4.3: Developmentally, Culturally, and Linguistically Appropriate Learning Experiences

In this chapter, we will look at the components of planning Social Studies Learning Experiences that are developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate.  

First, let's review developmentally appropriate practice.

Developmentally Appropriate Practice is Informed by 3 Areas of Knowledge

When planning curriculum for children, we must be sure the activities are developmentally appropriate. According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s Position Statement, “The core of developmentally appropriate practice lies in…intentionality, in the knowledge that practitioners consider when they are making decisions, and in their always aiming for goals that are both challenging and achievable for children.” To do this, they must use developmentally appropriate practice (DAP). DAP includes three areas of knowledge:

1. Age-Appropriateness – using what is known about child development and learning in general. More specifically, this means: What is known about child development and learning: Knowledge of age-related human characteristics that permits general predictions within an age range about what activities, materials, interactions, or experiences will be safe, healthy, interesting, achievable, and challenging to children.
2. Individual-Appropriateness – using what is known about each child as an individual to be responsive to each child. More specific examples of this include: What is known about the strengths, interests, and needs of each child in the group: [Necessary] to be able to adapt and be responsive to inevitable individual variation.
3. Social- and Cultural-Appropriateness – using what is known about the social and cultural context in which children live. This means: Knowledge of the social and cultural contexts in which children live: [Necessary] to ensure that learning experiences are meaningful, relevant, and respectful for the participating children and their families. (Bredekamp & Copple 1997, 8–9)

 

Curriculum in Multicultural Classrooms

The term culturally responsive practices has been used to refer to the implementation of effective teaching practices in diverse early education settings. Culturally responsive practices are teaching to the individual needs of children who are culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse. This term implies the integration of assessment and curriculum practices: program staff must learn about the individual abilities and preferences of each of the children enrolled in their program, and then find ways to plan and implement a curriculum that is based upon each child’s needs and interests. For example, teachers can use home visits to learn about the child, to observe ways that families interact with their child, and to begin a dialogue with families about their goals for the child.

Classroom Materials

In her 1995 book, The Right Stuff for Children Birth to 8, Martha Bronson offers detailed suggestions for selecting play materials that are safe, appropriate, and supportive of play and development. It is relevant to note here that classroom materials can potentially depict people in stereotypical ways or only contain simplified or inaccurate images of culturally diverse people. Therefore, the challenge is to provide classroom materials that reflect all children, families, and adults in the program, and to eliminate stereotypical or inaccurate materials from daily use. For example, books and dramatic play materials should reflect diversity of gender roles, racial and cultural backgrounds, special needs and abilities, and a range of occupations and ages. Books and environmental print should also represent the different languages of children in the classroom.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): What diversity is represented in this image of children and dolls?

The challenge for programs is to establish systems and procedures that take the cultural and linguistic contexts of the children into account. Once in place, these classroom materials should be reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure that the classrooms reflect all enrolled children without stereotyping. Programs are encouraged to seek information from families and knowledgeable members of the community for their input in equipping classrooms to reflect cultures and languages in respectful ways.

Finally, encouraging children’s language and cognitive growth does not preclude the responsibility to support each child’s sense of well-being, the formation of his or her identity, and feelings of security. A consensus within the research is that effective environments for children support all domains of development, and that environments associated with learning outcomes should also provide strong support for social–emotional development (Hart & Risley 1995, 1999; National Research Council and Institute of Medicine 2000; Snow, Burns, & Griffin 1998).

With this in mind, the developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate environment mirrors the ideas, values, attitudes, and cultures of the children it serves (Gestwicki 1995). The following are some specific strategies suggested by Derman Sparks (1989):

Suggested Strategies

1. Use images in abundance that represent all children, families, and staff in your program.
2. Use images of children and adults from the major ethnic groups in your community and in U.S. society.
3. Use images that accurately reflect people’s current daily lives in the U.S. during work and recreational activities.
4. Offer a balance among different cultural and ethnic groups.
5. Provide a fair balance of images of women and men doing “jobs at home” and “jobs outside home.” Provide images of older people of various backgrounds doing different activities.
6. Provide images of differently-abled people of various backgrounds at work and with their families.
7. Use images of diversity in family styles, such as single mothers and fathers, and extended families that are multiracial and multiethnic.
8. Use images of important individuals, past and present, that reflect diversity.
9. Exhibit artwork—prints, sculpture, and textiles—by artists of various backgrounds

