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Early Learning Guidelines

Across all five domains

8–16 months

Stage Infants Toddlers Preschool Early elementary
Age 0–9 months 8–16 months 15–24 months 24–36 months 3-year-olds 4-year-olds 5-year-olds 6-year-olds 7-year-olds 8-year-olds
Domain All domains I. Approaches to Learning II. Physical Well-Being, Health and Motor Development III. Social and Emotional Development IV. Communication, Language, and Literacy V. Cognitive Development
Show Both What educators might observe Ways educators might support the child's development
I

Approaches to Learning

A

Curiosity and Interest

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

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Feels, bangs, gets in, sits on, and throws objects to find out more about them
  • Crawls, cruises, climbs or walks toward objects of interest (e.g., attempts to reach objects that are high up)
  • Repeats experiences to develop their understanding (e.g., learns to crawl up stairs, and subsequently crawls up every set of stairs they find)
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Provide freedom of movement and a safe space within the learning environment. When not engaged in caregiving activities the child may crawl, climb, touch, and tumble, with ample space to accomplish all of these movements.
  • Avoid battery-operated toys, electronic toys, or close-ended materials
  • Provide the child with many opportunities to explore different foods. Describe the different characteristics (e.g., “The cracker is crunchy.” or “The orange is sweet and juicy.”).
  • Provide sensory materials that are safe for babies, such as silicone muffin baking cups, large pot holders, or lightweight metal bowls
B

Initiative

Child pursues their own goals.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Moves toward object or person they are interested in
  • Wants to participate in selfcare routines (e.g., wants to hold their own toothbrush)
  • Crawls or toddles to an educator with a book they have selected
  • Holds objects up or out to educator that they are curious about
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Support the child by using vocabulary that indicates initiative (e.g., “Oh look, yes, you can open the box. What is inside? Scarves. Yes, you are shaking the scarves.”)
  • Follow the child’s lead, taking time to stop and examine objects they are interested in with them
  • Invite and welcome the child’s attempts to assist with routine tasks such as sweeping the floor and washing the tables, as well as picking up toys
C

Persistence and Attentiveness

Child focuses on tasks and perseveres in accomplishing them.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Is deeply focused on mastering a new skill for days at a time (e.g., works to get onto all fours and then rocks when learning to crawl)
  • Focuses on the same thing as the caregiver (e.g., watches the caregiver’s hands and looks at their face as they turn the pages of a book)
  • Puts blocks in a bucket and then dumps them out and does it again
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Create learning environments and schedules that promote the development of focus and attention
    • Regular uninterrupted time for free play
    • Enough space for movement
    • Limited number of materials
    • Limited environmental distractions and intentional use of recorded music (e.g., during nap time, but not as background music during free play)
    • Minimize visual distractions with walls that are simple, neutral in color, and free of commercial materials. Note: In order to supervise children and be present with them, educators should refrain from accessing their personal phones in the learning environment. Photographs and videos of children should be taken with a dedicated device.
D

Creativity and Inventiveness

Child uses their imagination to create and invent.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Imitates unusual uses for objects (e.g, places pot on head as a hat)
  • Tries out ways to use objects that they have observed in other places (e.g., bangs on a surface after watching drumming at a cultural event)
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Observe and acknowledge children’s creative use of objects
  • Create environments where children can experience freedom of movement, exploring their bodies in space and experiencing what they can do physically
  • Remove screens and electronic toys from the learning environment
  • Sing songs from your own culture and learn songs from the children’s families and cultures
II

Physical Well-Being, Health and Motor Development

A

Large Motor Skills

Child uses and coordinates their large muscle groups.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Moves between lying down, sitting, and balancing on hands and knees
  • Crawls
  • Pulls to a standing position
  • Sits back down and moves to crawling after sitting down
  • Pulls to standing, and uses one hand to manipulate toys
  • Cruises (walks holding on to furniture)
  • Adjusts body position when moving up or down slopes or along different surfaces
  • Crawls up the stairs
  • Starts to walk around tables with support
  • Pushes a doll stroller or other wheeled object while walking
  • Walks without support
  • May walk a bit and then suddenly sit down
  • Stops walking, squats, and stands back up
  • Throws a ball
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Create an indoor learning environment that provides opportunities for children to develop their large motor skills
    • Open spaces where new walkers can practice walking back and forth
    • Different levels so that children are able to pull themselves up on something
    • Mats or rugs for rolling and stretching
    • Large baskets and boxes for crawling in and out of
  • Create schedules in which children are able to move their bodies freely whenever they are not engaged in caregiving routines
B

