168 dap focus on infants and toddlers

Developmentally Appropriate Practice

Focus on

Infants and Toddlers Carol Copple, Sue Bredekamp, Derry Koralek, and Kathy Charner, editors

National Association for the Education of Young Children Washington, DC

National Association for the Education of Young Children 1313 L Street NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC 20005-4101 202-232-8777 • 800-424-2460 www.naeyc.org NAEYC Books Chief Publishing Officer Derry Koralek Editor-in-Chief Kathy Charner Director of Creative Services Edwin C. Malstrom Managing Editor Mary Jaffe Senior Editor Holly Bohart Senior Graphic Designer Malini Dominey Associate Editor Elizabeth Wegner Editorial Assistant Ryan Smith Through its publications program, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) provides a forum for discussion of major issues and ideas in the early childhood field, with the hope of provoking thought and promoting professional growth. The views expressed or implied in this book are not necessarily those of the Association or its members.

Contributing editor: Steve Olle

Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Focus on Infants and Toddlers. Copyright Š 2013 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013936366 ISBN: 978-1-928896-95-1 NAEYC Item #168

Contents About the Editors...........................................................................................................................vi Acknowledgments.........................................................................................................................vii Editors’ Preface...............................................................................................................................ix 1. What Is Developmentally Appropriate Practice?............................................................1

Key Messages of the Position Statement........................................................................1

What Is Developmentally Appropriate Practice?...........................................1

A Call to Reduce the Achievement Gap...........................................................2

Comprehensive, Effective Curriculum.............................................................2

Improving Teaching and Learning....................................................................2

Core Considerations of Developmentally Appropriate Practice................................4

Principles of Child Development and Learning.............................................................4 2. To Be an Excellent Teacher..............................................................................................7 Carol Copple and Sue Bredekamp

Excellence in All Areas of Practice..................................................................................9

Excellent Teachers Use a Wide Range of Teaching Strategies...................10

Excellent Teachers Scaffold Children’s Learning.........................................11

Seeing the Bigger Picture................................................................................................16 3. Understanding Development of Infants and Toddlers.................................................23 Mary Benson McMullen

Understanding Infants and Toddlers............................................................................24

Knowledge of Child Development.................................................................................24

Philosophy and Principles Supporting Development................................................25

Understanding Changes in the First Three Years......................................................27

Growth, Maturation, and Development.........................................................27

Assimilation and Accommodation..................................................................27

The Environment...............................................................................................28

Observing Development From Birth to 3.....................................................................28

Physical Growth and Development of Habits for Lifetime

Wellness and Safe Living.................................................................................................30 Physical Health and Growth.............................................................................30

Psychological Health and Well-Being.............................................................30

Learning to Be Healthy and Safe.....................................................................31 Self-Care...............................................................................................................32

Thinking, Reasoning, and Understanding the World:

The Brain and Cognitive Development.........................................................................32

The Growing Brain and Experience.......................................................32

Cognitive Processes for Making Sense of the World.........................33

The Mind–Body Connection: Development of Sensorimotor Integration.....38

Perceptual Development........................................................................38

Motor Development...............................................................................................39

Spatial Awareness....................................................................................40

Being and Belonging: Social and Emotional Development..............................40

Sense of Self and Others........................................................................................41

Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem............................................................42

Interacting With Others..........................................................................42

Prosocial Behaviors.................................................................................44

Emotional Development..........................................................................45 Attachment................................................................................................45

Emotional Regulation..............................................................................46

Communication: Development of Language, Literacy,

and Mathematical Understanding........................................................................46

Receptive Language and Listening........................................................46

Expressive Language...............................................................................47

Early Literacy and Numeracy...............................................................................48 4. Developmentally Appropriate Examples to Consider.........................................51

INFANTS..................................................................................................................52.

Relationship Between Caregiver and Child........................................................52

Primary Caregiving, Continuity of Care................................................52 Interactions...............................................................................................53

Respect for Infants as People.................................................................54 Communication........................................................................................55 Environment............................................................................................................55

Sensory Environment..............................................................................55

Play Spaces...............................................................................................56.

Exploration and Play.............................................................................................57

Playful Interactions..................................................................................57

Objects to Manipulate and Explore.......................................................58

Organization and Access to Materials..................................................59 Routines...................................................................................................................60 Eating.........................................................................................................60 Sleeping......................................................................................................62

Diapering ..................................................................................................62

Reciprocal Relationships With Families.............................................................63

Policies ....................................................................................................................64

Health and Safety.....................................................................................64 Staffing.......................................................................................................65 TODDLERS......................................................................................................66

Relationship Between Caregiver and Child.......................................................66

Primary Caregiving, Continuity of Care ...............................................66 Interactions...............................................................................................67

Respect for Toddlers as People.............................................................69

Communication........................................................................................70

Positive Guidance.................................................................................71 Environment............................................................................................................72

Sensory Environment..............................................................................72

Play and Learning Areas.........................................................................72

