Child uses and coordinates their large muscle groups.
What educators might observe
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Moves between lying down, sitting, and balancing on hands and knees
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Crawls
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Pulls to a standing position
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Sits back down and moves to crawling after sitting down
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Pulls to standing, and uses one hand to manipulate toys
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Cruises (walks holding on to furniture)
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Adjusts body position when moving up or down slopes or along different surfaces
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Crawls up the stairs
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Starts to walk around tables with support
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Pushes a doll stroller or other wheeled object while walking
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Walks without support
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May walk a bit and then suddenly sit down
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Stops walking, squats, and stands back up
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Throws a ball
Ways educators might support the child's development
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Create an indoor learning environment that provides opportunities for children to develop their large motor skills
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Open spaces where new walkers can practice walking back and forth
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Different levels so that children are able to pull themselves up on something
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Mats or rugs for rolling and stretching
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Large baskets and boxes for crawling in and out of
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Create schedules in which children are able to move their bodies freely whenever they are not engaged in caregiving routines
Child controls the small muscles in their hands and wrists.
What educators might observe
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Uses forefinger and thumb to pick up smaller objects like cereal or pasta
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Picks up small blocks and drops them into a container
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Practices placing objects on top of one another, such as blocks or stacking cups
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Grasps the string of a pulltoy
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Makes holes with one finger in play dough
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Points, with index finger extended and other fingers in a fist
Ways educators might support the child's development
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Include materials in the learning environment that foster fine motor skills
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Nesting toys
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Linking rings
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Busy boxes
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Cloth books
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Squishy balls
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Observe and reflect to the child what their hands are doing
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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.”)
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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
The child uses sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, proprioception (deep pressure), and vestibular function (balance) to perceive and respond to the world around them.
What educators might observe
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Nuzzles their face into a freshly washed blanket to smell it
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Moves their body to the rhythm of music
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When a new food is introduced, makes a face and might spit it out
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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)
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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
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Create a learning environment that provides opportunities for children to develop their senses; consider Including
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Natural sunlight
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Time for singing with human, rather than recorded, voices
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Drums and rainsticks
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Toys made of natural materials, such as cloth and wood
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Items with different textures for children to feel
Child cares for their physical well-being.
What educators might observe
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Has a sound or gesture that they use to indicate that they want to nurse or eat (e.g., “Num num”)
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Tries new foods according to the cultural expectations of their family and community
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For breast-feeding babies, crawls or walks to mother and climbs into lap to nurse when desired
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Feels and mouths object to distinguish between food and non-food items
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Feeds self-with fingers
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Removes loose clothing (e.g., socks, hats, or mittens)
Ways educators might support the child's development
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Actively learn about the caregiving practices of the family
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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
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Commit to making changes in your caregiving practices to better align them with the child’s experiences in the home
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Identify, create, and maintain safe indoor and outdoor environments for the child to explore freely
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Cover electrical outlets
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Install gates at top and bottom of stairs
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Ensure poisons and choking hazards are out of reach
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Keep hot liquids outside of learning environment
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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.”
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.
What educators might observe
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Enjoys sensual, non-sexual experiences (e.g., breast feeding, thumb sucking, rocking to bed, cuddling)
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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)
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Bats at, touches, grasps, or pulls their genitals during diaper changing
Ways educators might support the child's development
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Model respect for children’s bodies by telling them what to expect before touching them or picking them up
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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
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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