Vignette

Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Read-Aloud in Preschool – "Animals in Our Neighborhood"

Setting: A preschool classroom in a multicultural neighborhood where children come from various cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Context: It’s story time, and Mr. Kim, the preschool teacher, has chosen a book called "Animals in Our Neighborhood." The book features illustrations of different animals commonly found in urban, suburban, and rural areas, along with descriptions in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, and Korean.

Activity: Mr. Kim gathers the children on the rug, holding up the book so everyone can see the cover. "Today, we’re going to read about the animals we might see around where we live," he begins. "But this book is special because it includes words in different languages, just like how we all speak different languages at home."

He opens the book to the first page, which features a squirrel sitting on a tree branch. The text reads, “This is a squirrel. It’s called ‘ardilla’ in Spanish and ‘다람쥐’ (daramjwi) in Korean.” Mr. Kim reads the English text first, then pauses and repeats the words in Spanish and Korean.

"Does anyone here know what we call a squirrel in another language?" he asks. A boy named Mateo raises his hand and says, "In Spanish, we say 'ardilla'!" Mr. Kim nods approvingly, "That’s right, Mateo! And in Korean, it’s '다람쥐' (daramjwi). Let's all try saying these words together."

The children repeat the words after Mr. Kim, some giggling as they practice pronouncing "daramjwi." Mr. Kim smiles and encourages them, saying, "It’s fun to learn new words, isn’t it?"

As they move on to the next animal, a raccoon, Mr. Kim points out that raccoons are common in many neighborhoods, and he asks if anyone has ever seen one. A girl named Amara shares, "I saw one in my backyard last night!" Mr. Kim asks if anyone knows another name for a raccoon, and Amara adds, "My grandma calls it 'mapache' in Spanish."

Mr. Kim reads the description in the book, highlighting that "mapache" is the Spanish word for raccoon. He then asks if anyone knows what it’s called in another language. A child named Jisoo says, "In Korean, it’s '너구리' (neoguri)."

Throughout the read-aloud, Mr. Kim integrates these multilingual connections, inviting children to share the names of animals in their home languages. When they come across a deer in the book, a child named Fatima eagerly shares that in Arabic, it’s called "غزال" (ghazal). Mr. Kim appreciates each contribution, helping the children feel proud of their linguistic heritage.

Reflection: After finishing the book, Mr. Kim leads a discussion about the animals in their own neighborhoods. He asks, "Which animals have you seen near your home? What do you call them in your language?"

The children take turns sharing their experiences, with Mr. Kim making sure to include and validate each child’s language. He also encourages the children to ask their families about more animal names in their home languages and bring them back to share with the class.

Outcome: The read-aloud not only helps the children learn about the animals in their neighborhood but also celebrates the linguistic diversity in the classroom. By incorporating multiple languages and encouraging children to share their own, Mr. Kim fosters an inclusive environment where every child’s culture and language are valued. The children leave story time with a sense of belonging and excitement to learn more about their peers' languages and experiences.

OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT [Large language model]. 

In this chapter, we explore how to adapt social studies lessons to ensure they are developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate for young children. This chapter follows the foundational concepts covered in earlier chapters, where we reviewed key components such as the importance of developmental domains, effective transitions, and culturally responsive teaching. By applying these principles to the subject of social studies, we can create meaningful learning experiences that respect the children’s diverse cultural backgrounds, developmental stages, and language experiences.

Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) in Social Studies

Developmentally Appropriate Practice is crucial in designing lessons that meet children where they are developmentally, intellectually, and emotionally. According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), developmentally appropriate practice includes three key areas of knowledge:

1. Age-Appropriateness: Recognizing that children develop at different rates and need learning experiences that are suitable for their age and cognitive stage.
2. Individual-Appropriateness: Understanding and addressing the unique developmental needs, interests, and learning styles of each child. This ensures that activities are tailored to support individual progress.
3. Social- and Cultural-Appropriateness: Acknowledging the social and cultural contexts in which children live and ensuring that learning experiences are relevant and respectful of the children’s backgrounds and family traditions.

