Child recognizes and develops the ability to explain how material objects change and how they remain stable.
What educators might observe
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Is curious about physical objects that appear to be stable but whose properties change, such as ice and sand
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Reacts to puppets and adults in costume as if they were real
Child uses symbolic thought to represent.
What educators might observe
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Uses objects flexibly for symbolic play (e.g., a stick becomes a spoon then a wand; a box is a boat then a house)
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Animates and interacts with objects (puppets, toys, sticks, or dolls) as characters who speak aloud and have feelings
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Talks to self during dramatic play even when no playmates are around
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Completes a series of actions related to a theme in dramatic play, such as listening to a doll’s heart, then giving the doll a shot and a bandage
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-Makes marks on paper and says they represent something (”I drew Mommy.”)
Child develops the ability to store, retrieve, and share information about past experiences.
What educators might observe
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Recreates experiences in dramatic play (e.g., after going to the grocery store, pretends to put food in a cart and check out)
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Tells about a significant event they remember from the past, such as a time they jumped in a big puddle
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Shares information about recent experiences with trusted adults (e.g., telling a family member about the bee at the school playground)
Child becomes a scientific thinker by manipulating objects, asking questions, making observations and predictions, and developing generalizations.
What educators might observe
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Makes guesses about what might happen next based on previous experiences (e.g., pushes doorbell and waits for someone to come to the door)
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Asks simple questions about the natural world (e.g., asks “Where did the rainbow go?” or “Why is it wet outside?”)
Child understands and explores the causes and effects of actions and events.
What educators might observe
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Says, “She needs her blanket,” when a peer becomes upset
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Says “shhh” and tiptoes when a child is still sleeping
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When a child has a Band-Aid, other child points at it and asks what happened
Child plans and uses hands, tools, and technology to solve problems with materials.
What educators might observe
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Intentionally selects objects to use as tools in play (e.g., chooses a thick stick over a thin one to use as a “spoon” to stir mud in make-believe soup)
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Puts a circular piece into a puzzle without having to try the other areas
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Verbally and physically asks for help from an adult or peer by saying “Help,” grabbing their hand, and leading them over to the problem
Child recognizes some similarities and differences between familiar and unfamiliar people, objects, or experiences.
What educators might observe
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Collects a single type of object (e.g., picks up pinecones on a walk in the park)
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Calls a big animal “Papi” (“Daddy”) and a small animal “Bebe” (“Baby”)
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Begins to sort similar items into categories such as color or shape (e.g., retrieves blue ball when asked, “Could you please get the blue one?”)
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Identifies small, medium, and big objects when arranged in a series
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Uses one-to-one correspondence with objects(e.g., puts one straw in each cup.) objects (e.g., puts one straw in each cup)
Child understands and explores numbers and quantity.
What educators might observe
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Starts counting with “one”
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Says all the number words they know when counting objects, even when the quantity of objects is small
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Reuses the number words they know if the quantity of objects is greater than the number words they know
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Uses “a little” and “a lot” to describe quantity
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When told, “Give me one,” hands educator just one object
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When educator says, “Just take two,” takes only two slices of apple from the bowl
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Demonstrates one-to-one correspondence with objects (e.g., puts one block in each muffin tin)
Child develops the ability to identify, describe, extend, and create patterns.
What educators might observe
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Calls a striped shirt with no repeating unit a “pattern”
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Copies simple repeating patterns (e.g., if the educator squats then stands repeatedly, the child continues this motion)
Child understands how objects, points, lines, and shapes fit in space.
What educators might observe
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Matches shapes with similar sizes and orientations
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Completes three or four piece puzzles
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Stacks rings on a post with the biggest on the bottom and the smallest on the top
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Understands words related to position (e.g., “Please put the basket on the table” or “Please get under the covers.”)
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Understands the words “longer,” “shorter,” “big,” and “little”
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Places blocks on one another to make a stack, lining up the edges
