I

Approaches to Learning

A

Curiosity and Interest

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

5-year-olds – See this age across all domains Preschool

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Support children’s ability to learn from one another:
  • Allow time for sharing work
  • Welcome questions and comments from other classmates about one another’s work
• Provide resources related to children’s interests (e.g., if you hear children talking about dinosaurs, add dinosaur books, figures of dinosaurs to the learning centers)

B

Initiative

Child pursues their own goals.

5-year-olds – See this age across all domains Preschool

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Notice children’s attempts to initiate play ideas with peers, and advocate for those children whose ideas are not acknowledged
• Use children’s suggestions to set up a helper or job chart, with children volunteering for helper roles on a weekly basis

C

Persistence and Attentiveness

Child focuses on tasks and perseveres in accomplishing them.

5-year-olds – See this age across all domains Preschool

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Choose a book to read aloud to the class over several days; each day ask children to recall details from the previous readings and predict what will happen next
• Offer children a variety of materials for open-ended work, encouraging them to stay with work they do not finish in one working period
• Take time to reflect on the process together, asking:
  • “How did you do that?”
  • “Where did your idea come from?”

D

Creativity and Inventiveness

Child uses their imagination to create and invent.

5-year-olds – See this age across all domains Preschool

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Include books in the learning environment about inventive and creative characters
  • Frederick by Leo Lioni
  • Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
  • Iggy Peck Architect by Andrea Beatty
  • Rosie Revere Engineer by Andrea Beatty
  • The Dot by Peter Reynolds
  • B eautiful Oops by Barnie Saltzberg
• Teach vocabulary related to art-making (“One color of paper could overlap, or go on top of another color, in your collage”)
• Provide opportunities for learning in which there is no right or wrong way to accomplish the goal, and encourage children to try different strategies or solutions