Developmentally Appropriate for All Age Groups

Social / Emotional

Open-ended materials promote interactive, collaborative experiences that promote sense of self, conflict-resolution, and cooperation.

Independent free play promotes the development of self-esteem, independence, moral development, and the understanding of the viewpoints of others.

Responsibility for personal and social behaviors and opportunities for selfexpression and understanding promote character development and friendships.

Physical

Moving, exploring, and acting on objects develop building, climbing, jumping, and running skills.

Lifting, moving through, and building promote motor planning, visual-motor coordination, and balancing skills.

Strength, stability, and whole-body awareness are developed through sustained higher levels of physical activity and complex movements.

Sensory

Sensory-rich experiences develop understanding of the distinctive features of objects, graphic symbols / patterns, and other stimuli.

Vestibular and proprioceptive movement opportunities develop understanding of how bodies move through space, body position, and how much force is needed for an activity.

Multisensory, hands-on opportunities provide ways to extend learning, promote understanding of academic concepts, and develop long-term memory skills.

Cognitive

Interactions that promote the understanding of cause-and-effect and encourage make-believe and imagination result in purposeful, goal-oriented play.

Manipulation of objects increases spatial reasoning, logic, classification, problem solving, and develops concept acquisition and the ability to symbolically represent concrete objects.

Opportunities to expand abstract thinking and apply academic concepts and knowledge occur during free, guided, and structured play.

Communication

Dramatic and constructive play provides rich language development that expands vocabulary, listening, and conversation skills.

Group experiences offer ways for children to use language in order to clearly express ideas, contribute to discussions, and follow and give directives.

Communicate effectively and learn how to influence others with expressive and receptive language.