Exploration and Play..............................................................................................74

Play Development....................................................................................74

Objects to Manipulate and Explore.......................................................75

Organization and Access to Materials..................................................76 Scheduling...............................................................................................................76 Routines...................................................................................................................77 Eating..........................................................................................................78 Napping......................................................................................................78

Diapering and Toileting...........................................................................79 Dressing.....................................................................................................80

Reciprocal Relationships With Families.............................................................80 Policies......................................................................................................................81

Health and Safety......................................................................................81 Staffing.......................................................................................................82 5. FAQs About Developmentally Appropriate Practice...........................................85 6. Young Children Articles........................................................................................113

Keys to Quality Infant Care: Nurturing Every Baby’s Life Journey.................93

Alice Sterling Honig

Rituals and Routines: Supporting Infants and Toddlers

and Their Families................................................................................................102

Linda Gillespie and Sandra Petersen

Enhancing Practice With Infants and Toddlers From

Diverse Language and Cultural Backgrounds..................................................105

Karen N. Nemeth and Valeria Erdosi

Learning to Be Me While Coming to Understand We:

Encouraging Prosocial Babies in Group Settings............................................116

Mary Benson McMullen, Jennifer M. Addleman, Amanda M. Fulford,

Sarah L. Moore, Shari J. Mooney, Samantha S. Sisk, and Jasmine Zachariah

What Do We Mean by Reading Readiness?......................................................125

Nikki Darling-Kuria

Using Toys to Support Infant–Toddler Learning and Development............128

Gabriel Guyton

Why Do Babies Like Boxes Best?.......................................................................135

Linda Gillespie

Let’s Get Messy! Exploring Sensory and Art Activities

With Infants and Toddlers...................................................................................137

Trudi Schwarz and Julia Luckenbill

More, All Gone, Empty, Full: Math Talk Every Day in Every Way.................146

Jan Greenberg References.................................................................................................................151

3

Understanding Development of Infants and Toddlers

Mary Benson McMullen

Babies. Captivating, wondrous, and beguiling. They come into the world fully equipped to enchant us, to draw us in. They challenge us to discover what is most human within ourselves and to act upon these feelings, joyfully and unabashedly to care for, love, and nurture them. Being able to share with families the journey their children take over the first three years of life, being with those infants and toddlers as they learn, explore, grow, and develop, is a marvelous gift and a tremendous responsibility.

Families entrust the physical and psychological health and wellbeing of their young children to us. They place in our hands the care of the developing minds, bodies, and spirits of their youngest family members. (See “In Our Hands,� p. 24.) We need to be fully prepared for this role, to be armed with the knowledge and skills to support the day-today needs and well-being of children from birth to age 3, while

Understanding Development of Infants and Toddlers

23

at the same time providing them with what they need to be successful when they leave our groups.

It is essential that those who work in birth-to-3 care and In this chapter, we look at child development education focus on the overall well-being of every infant and from birth to age 3 broadly, in terms of how we toddler in the setting—including their physical and psychocan observe and support it through developmenlogical health and safety, growth, and development—while tally appropriate, family-centered, and culturfostering their natural curiosity for learning ally responsive practices in group settings. This • Who they are as individuals, now in the present chapter’s focus is on development of infants and • A sense of belonging to their group, family, community, toddlers without chronic medical conditions and culture or disabilities, not on development that might • In preparation for the persons they will become in the be impacted by chronic medical conditions or future disabilities.

No single chapter can provide all that is important to know about development, but it will provide caregivers a look at accomplishments they will likely observe in the context of group care.

The figure below shows the framework for the material in this chapter and a model for optimizing young children’s overall health, well-being, and development in groups.

In Our Hands

Understanding Infants and Toddlers Young children follow their own unique timetables for development, with the greatest variance seen during the first three years. Three years seems like a short time to an adult, but the rate of growth and development that occurs from birth to 3 is so rapid, it is useful to break this period down. Rather than dividing it by age, when considering development it is more useful to organize by developmental needs, ways of processing inforA Model for Supporting Optimal Overall Health, mation, and ways of interacting with the environment (Lally & Mangione 2008).

Well-Being, Growth, and Development of The result is the three ages for birth to 3 preInfants and Toddlers in Group Settings sented in the table “Developmental Charateristics of Infants and Toddlers,” helping us to characterize young infants, mobile infants, and toddlers.

Having distinct categories and understanding the unique developmental needs within each provides information for observations, developmental OPTIMIZE HEALTH, assessment, and planning, and for making deciWELL-BEING, AND DEVELOPMENT sions about materials, equipment, and furnishings, as well as considering carefully how to organize groups of children.

ENGAGE IN DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PRACTICES

FOLLOW ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

24

ADOPT A GUIDING PHILOSOPHY

Knowledge of Child Development Knowing child development is fundamental to being a good observer, a critical skill in the continuous assessment and documentation of infants and toddlers (Elicker & McMullen 2013). Careful

Focus on Infants and Toddlers