Development Domain Charts searchable charts
Feelings about self and others
Feelings about self and others
Relating to others
Learning about self
Relating to others
Relating to adults - Relating to other children
- learning about self
- increasing self-awareness
- building self-concept
indicators 5 indicators & examples
1 | Express comfort and discomfort, enjoyment and unhappiness in her environment
- Cry, smile, wiggle, gurgle and use facial expressions to let people know how she feels
- Enjoy soothing, tactile stimulation
2 | Show interest in familiar adults
- Fuss, cry, or coo to initiate interactions with adults
- Turn to voices of familiar adults
- Smile when seeing or hearing them
- Develop a sense of trust
3 | Demonstrate attachment to individuals
- Turn her head toward a familiar caregiver
- Look in the direction of your voice
- Imitate your smile
- Begin to track your movements
4 | Show awareness of other children
- Begin to show recognition of familiar children with facial expressions, noises or body language
- See and enjoy older children
5 | Calm herself
- Learn to close eyes, suck on fist, or turn head away from distractions
- Begin to follow regular patterns of eating and sleeping
- Quiet when you intervene with rocking, talking, singing or dimming lights
- Indicate when she needs rest by closing her eyes or turning away from distractions
Understanding and Communicating
- pre-reading and pre-writing
- pre-literacy
- pre-reading and pre-writing
Listening and Speaking
Pre-Reading and Pre-Writing
Listening and Understanding
Expressing Thoughts and Ideas
Entering Into Conversations
Pre-Reading
indicators 3 indicators & examples
1 | Listen and express herself
- React to noise
- Use sounds, body and facial expressions to express feelings
- Cry to communicate hunger or discomfort
- Copy some facial expressions
- Appear to "listen"
2 | Recognize and react to the sounds of language
- React to a nursery rhyme by kicking legs, smiling or sucking on a pacifier
- Repeat sounds, enjoy and experiment with making different sounds (e.g., cooing, gurgling)
- Coo in response to caregiver's conversation with her
3 | Begin to build a receptive vocabulary
- Show momentary attention to board books with bright colors and simple shapes, especially faces
- React to colors and shapes by cooing or moving her hands
Discovering and Learning
Exploring and Learning
Mathematical, Scientific, Social Studies Exploring and Learning
Exploring and Learning: Math, Science, and Social Studies Concepts
Using Mathematical and Scientific Thinking
Exploring Social Studies
indicators 1 indicator & example
1 | Begin to understand that she can make things happen
- Play with her hands
- Explore toys with her hands and her mouth
- Turn her head to follow objects
- Turn his head in the direction of a noise
- Repeat enjoyable or noisy actions
Coordinating Movements
Coordinating Large and Small Muscle Groups
Improving Self-Help Abilities
Using Large and Small Muscle Groups
Building Self-Help Skills
Coordinating Large Muscle Groups, Controlling Small Muscle Groups, and Caring for Self/Others
indicators 1 indicator & example
1 | Use many repetitions to move various body parts
- Bring hands together to grasp and shake toys
- Grasp and release things that she touches accidentally
- Reach for objects and swipe at dangling objects
- Raise her head, arch her body and flex her legs
- Begin to try to roll over and sometimes kick herself over
- Push up by hands or forearms when on her stomach
- Bring her hands to her mouth
- Push down on her legs when placed on a firm surface
1 | Express comfort and discomfort, enjoyment and unhappiness
2 | Show interest in familiar adults
3 | Demonstrate attachment to individuals
4 | Show awareness of other children
5 | Calm himself
1 | Use various sounds and movements to communicate
2 | Recognize and react to the sounds of language
3 | Respond to sounds and words heard often
4 | Begin to respond to some of the vocabulary associated with picture book
1 | Cause things to happen
2 | remember what has happened recently
3 | Show awareness of happenings in his surroundings
1 | Change the position of his body
2 | Use his hands in more coordinated movements
1 | Start to show more independence
2 | Show interest in familiar adults
3 | Show interest in unfamiliar adults
4 | Show interest of other children
5 | Calm herself
1 | Show more interest in speech
2 | Recognize and react to the sounds of language; begin to understand that letters make sounds (phonological awareness)
3 | Start to understand and use common rules of communication
4 | Demonstrate increasing vocabulary and comprehension by using words to express herself
5 | Explore writing and drawing as a way of communicating
1 | Make expected things happen
2 | remember what has happened recently, and find hidden objects
3 | Show awareness of happenings in his surroundings
4 | Look at the correct picture or object when it is named
5 | Explore objects in various ways
