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Across all five domains

24–36 months

Child approaches the world with curiosity and develops knowledge about specific topics.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Asks simple questions involving what, where, and why; may not attend to the answer
  • Asks questions about where people are when they can’t be seen
  • Will approach things, or devise ways to reach items of curiosity, such as pulling over a chair to reach a table

Child pursues their own goals.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Finds ways to accomplish their own goals, such as climbing onto a table to reach something up high
  • Explores on their own and then returns to educator (i.e., runs to see something that looks interesting to them and then circles back to educator)
  • Tells an educator what they want to do

Child focuses on tasks and perseveres in accomplishing them.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Sits on a caregiver’s lap while they read a board book from start to finish
  • Maintains their focus on a desired outcome
    • Stacks large cardboard blocks until they balance
    • Completes 3–5 piece puzzle
    • Pushes and pulls a wagon up a hill

Child uses their imagination to create and invent.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Uses everyday objects in imaginary play (e.g., picks up sticks and pretends they are swords)
  • Experiments with using various materials to solve problems (e.g., places a block on a stack of papers that is blowing away)
  • Dresses up as characters, (e.g., wraps scarf around neck and pretends to be a superhero)

Child uses and coordinates their large muscle groups.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Changes speed or direction while moving though may have difficulty stopping with control
  • Walks up stairs, placing one foot on each step
  • Bends over to pick up a toy and stands back up
  • Jumps forward with both feet at the same time
  • Walks on tip-toes when asked
  • Climbs a playground ladder
  • Catches a medium-sized ball
  • Pedals a tricycle

Child controls the small muscles in their hands and wrists.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Use child-safe scissors in one hand to make snips in a piece of paper
  • Strings large wooden beads onto a shoelace
  • Balances 5–6 blocks on top of one another
  • Open a door by turning the round handle
  • Picks up a cup with one hand to drink from it
  • Turns the pages of a paper book one at a time

The child uses sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, proprioception (deep pressure), and vestibular function (balance) to perceive and respond to the world around them.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Notices textures on their clothes (e.g., a lumpy sock or pants made of different fabric than their shirt)
  • Tries different positions for walking quickly or running (e.g., leaning forward, rotating arms like propellers, or running sideways)
  • Jumps off a step
  • Rolls across the floor
  • Touches everything in their environment

Child cares for their physical well-being.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Tries a wider range of textures and flavors of food
  • For breastfeeding toddlers, begins to have interactions with their mother about when and how they like to nurse
  • Anticipates and participates in family and/or childcare sleeping routines
  • Shows interest in toilet training and may start to use toilet regularly with assistance
  • Washes and dries hands after toileting and before meals, with assistance
  • Cooperates and assists educator in tooth-brushing

Child develops a healthy relationship to their body, pleasure, and others. This healthy sense of self is supported and demonstrated through respectful, caring, and loving relationships with families, educators, and other children.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Learns the language for different body parts and their functions (e.g., penis, vagina, or breasts)
  • Communicates their gender identity (e.g.,“I’m a girl!”) and categorizes others by gender
  • Expresses curiosity about their own body and the bodies of others (e.g., trying to see other people’s bodies or asking questions like: “Why doesn’t Kayla have a wee wee?”)

Child develops trusting relationships with nurturing adults.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Imitates adult activities (e.g., pretends to cook or “reads” next to adult who is reading)
  • Communicates with adults about recent activities (e.g., “Mama and I went to the store.”)
  • May show discomfort with separation or new situations when familiar caregiver is not present (e.g., by protesting loudly, crying, or withdrawing)
  • Seeks adult assistance with challenges but may become angry when help is given (e.g., “Help please, I do it myself.”)

