Identify the Structure>Infants & Toddlers: Domain Skills
Infants & Toddlers: Domain skills
(for reference only)
DOMAINS-SPECIFIC SKILLS/OBJECTIVES FOR INFANTS & TODDLERS
What does this mean developmentally?
Social
Responds to others
Imitates adults
Shows interest in helping
Resists sharing
Parallel play
Associated play
Shows sustained interest in play
Sharing
Turn taking
Conflict resolution/negotiation
Entering a group
Empathy
Follows one step directions
Follows multi-step directions
Showing an interest in people/things around him/her
Emotional
Attachment
Coping with separation anxiety
Coping with fears
Developing sense of self
Developing sense of independence
Developing sense of pride and self-esteem
Sense of belonging
Expressing wide range of emotions
Shows ability to adjust to new situations
Working through frustration
Nurturing/care-taking
Shows persistence in completing tasks
Fine motor
Eye-hand coordination Finger/hand dexterity
Palmer grasp
Pincer grasp
Finger/hand strength
Hand preference
Large motor
Locomotion (moving from one place to another)
Motor Control
Balance
Rhythm
Projectile management
Rebound/airborne
Coordination
Eye-hand/Eye-foot coordination
Strength enhancement
Language
Communication
Receptive language
Expressive language
Vocabulary development
Conversation skills
Auditory discrimination
Creative
New use of materials
New techniques
Expression of feelings or ideas
Open exploration of materials
Creative thinking
Trying out unconventional ideas
Imagination
Cognitive
Visual Tracking
Oral Exploration
Directed Gazing
Beginning Grasp
Aural Tracking
Gaining body control
Recognizing familiar objects or people
Anticipate events
Reach for and manipulate objects
Object permanency
Concentrate despite distraction
Physical causality
Symbolic problem solving
Symbolic play
Attention span
Large Motor
Large motor development refers to the movement and coordination of large muscle groups such as the arms, legs, and torso. Large motor skills are needed in everyday life to complete tasks such as walking, dancing, riding bikes, climbing a ladder, painting a house, digging a hole, etc…. Another name for large motor development is gross motor development. Preschool children require a schedule with plenty of opportunity for large motor activity, as it eases tension and relaxes, as well as offering many learning experiences.
Large Motor Skills/Objectives
Locomotion: walking, running, climbing, hopping, skipping, rolling, etc….
Balance: children practice balance as they stand on one foot, as they walk along a beam or stepping stone, and as they stay upright on a balance board, trampoline, or climbing structure.
Rhythm: as in dance, while swinging, or in repetitive movements.
Projectile Management: throwing and kicking objects such as balls, rings, beanbags, etc…
Rebound and Airborne: jumping techniques, such as jumping on mats, trampolines, over hurdles, etc…
Coordination: a general term for smooth, fluid, harmonious movements.
Eye-hand Coordination and Eye-foot Coordination: moving hands and feet in harmony with each other as directed by and in response to what the eyes see.
Strength Enhancement: building muscle strength to allow for greater duration or power
Fine Motor
Fine motor development may also be called small motor development. It involves the use of small muscle groups found in the fingers and hands. Fine motor skills are necessary for self-help skills like buttoning and zipping, building with manipulatives such as legos, painting and writing. Activities like playdoh and manipulating sensory materials and small toys builds strength and coordination which support the ability to write, cut with scissors, and tie shoes as children grow.
Fine Motor Skills/Objectives
Eye-hand Coordination: coordinating the sense of sight with the sense of touch and movement of the hands and fingers.
Finger and Hand Dexterity: skill, grace, and accuracy of hands and fingers.
Palmar Grasp: grasping an object by placing palm on object and picking it up with the whole hand. Young children often use this grasp.
Pincer Grasp: Preschool children continue to grow in strength and coordination as they grasp markers, paintbrushes, and other utensils between the thumb and index finger. This forms the foundation for
holding a pencil in an appropriate grip.