Small Motor Skills

Child controls the small muscles in their hands and wrists.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Uses forefinger and thumb to pick up smaller objects like cereal or pasta
  • Picks up small blocks and drops them into a container
  • Practices placing objects on top of one another, such as blocks or stacking cups
  • Grasps the string of a pulltoy
  • Makes holes with one finger in play dough
  • Points, with index finger extended and other fingers in a fist
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Include materials in the learning environment that foster fine motor skills
    • Nesting toys
    • Linking rings
    • Busy boxes
    • Cloth books
    • Squishy balls
  • Observe and reflect to the child what their hands are doing
  • Provide objects of different textures for the child to hold or bang; describe what the child is doing (“You are holding that spoon so tightly. You opened your fingers and let it go.”)
  • Support the child’s sense of dignity and autonomy by allowing them to choose what to do with their hands; avoid manipulating the child’s hands for them
C

Sensory Integration

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

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Nuzzles their face into a freshly washed blanket to smell it
  • Moves their body to the rhythm of music
  • When a new food is introduced, makes a face and might spit it out
  • Feels objects in the environment (e.g., mashes and mixes the food on their high chair tray or, when walking, stops to pat a puddle)
  • Jiggles (e.g., sits on an educator’s knee and bounces up and down or pulls themselves to stand and bounces on their own knees)
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Create a learning environment that provides opportunities for children to develop their senses; consider Including
    • Natural sunlight
    • Time for singing with human, rather than recorded, voices
    • Drums and rainsticks
    • Toys made of natural materials, such as cloth and wood
    • Items with different textures for children to feel
D

Self-Care

Child cares for their physical well-being.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Has a sound or gesture that they use to indicate that they want to nurse or eat (e.g., “Num num”)
  • Tries new foods according to the cultural expectations of their family and community
  • For breast-feeding babies, crawls or walks to mother and climbs into lap to nurse when desired
  • Feels and mouths object to distinguish between food and non-food items
  • Feeds self-with fingers
  • Removes loose clothing (e.g., socks, hats, or mittens)
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Actively learn about the caregiving practices of the family
  • Critically assess the degree to which all educator–child interactions, including the basic care procedures such as diaper changing, eating, sleeping, and comforting, are similar or different to those of the child’s home
  • Commit to making changes in your caregiving practices to better align them with the child’s experiences in the home
  • Identify, create, and maintain safe indoor and outdoor environments for the child to explore freely
    • Cover electrical outlets
    • Install gates at top and bottom of stairs
    • Ensure poisons and choking hazards are out of reach
    • Keep hot liquids outside of learning environment
  • Redirect children using positive language and examples. For instance, if a child approaches a baby, show them a gentle touch and say, “Oh, you see her hair! Yes, that’s her hair.”
E

Healthy Sexuality

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.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Enjoys sensual, non-sexual experiences (e.g., breast feeding, thumb sucking, rocking to bed, cuddling)
  • Expresses delight and a sense of pride in the things their body can do independently (e.g., crawling up stairs, and throwing or dropping objects)
  • Bats at, touches, grasps, or pulls their genitals during diaper changing
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Model respect for children’s bodies by telling them what to expect before touching them or picking them up
  • Narrate what you’re doing when you touch them (“I’m going to pick you up now”) so they have a sense that unexpected things don’t just happen to their bodies
  • Express healthy, matter-offact attitudes about children’s bodies and bodily functions; avoid conveying shame or naughtiness about erections, bowel movements, and other toileting activities
III

