Developmentally Appropriate 
Practices 

General principles of developmentally appropriate practice:​

1. Early childhood teachers should have an understanding of the developmental changes that occur during the preschool years, including how development varies from child to child and the typical sequence of development. There seem to be optimal periods for development in certain areas, including social skills, language, and motor skills. Children who do not have opportunities to practice these skills with appropriate adult support may not be able to overcome their limited development in a particular area later in life.

2. Early childhood teachers should recognize that children learn at different rates, and have different aptitudes and learning styles. Children will also have different ways of expressing and demonstrating the knowledge and skills they have acquired. For instance, one child may be very interested in the natural world, another highly verbal, and another exceptionally empathetic toward peers.

3. Just as there is variation between children in rates of development, there is variation in individual development. Although there are milestones which educators and parents should be aware of, children tend not to exhibit even development across skills at any given point of time.

4. Children learn and develop in an integrated way. Skills are related, and development in one area can impact development in another. For instance, a child’s verbal skills can affect how well he or she is able to establish social relationships and negotiate conflicts. The reverse is also true. That is, a child’s strong social skills may have a positive impact on his or her language development. Curriculum should be created that supports integrated learning.

5. Early childhood teachers must have an understanding of the social and cultural context in which children are growing and learning, and sensitivity to the child’s cultural and social environment. The preschool classroom environment should be one in which children feel safe and valued. Children should be guided toward a development of a strong sense of self, as well as a tolerance toward difference. It is important to help children develop tools for self-expression and conflict resolution.

6. Children should be given opportunities to expand on and express their knowledge through the use of symbolic representation. Cognitively, children in preschool are moving toward greater complexity in thought, including a shift from concrete to representational thinking. Children need opportunities to express themselves through art, pretend play, building, and so on. Experience in these areas lays the foundation for the later development of literacy and math skills, as well as symbolic and abstract cognitive abilities.

7. Learning is an interactive process. Children observe, hypothesize, test, and construct meaning for themselves. In general, children learn best when they have opportunities for hands-on learning. Teachers should provide opportunities for children to test, to question, to repeat experiences, and to transfer knowledge acquired in one setting to another context. At this stage, the teacher functions less as the provider of direct instruction; rather, the teacher’s task is to create a safe but stimulating environment and to respond to children engaged in a task in ways that encourage them to continue with their learning process.

8. Play is essential to learning. The play offers children an opportunity to try out newly acquired knowledge and skills, to practice problem-solving, to deal with emotions, and to gain confidence. Research demonstrates that complex, child-initiated play seems to both reflect and support cognitive development.

9. Children thrive with the right combination of challenge and success. Early childhood teachers need to design tasks that keep children working on the edge of their abilities, but don’t frustrate children. Curriculum must be designed with the variety of interests and abilities of the particular children in the class in mind.