Child experiences a sense of belonging in environments that link, extend, and affirm the child’s family and community. Child expresses comfort and joy with human diversity.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Identifies self as a member of a family; talks about family members who are not present
  • Is curious about physical characteristics of self and others (e.g., skin color, hair texture, or gender anatomy)
  • May begin to use social labels such as race to describe people and “match” them based on physical characteristics
  • Asks simple questions about other children (e.g., “Where’s Tommy?” “What’s he doing?”)
  • May begin to show fear, discomfort, or dislike toward people who look or speak in unfamiliar ways

Child develops a sense of self through noticing and developing their own interests, preferences, and abilities. Child increasingly develops self-awareness, confidence, family pride, and positive social identities.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Understands that they are a separate person
  • Refer to themselves as “me” (e.g., “Me big.”)
  • Tests limits and strives for independence
  • Communicates with phrases such as “I doing this,” “I don’t do this, “I can do this,” or “I did this”
  • Identifies objects as belonging to them, such as a lunchbox or a stuffed animal (e.g., “That’s mine!”)
  • Makes choices (e.g., what toys to play with or what clothes to wear)
  • Communicates their gender identity (e.g.,“I’m a girl!”) and categorizes others by gender

Child forms deep, caring, human connections by imagining what someone else may be thinking or feeling and responding with care. Child recognizes unfairness and understands that unfairness hurts.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Understands that people have beliefs that are not true
  • Understands that just as they have thoughts, feelings, and goals, other people have thoughts, feelings, and goals too
  • Begins to understand that not everyone likes the same things
  • Assigns feelings to dolls or toys and cares for them

Child navigates friendships with peers through cooperation and negotiation.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Responds physically when another child takes a toy (e.g., pushing, hitting, or biting)
  • Recognizes there is conflict and seeks out educator’s assistance
  • Understands concept of “mine” and is starting to develop the concept of “his/hers/theirs”
  • Seeks out, initiates, and responds to other children for social interactions for short periods of time
  • Plays side by side with another child, making comments to them
  • Participates in loosely structured group games (e.g., chase, dramatic play, or ring-a-rounda-rosie)
  • Sometimes accepts and imitates other children’s ideas for play with adult prompts as needed (e.g., takes a shovel that is offered and briefly digs in sandbox beside another child)

Child expresses and manages their feelings and impulses.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Continues to do an action, such as climbing over the top of a table, after an educator has asked them to stop
  • Protests loudly, and may have tantrums, in response to limits
  • Names some emotions (e.g., happy, sad, excited, mad, tired, or scared)
  • Begins to use pretend play to express/act out emotions

Child follows the rhythms, rules, and routines of the learning environment.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Follows some consistently set rules and routines (e.g., chooses a book after lunch for quiet time)
  • Challenges boundaries and rules while striving for independence
  • Experiences difficulty transitioning from one activity to the next
  • Can verbally start to tell what comes next in the routines, and helps guide others in different transitions and activities

Child will develop the ability to speak and/ or sign in increasingly complete, complex, precise, and varied ways.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Puts two or more words together to express more complex thoughts (e.g., “All gone bubbles,” “Mommy eat,” “I want,” or “I no want.”)
  • Uses past tense in simple sentences that may contain errors, such as “I goed to school.”
  • Uses the possessive, though not always correctly, (e.g., “Her Julia.”)
  • Starts to label different items with an adjective such as a big chair or blue ball
  • Emergent multilingual learners will play with using more than one language in a single sentence or conversation (e.g., “More leche please.”)

Child will develop their ability to listen and understand complete, complex, precise, and varied language.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Answers/asks simple questions (Note: child’s answer may not be a response to what was asked, but may instead involve what they want to talk about in the moment)
  • Demonstrates understanding of simple directions in familiar context by responding appropriately (e.g., “Give daddy the cup, please.”)
  • Responds to directions that include verbs (e.g., run, jump, reach, open)
  • Understands statements with descriptive words for time (e.g., “After we clean up, we’ll go to the bathroom.”)
  • Understands words and phrases associated with family life in their home language

Child uses language to relate to others according to the social expectations of their family, community, and culture.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Sustains conversation about a single topic for one or two turns
  • Makes a request or response (e.g., “I can,” “Yo quiero”, or “I want.”)
  • Repeats part of what the educator said to continue the conversation
  • Uses translanguaging, such as “That’s my abuelita.”
  • Uses single and paired words to command, indicate possession, express problems, and gain attention
  • Answers questions such as “What’s that?” and “Where is it?”
  • Begins using language to engage others in pretend play

Child enjoys, attends to, understands, and makes meanings from spoken and written language of storytelling and books.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Contributes language from the text at the expected time (e.g., calls out “Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!” during a group reading of that book)
  • Asks for or picks out favorite story to read at bedtime or during play
  • Starts to point to words in the book and pretends to “read” them aloud
  • Spends time looking at books by themselves

Child develops the ability to recognize and manipulate the different sounds in spoken language(s).