6 | Imitate gestures and use of objects
1 | Change position and begin to move from place to place
2 | Coordinate eyes and hands while exploring or holding objects
1 | Show self-awareness and likes and dislikes; begin to develop self-worth
2 | Rely on trusted adults to feel safe trying new activities
3 | Show awareness of unfamiliar adults
4 | Interact with other children
5 | Begin to express a variety of feelings
6 | Gain in self-control/regulation
1 | Understand the meaning of many words and gestures
2 | Recognize and react to the sounds of language; begin to understand that letters make sounds (phonological awareness)
3 | Start to understand and use common rules of speech
4 | Demonstrate increasing vocabulary and comprehension by using words and phrases to express himself
5 | Communicate using consistent sounds, words, and gestures
6 | Explore drawing, painting and writing as a way of communicating
1 | Use objects and toys more purposefully
2 | Show an increasing ability to remember and participate in imitative play
3 | Use his senses to investigate the world around him, including solving problems
4 | Look at the correct picture or object when it is named
5 | Use objects and toys more purposefully, exploring cause and effect relationships
6 | Begin to understand rules and routines
1 | Move constantly, showing increasing large muscle control
2 | Use hands in various ways
1 | Show more awareness of herself and her abilities
2 | Continue to need the security of a trusted adult as she explores
3 | Continue to show caution around unfamiliar adults
4 | Show more, but still limited self-regulation
5 | Ask for help, if needed, in verbal and non-verbal ways
6 | Know resources available in the room, and how to use some of them
7 | Show increased interest and assert independence when with other children
8 | At times shows awareness and concern for other children’s feelings
1 | Use an increasing number of words and put words together into phrases and simple sentences
2 | Recognize and react to the sounds of language; begin to understand that letters make sounds (phonological awareness)
3 | Start to understand and use common rules of speech
4 | Demonstrate vocabulary and comprehension by listening with interest and displaying understanding
5 | Communicate using consistent sounds, words, and gestures
6 | Explore drawing, painting and writing as a way of communicating
7 | Be able to follow simple suggestions and directions with increasing consistency
8 | Begin to develop imitative reading
1 | Expect certain things to happen as a result of her actions
2 | Improve memory for details
3 | Have beginning awareness of the order of her environment
4 | Seek information through observation and exploration
5 | Explore and solve problems
6 | Begin to understand rules and routines
7 | Begin to explore concepts of number, size, and position
8 | Begin to sort objects according to one criterion
1 | Show increased balance and coordination in play activities
2 | Have increased eye-hand coordination
3 | Be able to do more things for herself
1 | Show increasing self-awareness
2 | Continue to need adult approval but show more independence
3 | Be more interested in unfamiliar adults, but still cautious
4 | Share his feelings through talking and pretend play
5 | Use coping skills with tasks, and interactions with peers and adults
6 | Show increasing self-regulation
7 | Play along side other children
8 | Show more awareness of the feelings of another child
1 | Demonstrate active listening strategies
2 | Become aware of the sounds of spoken language; understand that that letters make sounds (phonological awareness)
3 | Enter into a conversation
4 | Use words and some common rules of speech to express his ideas and thoughts
5 | Enter into a conversation
6 | Recognize that drawings, paintings and writing are meaningful representations
7 | Understand questions and simple directions
8 | Begin to develop fluency by imitative reading
9 | Recognize that symbols have corresponding meaning
10 | Develop vocabulary, language usage and some conventions of speech
11 | Show comprehension by demonstrating understanding of text during and after reading
12 | Use writing tools for scribbles and drawings
1 | Use imagination, memory and reasoning to plan and make things happen
2 | Improve memory for details
3 | Have beginning understanding of consequences when following routines and recreating familiar events
4 | Seek information through observation, exploration and descriptive investigations
5 | Explore new ways to do things
6 | Show interest in quantity and number relationships
7 | Show interest in concepts, such as matching and sorting according to color, shape and size
1 | Use his whole body to develop spatial awareness
2 | Use improved eye-hand coordination to explore and manipulate objects
3 | Enjoy doing for himself whatever he thinks he can do
4 | Perform more complex movements with his arms and legs
1 | Express feelings more freely, showing independence and competence