Social and Emotional Development

A

Trusting Relationships with Adults

Child develops trusting relationships with nurturing adults.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Explores environment with guidance from trusting adults
  • Seeks security and support from primary educator
  • Exhibits separation anxiety by staying close to familiar adults in presence of strangers
  • When in a new situation, will make eye contact with trusted adult to “check in” with them
  • Tests and confirms educators’ responses to own behavior (e.g., reaches for a forbidden object and looks at educator to check response)
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Schedule regular meetings with the child’s family during which you invite families to raise issues openly, collaboratively discuss the child’s development, and identify ways in which you can work together
  • Meet children at their level; sit or lie down on the floor with them, and use a low stool so that you may sit at the table at their level
  • Interact with individual children during routines and activities (e.g., singing during feeding and diaper changing and using their name)
B

Sense of Belonging

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.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Plays beside other children
  • Demonstrates ease and comfort when spoken to in their home language
  • Cries when family member leaves
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Affirm the baby’s choice to seek comfort and care from an educator who shares their racial, linguistic, or cultural background
  • Show empathy and acceptance of children’s feelings, and be emotionally close
  • Be open to close physical contact with the child; allow children to hold your hand and sit in your lap
  • Encourage a sense of belonging within the classroom by having homelike touches, including pillows, pictures of the children’s families (at eye level), comfort items, and a place to hold the child’s belongings
C

Sense of Self

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.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Smiles at self in mirror
  • Makes choices about what toys to play with
  • Plays with one object more often than others
  • Has favorite foods, comfort objects, people, etc
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Hang photographs of children and families at child’s level; talk to children about these pictures, especially when they are missing their caregivers
  • Hang a mirror on the wall at eye level; comment lovingly on similarities between the educator’s image and the child’s
  • Acknowledge the child’s choices and preferences (“You really liked that applesauce.”)
  • Intentionally reflect and affirm marginalized aspects of children’s social identities; for example, use books like I See Me , by Margaret Manuel, to highlight the beauty of Okanagan culture and language
D

Empathy

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.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Looks to educator to gauge their response to a new person or situation
  • Pats and strokes others who are distressed
  • Shows guilt when they harm someone or do something forbidden
  • Distinguishes between kind and cruel actions
  • Stays nearby and quietly watches a child who is upset
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Talk to families about how empathy is expressed in their culture and community
  • Suggest how children can show empathy; encourage the child to offer a tissue, comfort item, or pat on the back to family members or friends who may be feeling hurt or sad
E

Cooperation and Negotiation

Child navigates friendships with peers through cooperation and negotiation.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Passes a toy or a ball back and forth with an adult or another child, at least once or twice
  • Imitates the simple actions of a peer (e.g., banging blocks together)
  • Helps educator with caregiving tasks (e.g., holds out their foot so their caregiver can put on their shoe)
  • Indicates preferences and intentions by answering yes/no questions (e.g., child nods head yes and hands a doll to teacher when asked if they are finished playing with it)
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Play back-and-forth games; for example, hand an object to a baby, wait for them to grasp it, and then reach out your hand so they may hand it back to you if they like
  • Invite the baby to roll a ball to another child who rolls it back
  • Provide duplicate or similar toys to avoid conflicts from arising
F

Emotional Self-Regulation

Child expresses and manages their feelings and impulses.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Seeks educator support and attention when encountering a challenge
  • Imitates adults’ facial expressions and moods
  • Uses physical contact to express emotions (e.g., kissing, biting, hugging, or patting)
  • Rubs comfort object or sucks thumb when upset or tired
  • Repeats sounds or words to draw educator’s attention to their needs and begins to cry if educator does not respond quickly enough
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Ask families what helps their child to feel better when they are upset
  • Respond to child’s displays of pleasure by matching child’s emotions with facial expressions, tone, and words
  • Model facial expressions to express emotions and label emotion (e.g., happy face-smile, sad face-frown, or angry face-scowl)
  • Identify which behaviors are upsetting for you, and develop a new response to those behaviors (e.g., “When children hurt each other, I used to yell at them to stop. Now, I teach them about “gentle touches,” and when they are rough, I say, “Remember, gentle touches.”)
G