Finger and Hand Strength: developing strength within the fingers and hands.
Social
Social development refers to maturing relationships with others. Infants’ and toddlers’ primary relationship is with the caregiver. Relationships with peers become more important in the 2 to 5 year old age group. Social skills influence child’s ability to play and cooperate with another individual as well as in a group setting. Language skill and emotional development support growth in the social area.
Social Skills/Objectives
Parallel Play: playing next to others, but not with, often with the same materials. May speak to each other and be aware of others, but children do not share materials.
Associative Play: playing with other children, talking and sharing materials.
Cooperative Play: playing with other children working toward a common goal, often playing different but complimentary roles to achieve a goal.
Sharing
Turn Taking
Conversation: responding to questions, asking questions, and following up on what another child says.
Conflict Resolution and Negotiation: learning how to peacefully negotiate a solution to social problems such as through compromise, turn taking etc…
Entering a Group: learning various strategies for entering an existing playgroup. This may include techniques such as asking, “What are you playing?”, observing until the rules of play are obvious, or offering a toy or idea to support the play theme already in progress.
Empathy: being aware of another’s feeling and responding to their needs.
Respect for Others: respecting other’s rights and ideas, and exploring differences and similarities among people, including race and gender.
Emotional Development
Emotional development refers to the maturation, expression, and control of the affective/feeling part of the human being. This portion of development is very important and affects all other areas of development. Emotional control and self identity are developed largely through everyday activities including routines such as hand washing, eating, brushing teeth, and interactions with parents, peers, and teachers.
Emotional Skills/Objectives
Attachment: developing a healthy attachment to caregivers, appropriate to age. Preschool children develop attachment to extended family members and members of their peer group as well.
Coping with Separation Anxiety: being able to separate from the parent and/or caregiver in an age appropriate way.
Coping with Fears: demonstrating age appropriate responses to fears such as loud noises, storms, monsters, dark, dogs, snakes, etc…
Impulse Control: developing control over immediate impulses.
Self Identity: developing a sense of who you are including appearance, strengths, personality; seeing oneself as separate from others and as an individual.
Independence: developing a sense of being able to do things without the aid of parents or other adults. This leads to pride and self-confidence.
Pride/Self-esteem: feeling pride in one’s own work or self thus increasing self-confidence.
Identification and Expression of Feelings: being able to appropriately demonstrate in words or body language what one is feeling. A healthy, young child experiences a wide range of feelings, both positive and negative.
Belonging: feeling confident of one’s value and place in a group. This can relate to family or another social group.
Nurturing/Care-taking: taking care of peers, pets, plants, or make-believe creatures. Taking care might refer to giving food, shelter, clothing, or affection.
Creative
Creativity in our classroom may be in the form of play, the arts, or unique thought process. Creativity can generally be seen in all areas of the classroom including, art, dramatic play, blocks, sensory, group time and even transition time. The expression of creativity is dependent on other skills. For instance creative expression through painting is dependent on motor skills. Creative expression through dramatic play involves language and social skills. Finding creative solutions to problems involve cognitive processes. The prime time in a child’s life to encourage uninhibited creativity is age 4 to 6.
Creative Skills/Objectives
Divergent thinking: children think divergently, when they come up with new or different solutions to problems or ways to accomplish a task. Teachers can support divergent thinking by asking open-ended questions.
New Use of Materials: using unusual materials during art projects, constructions, movement, or using familiar materials in new ways.
New Techniques: children may learn new techniques, such as sponge painting, painting with watercolors, using glue, etc. if offered a wide variety of art and creative activities.
Expression of Feelings or Ideas: the child feels free to express the self through the creative activity.
Exploration of Materials: children should be free to use materials in any way they wish, encouraging visual and unique ideas.
Imagination: a variety of ideas are encouraged and respected.
Creative Thinking: a general term for encouraging original ideas.