This third area, Social-and Cultural-Appropriateness, is particularly important in social studies, as it directly influences how children understand and interact with concepts like community, roles, and relationships within different societal and cultural contexts.

Applying Social- and Cultural-Appropriateness in Social Studies

In social studies, it is essential to draw from the children’s cultural backgrounds and integrate meaningful content that reflects their lived experiences. By recognizing the value of each child's culture, we can ensure that lessons are not only educational but also validating and empowering. This approach fosters a sense of belonging and respect for diversity, which is foundational to the field of social studies.

Classroom Materials for Culturally Responsive Social Studies

Classroom materials play a critical role in supporting the social and cultural appropriateness of social studies lessons. In multicultural classrooms, the materials used should represent a wide range of cultural, social, and linguistic backgrounds. This includes books and visuals, dolls and play figures, and community role-play materials.

Books and Visuals

Ensure that classroom books, posters, and other materials reflect diverse cultural groups, family structures, and community roles. Avoid materials that reinforce stereotypes or oversimplified portrayals of culture.

Dolls and Play Figures

Provide dolls and action figures representing a variety of ethnicities, family structures, and professions, so children can engage with diverse experiences.

Community Role Play

​​​​​

Materials such as costumes, props, and picture cards should represent various roles within the community, such as firefighters, doctors, teachers, and police officers, from different cultural perspectives.

By offering a balanced selection of classroom materials, educators can prevent the reinforcement of cultural stereotypes and instead promote a more accurate and inclusive representation of society.

Suggested Strategies for Culturally Responsive Social Studies

Here are some practical strategies for planning culturally responsive social studies activities that integrate developmental, cultural, and linguistic appropriateness:

1. Use Family Input: Encourage family participation by learning about the child's home environment, family traditions, and cultural practices. This can be achieved through home visits, family surveys, or collaborative projects.
2. Incorporate Multilingual Elements: Introduce vocabulary from different languages and cultures. For example, when teaching about community helpers, include the names of professions in multiple languages spoken by the children in the classroom. This allows children to see the value of their own languages and the languages of their peers.
3. Celebrate Cultural Events and Holidays: Integrate cultural events and holidays into your lessons. Recognize not only national holidays but also holidays significant to different cultural groups in the classroom. Encourage children to share their family celebrations and traditions with the class.
4. Use Diverse Perspectives: When teaching about communities, include perspectives from various cultural, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Use stories and case studies that represent a wide range of experiences from diverse cultural backgrounds.
5. Build Community Connections: Arrange activities where children learn about their own neighborhoods, including local businesses, community centers, and local government. Encourage them to ask questions and explore community roles through interviews with local figures such as police officers, firefighters, and shop owners.

Preschool Vignette: Exploring Our Neighborhood and Community Helpers

Setting

A preschool classroom in a multicultural neighborhood. The children, aged 3 to 5 years, speak English, Spanish, Somali, and Arabic. Ms. Lee is introducing the concept of community helpers and neighborhood roles.

Context

Ms. Lee plans to use social studies to help children understand the importance of community helpers and their roles within society. The activity will engage children in exploring their neighborhoods and the people who help them.

Developmental Goals

Cognitive Skills: Children understand roles within a community and how these roles help others.

Social Skills: Role-playing encourages cooperation and communication.

Language Development: Children learn community-related vocabulary in English and their home languages.

Cultural Awareness: Respecting each child's cultural background by discussing community helpers they are familiar with at home.

Activity

Ms. Lee gathers the children on the rug, displaying pictures of community helpers, such as firefighters, doctors, and police officers. She says:

"Today, we are going to learn about the people who help us in our neighborhoods! Who can tell me about someone who helps you in your neighborhood?"

The children respond eagerly with different answers, such as:

Liam (in English): "Firefighters!"

Zara (in Somali): "Dhakhtar!" (Doctor)

Mateo (in Spanish): "Maestra!" (Teacher)

Amira (in Arabic): "Mumarid!" (Nurse)

Ms. Lee praises each child’s response, repeating the names in both English and their home languages.

