objects. Children must understand and be able to use words that tell the location of objects, e.g. up, down, over, above, on, under, below, underneath, by, close by, near, next to, far, far away, bottom, top, in, out, on, off. They begin to understand that up and down are opposites. Positional vocabulary and opposites are crucial for school.

Parents/caregivers:

Provide toys and objects for children to explore. Young children need multiple-use blocks, legos, Lincoln logs, and wheels with which to explore building and movement. Clean recycled containers, boxes and cardboard rolls are good for building and are free.

Use your home language. Talk about the experience. Ask questions. Name objects and describe actions. Ask ‘what if’ questions. What will happen if you put another block on the top?

Praise your child for learning. Encourage your child by complimenting him on what he is able to do and talk about.

Alignment of EARLY PHYSICAL SCIENCE CONCEPTS II with Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds, 2007 and Milestones of Child Development. A Guide to Young Children’s Development from Birth to Kindergarten, Virginia’s Early Childhood Development Alignment Project

THE DEVELOPMENT OF NATURE CONCEPTS

Nothing is more important than encouraging a child to learn about the natural world around us. Stop, look and listen! Naturalist and author Rachel Carson said, “If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.”

The labeled illustrations show the young child engaged in observing nature using each of the five senses. It is vital for the child to explore nature using all his senses, and to talk about his experiences.

Touch. Young children naturally explore by touching things, feeling the texture and consistency. Is it hard or soft, smooth or rough, dry or sticky? Provide the words that go with each experience.

Look. Use your eyes to look up at the sky and down at the ground. Get down and watch for things that are moving like bugs and worms.

Listen. Stop and listen to birds as they chirp at each other. Listen to the sound of the wind and the rain hitting the window. Listen to the small sounds that squirrels make as they scurry around. Pay attention to the sound your feet make when walking in sand, mud, snow or dry leaves. Listen to the non-mechanical sounds of nature. Talk about all the different sounds you hear.

Smell. Smell roses and dandelions. Which ones smell good? Take a good deep breath of the earth after a rain. Smell the salty smell of the beach. Crush mint leaves in your hand to smell the fragrance. Smell rocks and sticks to see if there is an odor. Name and discuss the different odors you experience. Show your child that fragrances in cosmetics, hygiene or household products are copies of pleasant natural odors (e.g. mint flavored toothpaste).

Taste. The infant learns about the world by putting things in her mouth. Unfortunately you must limit what your young child can taste safely outdoors. Grass, dirt, bugs, leaves and petals are attractive, but you will have to encourage your child to learn about them by touching and looking, rather than tasting. Let her pick and taste safe things such as apples or lettuce.

Concepts: The young child acquires these concepts as he uses his senses to observe, and as adults talk with him about his experiences.

Plants and animals are alive. Living things grow and change. Watch a plant or a baby animal. Talk about how it grows and gets bigger. Show your child earlier baby pictures of himself, so he can see how he’s grown.

Living things have basic needs and are interdependent. Watch a squirrel eating a nut, a bird looking for a worm. Talk about that animals need food just like we do. How do they obtain their food? Watch the drooping leaves on a plant perk up after the rain. Discuss how plants need water, just like we do.

Living things have different parts. Name the parts of a bird – head, body, feet, wings, tail. Touch and talk about a tree trunk, pick up small twigs and leaves. Help your child learn all the parts of the body, skin coverings and textures. As your child grows he can learn the basic parts of plants – seeds, nuts, flowers, leaves, stem.

Fruit and vegetables grow on plants. Talk about the fruit you see growing on trees, bushes or vines. Perhaps the blackberries are not ready to pick, because they are not ripe yet. Look at tomatoes or other vegetables growing in garden, corn in fields.

Birds lay eggs in a nest. Point out bird nests you see in a tree. In the spring look for bits of broken bird eggs on the ground.

Parents/Caregivers:

Stop. Look Listen.. Adults need to model and encourage the child to explore the natural world using all his senses.

Explore the outdoors together. Use your home language. Talk about the experience. Parents and children can enjoy being outdoors together. Look at the sky. Watch the clouds, at night look for stars. Watch squirrels scampering up a tree and birds looking for food in the grass. Listen to the wind and the rain. Watch trees as leaves grow and fall. Smell a flower or a dandelion. Enjoy the smell of wet earth after the rain. Enjoy the feel of sand as it trickles between your fingers. Indoors watch out the window as it pours and the trees blow in the wind. Talk about all you experience together in your home language.

Praise your child for using his senses. This will encourage him to keep observing and learning about nature.