Trying Out Unconventional Ideas: a general term for encouraging originality
Language
During the preschool years, children learn spoken and receptive language skills. The preschool years are an important time for language development. Language grows rapidly. By the time a child is five-years-old he or she is almost an equal language partner with adults.
Language can also be written. Therefore, language skills may also refer to reading and writing skills. During the preschool years, children are introduced to the concept that the spoken word can be symbolized in writing. The foundation for reading and writing is fostered through experience with words, conversation, songs, books, art and drawing materials, and by including literacy related props in the dramatic play area like note pads, pencils, and computer keyboards.
Language Skills/Objectives
Spoken or Expressive Language: speaking
Receptive Language: listening and understanding another individual.
Vocabulary Development: developing word meaning.
Articulation or Phonology: speech sounds or pronunciation.
Grammar or Syntax: refers to verb endings, pronouns, plurals, and sentence structure.
Conversation Skills: engaging in verbal interactions, taking turns speaking, speaking to socialize, telling stories, etc…
Rhyme: recognizing rhyme, lack of rhyme, or making up rhymes.
Auditory Discrimination: may refer to discrimination of speech sounds, or discriminating which sounds are intended for the self, such as looking up when called, especially when there are many other sounds present.
Story Awareness: Refers to the awareness and/or use of a story that has a plot with a beginning and an end, characters, and location. Children may be able to repeat an actual occurrence, a story read to them, or make up fantasy stories.
Written Language: children progress from scribble writing to symbolize the written word, to writing words as they sound, to spelling and printing words.
Invented Spelling: spelling words by writing them just as they sound, a stage in early writing.
Cognitive Development
Cognitive growth is a process of gathering information, organizing it, and then using it by applying the learning to novel and ever expanding situations. Knowledge and thus understanding are gained through active involvement with people and things. From birth the brain is pre-wired to categorize and store information. Infants and toddlers are naturally active and seek interesting experiences that lead to learning concepts which are then generalized to similar, but unique situations.
Cognitive Skills/Objectives
Visual Tracking: Coordinate eyes and follow objects or faces as they move.
Visual Recognition: Respond to faces or objects they see.
Oral Exploration: Suck and gum objects that come near the mouth.
Directed Gazing: Looking from one object to another.
Beginning Grasp: Can hold object on their own and manipulate to some extent.
Aural Tracking: When the child hears a noise they look for the source.
Gain Body Control: Infants learn that body parts belong to themselves and begin to use their bodies to explore the world around them.
Recognize Familiar Objects: Infants exhibit behaviors such as smiling, laughing, and waving arms and/or legs when they see a familiar person, place, or thing.
Anticipate Events: For example, children anticipate being fed when the caregiver begins preparations for feeding.
Reaching For and Manipulating Objects: Children begin to reach for interesting objects and can explore that object by turning it around, demonstrating intentional goal-directed behavior.
Object Permanency: Infants know that a person or thing that they cannot see does not exist (ie. Looking for dropped objects, Peek-A-Boo, hidden object games).
Concentrate Despite Distraction: Children can continue to focus their attention on an object or action that interests them despite distracting stimulation from other sources.
Physical Causality: Children begin to understand that action on one object can exert action on another object, building the foundation for problem solving. For example, a child pushes a truck into a ball and discovers that the ball rolls
Consequences of Action: Children understand that their own intentional actions produce predictable consequences. For example, when I push the piano key, I make sound.
Trial and Error: Children intentionally use the trial and error method to see what works. For example, a child might try to fit a shape into a shape sorter by trying to fit it into every opening until they happen to succeed.
Mental Representation: Forms mental images of objects and events.
Deferred Imitation: Children imitate others who may not be present.
Symbolic Problem Solving: Children think before acting, using mental representation. For example, a child searches for the correct slot before inserting the piece into a shape sorter or begins to make comparisons. We also see symbolic problem solving in activities of daily living like knowing that hands have to be washed before eating without being told.
Symbolic Play: This is the beginning of traditional dramatic play where children recreate in play what they see happening in the real world.