2 | Imitate and attempt to please familiar adults
3 | Demonstrate cautious curiosity about unfamiliar adults
4 | Play cooperatively with other children
5 | Share feelings through talking and pretend play
6 | Show increased self-regulation
7 | Play cooperatively with other children
8 | Begin to understand the feelings of other children
1 | Demonstrate active listening skills
2 | Develop phonological awareness by becoming aware of the sounds of spoken language
3 | Use more conventions of speech as she speaks
4 | Expand her vocabulary with many more connecting and describing word
5 | Have more meaningful conversations with peers and adults
6 | Begin to develop writing skills
7 | Understand and respond to simple directions and requests
8 | Begin to develop fluency by imitative reading
9 | Recognize that symbols have corresponding meaning
10 | Develop vocabulary and language usage
11 | Develop comprehension by demonstrating understanding of text during and after reading
12 | Use writing tools for scribbles and drawings
13 | Understand some abstract concepts, such as time, order, and positional words
14 | Ask “why” and other questions frequently to keep a conversation going
1 | Use imagination, memory and reasoning to plan and make things happen
2 | Think ahead and explore ideas
3 | Have beginning understanding of consequences when following routines and recreating familiar events
4 | Seek information through observation, exploration and descriptive investigations
5 | Explore new ways to do things, showing more independence in problem solving
6 | Explore new ways to do things, showing more independence in problem solving
7 | Show interest in quantity and number relationships
8 | Show interest in concepts such as matching and sorting according to a single criteria
9 | Use mathematical thinking in daily situations
1 | Move her body through space with balance and control
2 | Use smaller manipulatives and finger plays to develop small muscle strength and coordination
3 | Depend on routines to practice self-help skills and feel confident
4 | Use riding toys easily
5 | Explore art materials
1 | Be more confident, self-directed, purposeful and inventive in play
2 | Imitate and try to please familiar adults
3 | Be more comfortable around unfamiliar adults
4 | Begin to play cooperatively for brief periods with other children
5 | Relate his needs, wants and feelings to others
6 | Have increased self-regulation, following classroom rules and routines with guidance
7 | Participate, with help, in the group life of the class
8 | Be able to better understand the feelings of other children
1 | Demonstrate active listening skills
2 | Develop phonological awareness by becoming aware of the sounds of spoken language
3 | Use more conventions of speech as he speaks
4 | Expand his vocabulary and language usage
5 | Have more meaningful conversations with peers and adults
6 | Begin to develop writing skills by recognizing that drawings, paintings and writing are meaningful representations
7 | Show understanding and respond to simple directions and requests
8 | Begin to develop fluency by engaging in imitative reading
9 | Recognize that symbols have corresponding meaning
10 | Expand his vocabulary and language usage
11 | Develop comprehension by demonstrating understanding of text during and after reading
12 | Use writing utensils for scribbles and drawings
13 | Understand abstract concepts
14 | Ask “why” and other questions to keep a conversation going
1 | Use prior knowledge and imagination to think through what he wants to play
2 | Seek information through observation, exploration and descriptive investigations with simple science tool
3 | Have beginning understanding of consequences when following routines and recreating familiar events
4 | Seek information through observation, exploration and descriptive investigations with simple science tools
5 | Use more advanced problem solving skills, testing his understanding and ideas in real situations
6 | Use scientific thinking as well as his senses to discover the world around him, and make comparisons between objects
7 | Show interest in quantity, measuring and number relationships
8 | Show interest in concepts such as matching and sorting according to a single criteria
9 | Use mathematical thinking to solve real problems
10 | Show beginning interest in numerals and counting
11 | Show beginning interest in geometry
12 | Explore more complex situations and concepts, beginning to understand some people’s jobs, and care for the environment
13 | Begin to recognize his own physical and family characteristics and those of others
1 | Move with confidence and stability, coordinating movements to accomplish simple tasks
2 | Develop finger skills through many forms of play
3 | Move with confidence and stability, coordinating movements to accomplish simple tasks
4 | Feel more grown up as he accomplishes self-help and housekeeping tasks with reminders
5 | Develop finger skills through many forms of play