Rhythms, Rules, and Routines

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

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Recognizes that certain adult actions are associated with expected behavior (e.g., waits to be buckled into stroller)
  • Anticipates familiar routines or activities (e.g., watches for a family member when it is time to go home)
  • Recognizes that different behaviors will elicit different reactions from adults
  • Makes eye contact with educator when doing something that is off-limits
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Offer individualized schedules for those children who may need to nap longer or eat earlier than the rest of the group
  • Have a consistent routine throughout the day, and prompt child with verbal cues about what may come next (e.g.,“We’re going to change your diaper and then give you a bottle.”)
  • Use a positive approach with children; tell the child what they can do, rather than what they can’t do
IV

Communication, Language, and Literacy

A

Speaking

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

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Uses facial gestures to engage with adult, such as blinking eyes or sticking out tongue
  • Makes physical contact to get educator’s attention, including holding educator’s face in their hands or patting educator’s leg until attention is given
  • Uses utterances consistently to refer to people or favorite objects (e.g., ”Mama” for mother, “Dada” for father, and “Ba-ba” for blanket)
  • Uses a few words to express needs and wants that are understood in context by adults in the child’s environment (e.g., saying “up” to indicate desire to be held) Note: Expressive language development may pause as a child learns to walk and increase their mobility
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Talk with families about what they notice about their children’s language development at home
  • Invite families who speak a different home language to teach you a few key words
  • Learn and sing songs and rhymes in the home languages of the children in your class
  • Play “peek-aboo” and engage in face-to-face play as well as noseto-nose games with giggles, laughs, coos, and babbles that become words
  • Sing throughout the day; incorporate the baby’s babbles and favorite words into songs that you make up
B

Listening and Understanding

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

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Responds to “yes” and “no”
  • Responds to requests such as “wave bye-bye”
  • Looks toward door when doorbell rings and educator asks, “Who is it?”
  • Responds to simple requests or statements accompanied by gestures, such as when the caregiver asks for a specific toy while pointing at it
  • Shows understanding of the names of most familiar objects and people by looking toward them when they are mentioned
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • When sounds are heard, point them out to the child (“Hear the car? Beep Beep. Hear the train? Choo Choo.”)
  • Read books multiple times
  • Read books with rhymes and rhythm
  • Read books with few words
  • Use books that engage the child’s responsiveness and participation
  • Play hello and goodbye games; put baby doll or stuffed bear to sleep, saying, “Night night, baby” or “Night night, bear”
C

Social Communication

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

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Participates in a conversation by making sounds or using words in response to adult (e.g., educator says, “Mmm” when feeding the baby, and the baby says, “Mmm” back)
  • Begins to demonstrate turn-taking in conversation by babbling and then pausing and looking to educator to respond
  • Makes eye contact when vocalizing or being spoken to, as appropriate to cultural context
  • Initiates conversations by bringing objects to show caregivers
  • Differentiates between tones of voice (angry, friendly) and smiles back at caregiver as appropriate
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Emphasize names of family members and others when they come in close proximity to the baby
  • Model social cues and skills; say “Hello;” “Goodbye,” and “How are you?”
  • Play social games of peeka-boo, hide-and-seek, blow and pop bubbles, patty cake, or musical games where objects are passed and returned
D

Engaging with Stories and Books

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

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Looks at a picture book with an educator and makes sounds
  • Shows preference for certain stories or texts, such as lift-theflap books
  • Smiles, dances, or sings along to familiar songs
  • Shows pleasure when caregiver shares an image, tells a story, or sings a lullaby (e.g., smiles or vocalizes)
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Look at books with the child sitting on your lap, taking time to talk about the pictures they show interest in
  • Point to the pictures that represent the words that you are saying
  • Read in short spurts if necessary, gradually reading more if the child shows interest
  • Use accessories to engage children in the book or story
    • Puppets
    • Hats
    • Stuffed animals
    • Dolls
    • Little toys
E