Attention Span: Can attend to an activity or conform to a group activity for increasing amounts of time.
What does this mean developmentally?
Social
Responds to others
Imitates adults
Shows interest in helping
Resists sharing
Parallel play
Associated play
Shows sustained interest in play
Sharing
Turn taking
Conflict resolution/negotiation
Entering a group
Empathy
Follows one step directions
Follows multi-step directions
Showing an interest in people/things around him/her
Emotional
Attachment
Coping with separation anxiety
Coping with fears
Developing sense of self
Developing sense of independence
Developing sense of pride and self-esteem
Sense of belonging
Expressing wide range of emotions
Shows ability to adjust to new situations
Working through frustration
Nurturing/care-taking
Shows persistence in completing tasks
Fine motor
Eye-hand coordination Finger/hand dexterity
Palmer grasp
Pincer grasp
Finger/hand strength
Hand preference
Large motor
Locomotion (moving from one place to another)
Motor Control
Balance
Rhythm
Projectile management
Rebound/airborne
Coordination
Eye-hand/Eye-foot coordination
Strength enhancement
Language
Communication
Receptive language
Expressive language
Vocabulary development
Conversation skills
Auditory discrimination
Creative
New use of materials
New techniques
Expression of feelings or ideas
Open exploration of materials
Creative thinking
Trying out unconventional ideas
Imagination
Cognitive
Visual Tracking
Oral Exploration
Directed Gazing
Beginning Grasp
Aural Tracking
Gaining body control
Recognizing familiar objects or people
Anticipate events
Reach for and manipulate objects
Object permanency
Concentrate despite distraction
Physical causality
Symbolic problem solving
Symbolic play
Attention span
Large Motor
Large motor development refers to the movement and coordination of large muscle groups such as the arms, legs, and torso. Large motor skills are needed in everyday life to complete tasks such as walking, dancing, riding bikes, climbing a ladder, painting a house, digging a hole, etc…. Another name for large motor development is gross motor development. Preschool children require a schedule with plenty of opportunity for large motor activity, as it eases tension and relaxes, as well as offering many learning experiences.
Large Motor Skills/Objectives
Locomotion: walking, running, climbing, hopping, skipping, rolling, etc….
Balance: children practice balance as they stand on one foot, as they walk along a beam or stepping stone, and as they stay upright on a balance board, trampoline, or climbing structure.
Rhythm: as in dance, while swinging, or in repetitive movements.
Projectile Management: throwing and kicking objects such as balls, rings, beanbags, etc…
Rebound and Airborne: jumping techniques, such as jumping on mats, trampolines, over hurdles, etc…
Coordination: a general term for smooth, fluid, harmonious movements.
Eye-hand Coordination and Eye-foot Coordination: moving hands and feet in harmony with each other as directed by and in response to what the eyes see.
Strength Enhancement: building muscle strength to allow for greater duration or power
Fine Motor
Fine motor development may also be called small motor development. It involves the use of small muscle groups found in the fingers and hands. Fine motor skills are necessary for self-help skills like buttoning and zipping, building with manipulatives such as legos, painting and writing. Activities like playdoh and manipulating sensory materials and small toys builds strength and coordination which support the ability to write, cut with scissors, and tie shoes as children grow.
Fine Motor Skills/Objectives
Eye-hand Coordination: coordinating the sense of sight with the sense of touch and movement of the hands and fingers.
Finger and Hand Dexterity: skill, grace, and accuracy of hands and fingers.
Palmar Grasp: grasping an object by placing palm on object and picking it up with the whole hand. Young children often use this grasp.
Pincer Grasp: Preschool children continue to grow in strength and coordination as they grasp markers, paintbrushes, and other utensils between the thumb and index finger. This forms the foundation for
holding a pencil in an appropriate grip.
Finger and Hand Strength: developing strength within the fingers and hands.