Hands-on Exploration

Ms. Lee asks the children to role-play community helpers using props. She demonstrates how to act out being a firefighter, doctor, or teacher.

"Let's pretend to be doctors! Can we use our tools to help someone feel better?"

As the children participate in the role-playing, Ms. Lee encourages them to ask questions about the community helpers they are role-playing.

Cultural and Linguistic Integration

Ms. Lee asks the children about the community helpers they see in their homes or communities.

Ms. Lee to Amira: "Amira, who helps you at home?"

Amira (in Arabic): "My mom helps me with everything!"

Ms. Lee: "That’s wonderful! Moms are always ready to help!"

Reflection and Sharing

After the activity, Ms. Lee gathers the children together to reflect on their favorite community helper.

"Which community helper did you enjoy pretending to be the most? Why?"

Liam (in English): "I like being the firefighter!"

Zara (in Somali): "I like being the doctor!"

Mateo (in Spanish): "I like being the teacher!"

Amira (in Arabic): "I like being the nurse!"

Outcome

By the end of the activity, the children have gained a deeper understanding of the roles of community helpers and their importance in society. They have practiced using community-related vocabulary in both English and their home languages, fostering language development. The role-playing activity has encouraged cooperation and communication among the children, enhancing their social skills. Additionally, the discussion of community helpers familiar to each child's cultural background has promoted cultural awareness and respect.

Toddler Vignette: Who Lives in Our Neighborhood?

Setting

A toddler classroom where children, aged 1 to 3 years, are introduced to basic community concepts.

Context

Ms. Sanchez introduces toddlers to the idea of community, focusing on the people they see around their homes and neighborhood.

Developmental Goals

Cognitive Skills: Toddlers begin to understand the idea of a community and the roles of different people.

Social Skills: The activity encourages toddlers to use social vocabulary in a group setting.

Language Development: Toddlers practice identifying and naming community-related items and people in both English and their home languages.

Activity

Ms. Sanchez shows pictures of neighborhood scenes and asks the children to name what they see.

"Can you see the doctor? Where does the dog live? Let’s put the dog in the park!"

As the children interact with the pictures and toys, Ms. Sanchez provides gentle guidance.

Outcome

By the end of the activity, toddlers have started to grasp the concept of community and the roles of different people within it. They have practiced using social vocabulary in a group setting, enhancing their social skills. The activity has also supported language development by encouraging toddlers to identify and name community-related items and people in both English and their home languages. Overall, the activity has provided a foundation for understanding their neighborhood and the people who help them.

Infant Vignette: Exploring Our Family and Community

Setting

An infant classroom with babies aged 6 to 12 months, including children from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds such as English, Spanish, Somali, and Arabic. The teacher, Ms. Nguyen, is facilitating an engaging activity designed to introduce the concept of family and community to the infants through simple, sensory-rich experiences that promote early social development.

Context

Ms. Nguyen aims to create an activity that introduces infants to the idea of family, community, and connection in a developmentally appropriate way. The focus is on sensory experiences that help build social and emotional awareness. This activity will engage infants in recognizing familiar faces, hearing words associated with family members, and experiencing the warmth of connection with caregivers and peers. The activity aligns with the principles of Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP), Head Start ELOF, and WMELS.

Developmental Goals

Cognitive Skills: Infants begin to understand the idea of family and community through sensory experiences.

Social Skills: The activity encourages infants to engage with caregivers and peers, promoting early social development.

Language Development: Infants are exposed to words associated with family members in both English and their home languages.

Emotional Awareness: Sensory-rich experiences help infants build emotional connections with their caregivers and peers.

Activity

Ms. Nguyen begins by gathering the infants on a soft mat, where they can see pictures of family members, including images of parents, siblings, and caregivers, as well as pictures of community members such as neighbors and pets. She speaks softly as she holds up a large picture of a family smiling together.

"Look, everyone! Here is a picture of a family. Do you see the mommy and daddy?

Here is a baby, too. Babies like you!"

The infants look at the image with curiosity. Ms. Nguyen gently points to each family member in the picture, repeating the words in both English and the infants’ home languages.