Alignment of THE DEVELOPMENT OF NATURE CONCEPTS with Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds, 2007 and Milestones of Child Development. A Guide to Young Children’s Development from Birth to Kindergarten, Virginia’s Early Childhood Development Alignment Project

EARLY TIME CONCEPTS

The labeled illustrations show the young child engaged in time-related everyday activities:

Meal time. The young child recognizes when it is time to sit down in the high chair or at the table and eat a meal with other members of the family.

Bed time. This is the regular time to stop all other activities, bathe, brush teeth, put on night clothes and get into crib or bed. Bed-time rituals of quiet singing or reading help children understand bed time. It is important for the child to understand that he sleeps in his bed until morning. He must also accept the fact that adults and older children have a different bed time.

Play time. This is the time to play with toys or other children indoors or outdoors. Regular signals when play time is over help children adapt to transitions.

Time to clean up. Regular singing or other signals help your child understand that it is time to clean up, to put away toys, books or dishes. This is an important routine to establish.

Time to go. Common signals like saying ‘bye-bye’ and waving help young children understand that it is time for themselves or someone else to leave

Concepts: Daily experiences become concepts when the young child thinks and talks about them with an adult. These concepts provide a basis for school.

There is a regular pattern of day and night. The young child gradually acquires this concept, as adults talk about day and night. He begins to understand that one day includes both daytime and night, and that night follows day.

Daytime and nighttime activities are different. Children soon learn that they don’t get to play at night, but that the family sleeps at night, and eats, works and plays in the day.

Daily activities have a regular sequence. Young children understand this through the regularity of family routines. They learn to take for granted that breakfast follows getting out of bed, that naptime is after lunch, etc.

People use clocks and calendar to tell time and dates. As young children observe adults looking at watches and clocks and then stating a time, they begin to understand that these tools are related to time.

Words tell when activities occur. Children imitate their parents in using time words, and gain understanding of the differences between now and later, today and tomorrow and yesterday. They also begin to understand imprecise time expressions such as ‘just a minute’ or ‘after a while’.

Parents/Caregivers:

Daily routines help children anticipate what will happen. Routines provide children with the security of knowing what will happen next and how to behave in each daily activity. When you cannot keep to your usual routines because of illness, travel, or visitors, you will see a change in your child’s behavior.

Family celebrations and activities help children anticipate events through the year. Holidays, birthdays, family celebrations in which the child is involved help her begin to understand the cycle of the months and year.

Regular transitions between activities help children prepare for change. Always warn children ahead of time that a change in activities is coming. Then use regular singing or other cues to signal that it’s time to change activities.

Alignment of EARLY TIME CONCEPTS with Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds, 2007 and Milestones of Child Development. A Guide to Young Children’s Development from Birth to Kindergarten, Virginia’s Early Childhood Development Alignment Project

EARLY SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

The labeled illustrations show the young child interacting with other children. Pictures are placed above the age they represent on the age timeline. Social skills are an important part of school readiness.

Ownership: The toddler has a strong feeling of possessiveness and holds on to her toys as ‘mine’.

Play side-by-side. The two-year old plays near another child (parallel play), but only shares when an adult requests it. Distraction can avert a power-struggle over ownership.

Share. A three-four year-old preschooler may be ready to share toys and possessions while playing with another child (associative play).

Take turns. The preschooler learns that ‘you have to wait your turn’ in many situations from the playground to the supermarket to the doctor’s office.

Play by rules. The child who is five understands that games have rules, and that you must obey the rules. If you do not follow the rules, there are consequences. This provides a basis for comprehending the rules and laws by which our society operates.

Concepts: Social experiences become concepts when the young child thinks and talks about them with an adult. These concepts provide a basis for school.

Some toys and things belong to the child (mine), but some things belong to other people. sharing allows others to use your things, time and parent attention. The young child is ego-centric, believing that the world revolves around herself (me). Gradually she forms the idea of parents and family, and that she is part of this unit (us).

Fairness: Time, attention and objects should be divided evenly. Taking turns is one way to be fair. Children believe that treats, toys, food, praise, their parent’s time should be divided equally. “It’s not fair!” is learned early as a child senses injustice or inequality. As you wait in line, talk about waiting for your ‘turn’. It will be your turn next.

Games have rules. Rules provide for fair play. As he watches a ball game, a five year-old can understand that there are rules the players must follow.

Parents/Caregivers:

Look for opportunities for social interaction. Social skills can be practiced constantly in all situations at home and in the community and with others. Just don’t expect your two year-old to be able to share. Be ready to distract her with another toy or activity or simple move her to avoid a power struggle.

Use your home language. Talk about the experience. Use the home language in talking about playing with other children, sharing, taking turns, rules. Listen to your child’s point of view.