Social
Social development refers to maturing relationships with others. Infants’ and toddlers’ primary relationship is with the caregiver. Relationships with peers become more important in the 2 to 5 year old age group. Social skills influence child’s ability to play and cooperate with another individual as well as in a group setting. Language skill and emotional development support growth in the social area.
Social Skills/Objectives
Parallel Play: playing next to others, but not with, often with the same materials. May speak to each other and be aware of others, but children do not share materials.
Associative Play: playing with other children, talking and sharing materials.
Cooperative Play: playing with other children working toward a common goal, often playing different but complimentary roles to achieve a goal.
Sharing
Turn Taking
Conversation: responding to questions, asking questions, and following up on what another child says.
Conflict Resolution and Negotiation: learning how to peacefully negotiate a solution to social problems such as through compromise, turn taking etc…
Entering a Group: learning various strategies for entering an existing playgroup. This may include techniques such as asking, “What are you playing?”, observing until the rules of play are obvious, or offering a toy or idea to support the play theme already in progress.
Empathy: being aware of another’s feeling and responding to their needs.
Respect for Others: respecting other’s rights and ideas, and exploring differences and similarities among people, including race and gender.
Emotional Development
Emotional development refers to the maturation, expression, and control of the affective/feeling part of the human being. This portion of development is very important and affects all other areas of development. Emotional control and self identity are developed largely through everyday activities including routines such as hand washing, eating, brushing teeth, and interactions with parents, peers, and teachers.
Emotional Skills/Objectives
Attachment: developing a healthy attachment to caregivers, appropriate to age. Preschool children develop attachment to extended family members and members of their peer group as well.
Coping with Separation Anxiety: being able to separate from the parent and/or caregiver in an age appropriate way.
Coping with Fears: demonstrating age appropriate responses to fears such as loud noises, storms, monsters, dark, dogs, snakes, etc…
Impulse Control: developing control over immediate impulses.
Self Identity: developing a sense of who you are including appearance, strengths, personality; seeing oneself as separate from others and as an individual.
Independence: developing a sense of being able to do things without the aid of parents or other adults. This leads to pride and self-confidence.
Pride/Self-esteem: feeling pride in one’s own work or self thus increasing self-confidence.
Identification and Expression of Feelings: being able to appropriately demonstrate in words or body language what one is feeling. A healthy, young child experiences a wide range of feelings, both positive and negative.
Belonging: feeling confident of one’s value and place in a group. This can relate to family or another social group.
Nurturing/Care-taking: taking care of peers, pets, plants, or make-believe creatures. Taking care might refer to giving food, shelter, clothing, or affection.
Creative
Creativity in our classroom may be in the form of play, the arts, or unique thought process. Creativity can generally be seen in all areas of the classroom including, art, dramatic play, blocks, sensory, group time and even transition time. The expression of creativity is dependent on other skills. For instance creative expression through painting is dependent on motor skills. Creative expression through dramatic play involves language and social skills. Finding creative solutions to problems involve cognitive processes. The prime time in a child’s life to encourage uninhibited creativity is age 4 to 6.
Creative Skills/Objectives
Divergent thinking: children think divergently, when they come up with new or different solutions to problems or ways to accomplish a task. Teachers can support divergent thinking by asking open-ended questions.
New Use of Materials: using unusual materials during art projects, constructions, movement, or using familiar materials in new ways.
New Techniques: children may learn new techniques, such as sponge painting, painting with watercolors, using glue, etc. if offered a wide variety of art and creative activities.
Expression of Feelings or Ideas: the child feels free to express the self through the creative activity.
Exploration of Materials: children should be free to use materials in any way they wish, encouraging visual and unique ideas.
Imagination: a variety of ideas are encouraged and respected.
Creative Thinking: a general term for encouraging original ideas.
Trying Out Unconventional Ideas: a general term for encouraging originality
Language
During the preschool years, children learn spoken and receptive language skills. The preschool years are an important time for language development. Language grows rapidly. By the time a child is five-years-old he or she is almost an equal language partner with adults.
