Developmental Expectations
Remember ... All children grow, learn and develop at their own pace. Use this list as a general information guide only.
Approaches Toward Learning
- Is curious and confident in ability to learn.
- Enjoys exploration and discovery through play.
- Asks questions to find out more about an interest.
- Expresses self creatively through music, movement, and art.
- Takes initiative when appropriate.
- Pays attention to task for short period of time (approximately 15 minutes).
- Persists with tasks even when difficult.
Social and Emotional Development
- Plays cooperatively and participates appropriately in a group.
- Follows basic rules, routines and adapts to small changes.
- Demonstrates some degree of independence and can separate from parents.
- Works to solve conflict and seeks adult help when needed.
- Respects people and property.
- Begins to identify and express own feelings appropriately.
- Begins to understand other’s feelings and intentions.
- Forms close relationships with children and familiar adults.
Language Development
- Knows many vocabulary words in own language.
- Uses sentences of several words.
- Speech is understandable to unfamiliar adults.
- Asks and answers when, where, why and how questions.
- Follows 1, 2, 3 step directions.
- Recognizes rhyming words and similar sounds.
- Understands that words can be spoken and written.
- Recognizes familiar alphabet letters (knows letters of own name).
- Is interested in books/stories and can retell a story when read aloud.
- Can tell about an experience.
Health and Physical Development
- Has had vision/hearing screened.
- Has had all required immunizations.
- Receives medical care when sick.
- Receives dental check-ups regularly.
- Eats a balanced diet and gets eight to ten hours of sleep at night.
- Can run, jump, climb, swing and throw balls.
- Demonstrates self-help skills such as independent use of toilet, eat unassisted, snap, button, zip or belt own clothes, blow nose, cover sneeze, wash hands, etc.
- Holds scissors appropriately and cuts.
Cognition and General Knowledge
- Identifies self with first and last name.
- Knows basic colors.
- Has awareness of self and family.
- Draws picture of self.
- Understands that actions have consequences.
- Understands simple science concepts.
- Demonstrates good problem-solving skills.
- Understands 1-1 correspondence in counting.
- Names some numbers and rote counts to 10.
- Names some shapes (circle, square, triangle, rectangle).
- Can informally measure things (which is longer?).
- Understands spatial concepts (up and down).
Adapted from Foundations: Early Learning Standards www.ncpublicschools.org/success