Ms. Nguyen (in English): "Here is mommy. And here is daddy. Can you see the baby?"

Ms. Nguyen (in Spanish): "Aquí está mamá. Y aquí está papá. ¿Puedes ver el bebé?"

Ms. Nguyen (in Somali): "Halkan waxaa ku jira hooyo. Iyo halkan waa aabe. Ma arki kartaa ilmaha?"

Ms. Nguyen (in Arabic): "هنا أمي. وهنا أبي. هل ترى الطفل؟"

As she speaks, she gently touches the infant's hands or points to their faces, reinforcing the connection between the words and the images.

Sensory and Emotional Engagement

Ms. Nguyen then brings out soft, plush family dolls that resemble the characters in the pictures. She gently places them in the infants' laps or lets them hold the dolls. She speaks softly:

"This is a mommy doll. This is a daddy doll. And this is a baby doll."

She encourages the infants to feel the soft fabric of the dolls.

Ms. Nguyen (in English): "Can you feel how soft the mommy is? Feel her hair. It’s so soft, just like mommy’s hugs!"

Ms. Nguyen (in Arabic): "هل تشعرون بنعومة دمية الأم؟ إنها ناعمة مثل عناق الأم!" (Can you feel how soft the mommy doll is? It’s soft like mommy’s hugs!)

Cultural and Linguistic Connections

Ms. Nguyen acknowledges the cultural diversity of the infants by using simple words from their home languages to reinforce the concept of family. For example, she introduces the word 'family' in each language:

Ms. Nguyen (in Somali): "This is your qoys (family)."

Ms. Nguyen (in Arabic): "هذا هو al-‘aaila (family)."

Ms. Nguyen (in Spanish): "Esta es tu familia."

Ms. Nguyen (in English): "Home is where we live with our family, and where we feel safe."

Interactive Play

Ms. Nguyen then places a large mirror in front of the infants. She gently holds each infant in front of the mirror and says:

"Look, who do you see? That’s you! You are part of your family!"

She encourages the infants to explore their reflection, promoting self-recognition, which is an important aspect of their early social-emotional development.

- Ms. Nguyen (in English): "You’re looking at yourself! You are special, and you belong to a family."

- Ms. Nguyen (in Arabic): "أنت ترى نفسك! أنت جزء من عائلتك!" (You are looking at yourself! You are part of your family!)

Reflection and Emotional Connection

As the activity draws to a close, Ms. Nguyen gently picks up each infant and cuddles them, softly speaking the names of family members.

"You are part of a big family that loves you, and they take care of you. Do you know who loves you the most? Mommy and daddy!"

Outcome

By the end of the activity, the infants have experienced a sensory-rich introduction to the concept of family and community. They have been exposed to both visual and tactile representations of family members, while also hearing familiar words in their home languages. This activity fosters early social-emotional development, as the infants begin to recognize their connection to their families and gain a sense of self through the mirror. It also supports language development by introducing new words and phrases in a meaningful, interactive way.

Conclusion

In conclusion, creating developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate learning experiences in early childhood education is essential for fostering an inclusive, respectful, and effective learning environment. By applying Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) and incorporating culturally responsive strategies, educators can create meaningful social studies lessons that honor children's diverse backgrounds and developmental needs. Through intentional use of materials, family engagement, and language inclusion, teachers can nurture children's understanding of their communities and cultures. These strategies not only support cognitive and social development but also encourage a sense of belonging and respect for diversity, setting the foundation for lifelong learning and empathy.

Social and Emotional Development

Learning Objectives

By the end of the chapter, you should be able to:

• Explain how social-emotional development lays the foundation for and is interrelated with all other domains and areas of development
• Describe the foundations in social and emotional development that high-quality early childhood programs support
• Discuss how the environment contributes to children’s social and emotional development
• Identify ways educators can support children’s social and emotional development
• Summarize ways to engage families in the curriculum for social and emotional development

Social-emotional development indicates how preschool children acquire the social skills, self-awareness, and personal qualities that are interconnected with learning in a classroom. Why is social-emotional development important to early learning?