Language can also be written. Therefore, language skills may also refer to reading and writing skills. During the preschool years, children are introduced to the concept that the spoken word can be symbolized in writing. The foundation for reading and writing is fostered through experience with words, conversation, songs, books, art and drawing materials, and by including literacy related props in the dramatic play area like note pads, pencils, and computer keyboards.
Language Skills/Objectives
Spoken or Expressive Language: speaking
Receptive Language: listening and understanding another individual.
Vocabulary Development: developing word meaning.
Articulation or Phonology: speech sounds or pronunciation.
Grammar or Syntax: refers to verb endings, pronouns, plurals, and sentence structure.
Conversation Skills: engaging in verbal interactions, taking turns speaking, speaking to socialize, telling stories, etc…
Rhyme: recognizing rhyme, lack of rhyme, or making up rhymes.
Auditory Discrimination: may refer to discrimination of speech sounds, or discriminating which sounds are intended for the self, such as looking up when called, especially when there are many other sounds present.
Story Awareness: Refers to the awareness and/or use of a story that has a plot with a beginning and an end, characters, and location. Children may be able to repeat an actual occurrence, a story read to them, or make up fantasy stories.
Written Language: children progress from scribble writing to symbolize the written word, to writing words as they sound, to spelling and printing words.
Invented Spelling: spelling words by writing them just as they sound, a stage in early writing.
Cognitive Development
Cognitive growth is a process of gathering information, organizing it, and then using it by applying the learning to novel and ever expanding situations. Knowledge and thus understanding are gained through active involvement with people and things. From birth the brain is pre-wired to categorize and store information. Infants and toddlers are naturally active and seek interesting experiences that lead to learning concepts which are then generalized to similar, but unique situations.
Cognitive Skills/Objectives
Visual Tracking: Coordinate eyes and follow objects or faces as they move.
Visual Recognition: Respond to faces or objects they see.
Oral Exploration: Suck and gum objects that come near the mouth.
Directed Gazing: Looking from one object to another.
Beginning Grasp: Can hold object on their own and manipulate to some extent.
Aural Tracking: When the child hears a noise they look for the source.
Gain Body Control: Infants learn that body parts belong to themselves and begin to use their bodies to explore the world around them.
Recognize Familiar Objects: Infants exhibit behaviors such as smiling, laughing, and waving arms and/or legs when they see a familiar person, place, or thing.
Anticipate Events: For example, children anticipate being fed when the caregiver begins preparations for feeding.
Reaching For and Manipulating Objects: Children begin to reach for interesting objects and can explore that object by turning it around, demonstrating intentional goal-directed behavior.
Object Permanency: Infants know that a person or thing that they cannot see does not exist (ie. Looking for dropped objects, Peek-A-Boo, hidden object games).
Concentrate Despite Distraction: Children can continue to focus their attention on an object or action that interests them despite distracting stimulation from other sources.
Physical Causality: Children begin to understand that action on one object can exert action on another object, building the foundation for problem solving. For example, a child pushes a truck into a ball and discovers that the ball rolls
Consequences of Action: Children understand that their own intentional actions produce predictable consequences. For example, when I push the piano key, I make sound.
Trial and Error: Children intentionally use the trial and error method to see what works. For example, a child might try to fit a shape into a shape sorter by trying to fit it into every opening until they happen to succeed.
Mental Representation: Forms mental images of objects and events.
Deferred Imitation: Children imitate others who may not be present.
Symbolic Problem Solving: Children think before acting, using mental representation. For example, a child searches for the correct slot before inserting the piece into a shape sorter or begins to make comparisons. We also see symbolic problem solving in activities of daily living like knowing that hands have to be washed before eating without being told.
Symbolic Play: This is the beginning of traditional dramatic play where children recreate in play what they see happening in the real world.
Attention Span: Can attend to an activity or conform to a group activity for increasing amounts of time.