Phonological Awareness

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

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Produces lengthy consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel babbles (e.g., a-ga-a-ga a-ga)
  • Makes animal sounds from their home language
  • Changes tone when babbling so that their babbles sound more like the speech sounds of their home language
  • Demonstrates understanding that a word is a combination of sounds by creating own words to represent something (e.g., calls their brother “Buba”)
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Sing familiar songs and change the lyrics (“The horn on the bus goes beep beep beep; the dogs on the bus go ruff, ruff, ruff”)
  • Sing and chant nursery rhymes
    • This Little Piggy Went to Market
    • Open Shut Them
    • The Itsy Bitsy Spider
    • Down, Down Baby
    • Mr. Foster Came from Gloucester
G

Creating and Interpreting Multimedia Texts

Child views, creates, and makes meaning of visual communication and multimedia documentation, which includes drawings, collections, photographs, videos and displays.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Reacts differently to a video of themselves than to a video of another familiar person
  • When talking to a family member on a video chat, crawls behind the laptop to see where the person is
  • Tries to climb inside or take objects out of images (e.g., positions foot as if to climb inside a car depicted in a book)
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Ask families before creating visual images of their child; be mindful of cultural and religious prohibition about image-making
  • Create family photo murals and post them at the child’s eye level in the learning environment
  • Use video, audio, and photographs to document skills and experiences the child is interested in, such as rolling, crawling, swinging, and dancing
V

Cognitive Development

A

Understanding Stability and Change

Child recognizes and develops the ability to explain how material objects change and how they remain stable.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Tests the stability of physical objects, for example, patting, banging, reaching inside, and sitting on an empty box
  • Looks for a toy that has been hidden under a blanket
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Read books like Where’s Spot? and encourage the baby to lift the flaps; share in the baby’s excitement
  • Sing “Where is Thumbkin?” while slowly revealing your hands and fingers and then folding them away
B

Representing

Child uses symbolic thought to represent.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Rolls a toy car back and forth on the floor
  • Uses two objects that go together to pretend (e.g., puts a spoon in a bowl and stirs)
  • Uses a bottle and pretends it contains a favorite drink (e.g., “leche”)
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Provide materials for the child to imitate caregiving routines
    • Doll stroller
    • Brush or comb
    • Bottle
  • P lay games with a script (“Where is Mommy?” “There is Mommy!” “Where is baby?” “There is baby… there you are!”)
C

Memory and History

Child develops the ability to store, retrieve, and share information about past experiences.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Remembers information about recent event (e.g., continuing to play peek-a-boo after caregiver has stopped playing)
  • Uses gestures or single words for a family member after morning drop-off (e.g., going to the door and saying, “Mama?”)
  • Imitates actions that they have observed in the past (e.g., watching caregiver blow on hot food before eating, then blowing on own food–hot or cold)
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Create opportunities for repetitious play so that the child will say, “again,” and be willing to play the same game repeatedly
  • Have designated places to put things; include pictures on the shelves to remind children where objects go
  • Document everyday play in pictures and create photo albums or displays at child level; spend time talking with children about the pictures
D

Investigating and Exploring

Child becomes a scientific thinker by manipulating objects, asking questions, making observations and predictions, and developing generalizations.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Brings familiar or new objects they are curious about to a trusted adult
  • Laughs at unexpected events, such as when a ball they have rolled up an incline begins to roll back
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Identify and create safe spaces and places for exploring new and different experiences
  • Invite children to manipulate objects and feel their texture, weight, and size; this can include pine cones, rocks, leaves, and feathers, for example
  • Join the child in paying attention to sights, sounds, smells, and textures
    • Listen to the birds together
    • Smell the hotdog stand
    • Feel the breeze while swinging
E

Understanding Cause and Effect

Child understands and explores the causes and effects of actions and events.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Watches for reactions from other people when an event has occurred, such as an adult answering the phone when it rings
  • Repeats actions many times to cause an effect, such as dropping an object for a caregiver to pick up
  • Puts objects into a container, turns it over, watches the objects fall out, and then fills it up again
  • Approaches objects with an intent to cause a certain effect (e.g., pats a drum, twists a knob, turns on a light switch)
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Respond promptly to the child’s efforts to initiate an interaction, for example, if the child makes eye contact with the educator and then covers their eyes, the educator may say, “You want to play peek-a-boo.”
  • Push children on a swing so the motion of going away and coming back supports their developing sense of prediction
F