• Many social-emotional qualities—such as curiosity, self-confidence as a learner, self-control of attention, thinking, and impulses, and initiative in developing new ideas—are essential to learning at any age. Learning, problem solving, and creativity rely on these social-emotional and motivational qualities as well as basic cognitive skills.
• When learning occurs in groups, such as in preschool classrooms or family child care programs, the social environment significantly influences how learning occurs. When young children enjoy interacting with adults and other children, they are more enthusiastic about activities and participate more.
• The interest and enthusiasm of others fuel the child’s own excitement about learning, and children are also motivated by others’ acknowledgment of the child’s accomplishments.
• Children who have been reported as having the greatest difficulties in learning are hindered by the lack of social-emotional qualities more than by academic concepts.
• The developing brain is not neatly divided into separate areas governing learning, thinking, and emotions. Instead, it is a highly interconnected organ with different regions influencing and being affected by the others. This means, for example, that young children who experience emotional challenges (perhaps because of stress) are less ready for learning because the brain regions related to memory are being affected by other regions governing emotion.

Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): Working constructively with a peer takes a lot of social skills.

Pause to Reflect

What is your reaction to the importance of social and emotional development to children’s learning? Did you already know this information? Do you think most people are aware of this?

Early learning is supported by attention to social-emotional development. Rather than taking time away from activities promoting learning and thinking, attention to the development of self, social interactions, and relationships is an essential component of an early childhood curriculum designed to promote learning in all young children. Here are some guiding principles on how to do that:

• Support social-emotional development with intentionality and ample opportunities to practice skills
• Attend to the impact of overall program design on social-emotional development (how you group children, what you model, etc.)
• Utilize curriculum practices that support healthy social-emotional development, including:
  • Allow many opportunities for practicing social interaction and relationship skills
  • Provide support for the growth of age and developmentally appropriate self-regulation abilities
  • Encourage curiosity and initiative
  • Provide each child with a network of nurturing, dependable adults who will actively support and scaffold his or her learning in a group setting
• The most effective approach is play-based active learning

Here are some additional strategies to support children’s social and emotional development:

• Create a program environment and daily routines that offer children opportunities for responsible and cooperative roles in the classroom or family child care community.
• Model desirable behavior and attitudes in interactions with children and other adults.
• Use the family culture to create bridges between the program and the home, supporting children’s pride in their family experience and understanding individual differences in background and viewpoint.
• Enlist adults as active co-explorers in children’s chosen activities.
• Encourage children’s ideas, initiative, and contributions to shared activities.
• Attentively observe children as they play to understand each child’s needs, interests, strengths, and areas of growth in social-emotional development.
• Establish developmentally and culturally appropriate expectations for children’s behavior, especially expectations for self-control and self-regulation.
• Narrate for children what they are observed doing and expressing, providing language to describe their thoughts and feelings, and to clarify others’ feelings.
• Provide specific feedback to children about their efforts, reinforcing their choices that support learning and linking their actions to outcomes.
• Coach and guide children’s behavior by using positive, respectful phras­ing and tone to prompt problem solving and to give brief instructions and reminders.
• Help children understand social cues (facial expressions, body language, tone of voice). This can be fostered by simply allowing the children to freely play with their peers (learning through experience), or by modeling your thought processes by thinking out loud (“I wonder what it means when Hayden is crying?”)

Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\): Children’s emotions sometimes look like this. But with adult support, they can learn to self-regulate.

The physical environment provides young children with expectations for behavior. When educators are mindful of the aesthetics, organization, and function of each area in the space, challenging behavior is likely to decrease while constructive, cooperative behavior increases.

A program’s vision for learning and philosophy of care dictate how an environment is designed. For example, if the curriculum is based on the view that children are competent directors of their learning, educators develop a physical setting and activities that reflect children’s emerging interests and provide easy access to meaningful play materials. Shelves for manipulatives and other materials are near the floor where children can easily reach them. Special areas in the room are designed for individual, small-group, and larger-group interactions. Play materials and other materials are carefully selected to reflect children’s emerging interests, as observed in the context of play and conversation. In this environment, adult-child interactions can expand children’s questions and comments.