Model appropriate behavior. Parents, teachers, caregivers must act as role models of appropriate behavior. It’s important to show young children by example, since “actions speak louder than words”.

Alignment of EARLY SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT with Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds, 2007 and Milestones of Child Development. A Guide to Young Children’s Development from Birth to Kindergarten, Virginia’s Early Childhood Development Alignment Project

EARLY HEALTH CONCEPTS

The labeled illustrations show the young child learning from everyday experiences.

Eat. The toddler can feed herself.

Wash. A four-five year-old learns to wash his hands alone.

Use toilet. A three year-old is using the bathroom.

Dress- undress. A child of five can take off and put on his own jacket.

Self-help Skills. Independence skills develop with age and practice.

Feed self. Your baby learns to feed himself starting with picking up Cheerios, holding a sippy-cup, and progresses to using a spoon.

Wash hands and brush teeth. You’ll need to help with washing, bathing and tooth brushing, but with daily practice your child will learn to accomplish these tasks on his own.

Use toilet. The long process of potty training results in a child who is able to control his bodily functions, a big step toward independence. He feels like a ‘big boy’ when he’s able to go to the bathroom at the right time.

Undress and dress self. Your infant will start by pulling off her socks, as undressing is easier than dressing.

Concepts: Daily hygiene and eating routines become concepts when the young child thinks and talks about them with an adult.

Eating nutritious food makes me grow bigger and stronger.

Washing and brushing teeth regularly keeps me clean and healthy.

Using the toilet regularly keeps me healthy

Clothing that is appropriate for the weather and activity keeps me comfortable.

Parents/Caregivers:

Provide nutritious food and appropriate clothing. The meals you give your children are the basis for normal growth and development. Use the food pyramid (MyPyramid.gov) as a guide. Give your child suitable clothing (new or hand-me-down) for the weather or activity. A frilly party dress hampers playground activities.

Maintain regular hygiene habits. Your daily routines of bathing, brushing teeth, using the toilet, washing hands before eating will become life-long habits for your child.

Explain the reasons for your routines and decisions. Use your home language. Tell your child why you give him fruit and vegetables, wash hands before eating, and put on a jacket when it’s cold.

Praise your child for her efforts. Your praise makes her feel good about becoming more independent.

Alignment of EARLY HEALTH CONCEPTS with Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds, 2007 and Milestones of Child Development. A Guide to Young Children’s Development from Birth to Kindergarten, Virginia’s Early Childhood Development Alignment Project

EARLY ATTENTION SPAN DEVELOPMENT

The labeled illustrations show the young child learning to persist in everyday activities. The ability to pay attention for increasingly longer periods of time is an important readiness skill.

Finish meal. The young child eats everything on her plate or in her bowl.

Make picture. He makes a handprint picture until he is satisfied with the result.

Complete puzzle. The young child puts the whole puzzle together.

Listen to story. She listens attentively to a story being read.

Clean up. The girl puts her clothes and things where they belong.

Cognitive Skills: Persistence increases with age and experience.

Able to focus on one activity at a time (attention span) Able to attend to a task/activity for increasing amounts of time (time on task). The young child’s ability to pay attention to one activity at a time gradually increases. Whether he is eating, playing with a toy, looking at a book, singing or listening he can stick with an task for progressively longer periods of time. He also repeats a new activity many times until he has mastered it. For example the child may be challenged by a new puzzle. As soon as he successfully completes it, he dumps it out, and does it again and again. This perseveration allows a child to master new skills.

Concepts: Experiences with completing tasks become concepts when the young child thinks and talks about them with an adult.

It is satisfying to complete a task. Your child feels good about doing something from beginning to end. Your encouragement and praise help him to develop this feeling of intrinsic satisfaction and pleasure.

Paying attention to a speaker, singer, or reader results in an enjoyable experience. Your young child feels good about paying attention and being able to participate.

Parents/Caregivers:

Encourage your child to stick with one activity at a time, such as simple home routines and chores. Ask your child to help you by finding all his socks or shirts in the clean laundry. He can put away all his toys in the right bins before he goes to bed. “Good job!” and a hug reward him for finishing the chore.

Try to minimize distractions. Whether your child is engaged in looking at a book, coloring or doing a puzzle, don’t talk about something else or turn on the TV. Help him to focus on one thing at a time by not introducing other choices.

Use your home language. Praise your child for paying attention. Support his feeling of satisfaction. Your encouragement and praise help him to develop this feeling of intrinsic satisfaction and pleasure.

Alignment of EARLY ATTENTION SPAN DEVELOPMENT with Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds, 2007 and Milestones of Child Development. A Guide to Young Children’s Development from Birth to Kindergarten, Virginia’s Early Childhood Development Alignment Project