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Imitates substitution of the first sound in a word to rhyme (e.g., substitutes the initial sound of the name of friends to play a rhyming game or sing “Willaby Wallaby Woo.”)
  • Plays with sounds of words in context, and makes silly substitutions

Child uses materials and/ or language to make meaning for themselves and/or an audience.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Uses objects such as stuffed animals or action figures to act out simple stories (e.g., going to bed and waking up)
  • Organizes visual materials (e.g., play dough, paint, collage); may not intend to represent something or may change what they are representing throughout the process
  • Pretends to be a character (e.g., puts on cape and flies like Superman)

Child uses symbolic thought to represent.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Uses objects flexibly for symbolic play (e.g., a stick becomes a spoon then a wand; a box is a boat then a house)
  • Animates and interacts with objects (puppets, toys, sticks, or dolls) as characters who speak aloud and have feelings
  • Talks to self during dramatic play even when no playmates are around
  • 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
  • -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.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Recreates experiences in dramatic play (e.g., after going to the grocery store, pretends to put food in a cart and check out)
  • Tells about a significant event they remember from the past, such as a time they jumped in a big puddle
  • 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.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • Makes guesses about what might happen next based on previous experiences (e.g., pushes doorbell and waits for someone to come to the door)
  • Asks simple questions about the natural world (e.g., asks “Where did the rainbow go?” or “Why is it wet outside?”)

Child plans and uses hands, tools, and technology to solve problems with materials.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers

What educators might observe
  • 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)
  • Puts a circular piece into a puzzle without having to try the other areas
  • Verbally and physically asks for help from an adult or peer by saying “Help,” grabbing their hand, and leading them over to the problem
G

Math

1. Comparing and Categorizing

Child recognizes some similarities and differences between familiar and unfamiliar people, objects, or experiences.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers
What educators might observe
  • Collects a single type of object (e.g., picks up pinecones on a walk in the park)
  • Calls a big animal “Papi” (“Daddy”) and a small animal “Bebe” (“Baby”)
  • 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?”)
  • Identifies small, medium, and big objects when arranged in a series
  • Uses one-to-one correspondence with objects(e.g., puts one straw in each cup.) objects (e.g., puts one straw in each cup)

2. Number Sense and Quantity

Child understands and explores numbers and quantity.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers
What educators might observe
  • Starts counting with “one”
  • Says all the number words they know when counting objects, even when the quantity of objects is small
  • Reuses the number words they know if the quantity of objects is greater than the number words they know
  • Uses “a little” and “a lot” to describe quantity
  • When told, “Give me one,” hands educator just one object
  • When educator says, “Just take two,” takes only two slices of apple from the bowl
  • Demonstrates one-to-one correspondence with objects (e.g., puts one block in each muffin tin)

3. Patterning

Child develops the ability to identify, describe, extend, and create patterns.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers
What educators might observe
  • Calls a striped shirt with no repeating unit a “pattern”
  • Copies simple repeating patterns (e.g., if the educator squats then stands repeatedly, the child continues this motion)

4. Spatial Sense and Geometry

Child understands how objects, points, lines, and shapes fit in space.

24–36 months – See this age across all domains Toddlers
What educators might observe
  • Matches shapes with similar sizes and orientations
  • Completes three or four piece puzzles
  • Stacks rings on a post with the biggest on the bottom and the smallest on the top
  • Understands words related to position (e.g., “Please put the basket on the table” or “Please get under the covers.”)
  • Understands the words “longer,” “shorter,” “big,” and “little”
  • Places blocks on one another to make a stack, lining up the edges

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