Engineering: Problem-solving with Materials

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

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants

What educators might observe
  • Uses objects as a means to an end (e.g., uses a bucket to transport blocks from one room to another)
  • Crawls around a chair to get an object that has rolled behind it
  • Keeps turning a container around to find the side with the lid or opening
  • Attempts to unscrew lids to get objects out of them
  • Undoes materials such as fasteners on shoes or tape on surfaces
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Create an environment with loose parts that the baby may freely explore
    • Water cooler jugs and balls that children can drop through the top
    • Containers with lids that children can attempt to pry off
    • Buckets, baskets, bags, and purses for carrying materials around
    • Boxes, blocks, and safe bean bags
G

Math

1. Comparing and Categorizing

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

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants
What educators might observe
  • Shows preference for particular items such as toys, cups, or clothing
  • Knows trash can is something you place items in, but may put objects other than trash in it
  • Selects a duck when educator asks, “Where’s the duck?”
  • When unfamiliar adult enters the room, may cry or move toward familiar person
  • Begins to understand the similarities and differences in speech sounds and distinguishes and imitates patterns of speech
  • Chooses to play with the red car even though there is a blue one just like it
  • Knows some objects that go together (e.g., puts the doll in a toy stroller)
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Describe objects by their size, color, and shape (“You are rolling the big, red ball.”)
  • Talk about which objects go together during caregiving routines (“I am getting ready to change your diaper. I need a clean diaper, wipes, and gloves.”)
  • Play language games that emphasize speech sounds; for example, repeat the consonant sounds that the baby makes

2. Number Sense and Quantity

Child understands and explores numbers and quantity.

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants
What educators might observe
  • Tries to hold onto two large balls while reaching for third ball
  • Fills a bucket with objects and dumps it out
  • Holds a block in each hand and bangs them together
  • Shakes head “no” when asked if they want more food
  • Puts multiple blocks in each cup of a muffin tin
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Use comparative vocabulary as you interact with children (“Carla has more cars than Shante.”)
  • Slowly count with children throughout the day. How many
    • Steps on the staircase?
    • Keys on a ring?
    • Wheels on a car?

3. Patterning

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

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants
What educators might observe
  • Hands object back and forth to educator
  • Demonstrates understanding of what comes next in their daily routines (e.g., goes to get shoes after breakfast because the group always goes outside at this time)
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Talk to families about the rhythms of their caregiving routines, in order to reaffirm children’s sense of what comes next
  • Play back-and-forth games with children
    • Rolling balls
    • Swinging
    • Handing objects back and forth
  • Use vocabulary related to patterns: “my turn” and “your turn”

4. Spatial Sense and Geometry

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

8–16 months – See this age across all domains Infants
What educators might observe
  • Attempts to roll body over
  • Puts smaller object inside larger one, such as placing small toy in a bucket
  • Uses trial and error to play with objects that can fit inside openings (e.g., tries to put different sized balls into the top of a large jug)
  • Repeatedly puts things in and takes them out (e.g., sticks a peg in a hole and pulls it out again)
  • Takes rings off a stacking ring and then puts one or two back on
  • Stacks blocks on each other, but may put bigger block on smaller one or try to balance a square on a triangle
  • Gets in and out of things (e.g., climbs into a large laundry basket and then climbs back out)
Ways educators might support the child's development
  • Encourage pointing at objects, and verbally acknowledge the item that is being pointed to
  • Provide materials in the learning environment that support the development of spatial sense
    • Shape sorter
    • Nesting cups
    • Ring stackers
    • Simple knob puzzles
  • Provide collections of objects that are the same shape
    • A collection of cubes, including boxes and blocks
    • A collection of circles, including rings, lids, and round pieces of paper

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