High-quality learning environments set the stage for social-emotional exploration and growth. When children are presented with a warm, inviting, and culturally familiar environment, they feel comfortable and secure. The attractive spaces adults prepare for children communicate expectations of responsibility and cooperative care (we all play in and care for this beautiful place together).

Figure \(\PageIndex{4}\): This classroom sends clear messages about how children are to play with the materials and each other.

Preparing a variety of learning areas with open-ended materials encourages each child to participate in meaningful play experiences that match their temperaments and abilities. Incorporating elements from the home creates an atmosphere of community while simultaneously acknowledging the presence of individuals.

A physical environment that supports social-emotional learning has the following characteristics:

• Challenging and developmentally appropriate materials
• An ample supply of materials
• Appropriately sized small-group activities
• A variety of small-group activities within a range of adult supervision
• Aesthetically appealing
• Spaces to be with others and spaces to be alone
• Furnishings and materials accessible to children
• Displays of children’s work
• Space for children’s belongings
• Reflective of diversity
• Space for arrivals and departures
• Supportive of children’s active engagement
• Outdoor areas supportive of social-emotional development

Just as the physical environment helps young children successfully meet the social-emotional demands of the curri­cu­lum, so, too, does the design of the daily schedule. Young children are better able to manage themselves and their relationships when daily routines and activities are predictable, transitions are signaled and supported, and there is a balance between relatively active and relatively quiet play and between group and individual activities. In the sections that follow, strategies to support social-emotional development are described in detail.

Helping Children Cope with Stress

Teachers in an early childhood education program are often the first people outside the family to become aware that a young child may be experiencing overwhelming stress. They may notice a child who reacts with uncharacteristic aggression to a peer’s comment that would not bother another child, or they may notice that a child has become unusually quiet and withdrawn lately. Young children convey their stress in individualized ways: some are emotionally over-reactive, while others are emotionally over-controlled; some become clingy, others withdrawn; some become provocative and defiant. A common characteristic is that young children under stress exhibit a marked change from their ordinary behavior. They often lose their capacity for competence and self-control that they previously had. When teachers observe these changes in a child, it can be helpful to consult with parents to discover whether recent events have created challenges that children are having difficulty managing. Often, these challenges arise from within the family.

How can teachers assist young children under stress? One of the most important things they can do is provide the child with a predictable, safe haven where children can feel secure. Teachers can create a comfortable and comforting everyday routine that is child-centered, individualized, responsive, and helpfully structured to give young children a sense of control and predictability that may be lacking in other aspects of the child’s life. Central to these efforts is providing children with supportive adult relationships that are reliable and helpful. This may be more difficult than one would expect because young children under stress often test these relationships to see whether teachers and other adults will remain responsive to them even when children act defiantly or negatively.

Figure \(\PageIndex{5}\): A teacher who cares makes a difference.

In some circumstances, it can be helpful for teachers to obtain the advice of an early childhood mental health consultant who can observe the child in the classroom, talk with the teacher about the child’s behavior, and suggest strategies for providing supportive assistance. Early childhood mental health consultants can be valuable resources to an early childhood education program. They can help teachers provide much-needed support to young children who may not have other such sources of support elsewhere in their lives.

Pause to Reflect

What environments make you feel most socially and emotionally competent? How do you deal with your stress? Why should you be thinking about those things as a teacher?

The domain of social-emotional development encompasses three areas or strands:

• self
• social interaction
• relationships

Supporting Children’s Developing Self

Early learning deeply engages the self. Most preschool children approach learning opportunities with enthusiasm and self-confidence, excited by the prospect of a new discovery. Their successes (and occasional failures) shape their sense of what they can do and sometimes drive their efforts to acquire new skills. Their achievements and occasional disappointments also provoke the responses of others—adults and peers—that further influence children’s self-concept and self-confidence. Young children value learning for themselves because it is valued by the people who matter to them.

In a preschool program, learning is a social activity. Therefore, preschool children’s success in learning depends on their capacity to understand and participate constructively in the social environment. Early childhood is a period of rapid growth in social and emotional understanding in which the children’s capacity for empathy and caring is also developing. This is also a period of growth in self-regulation as young children are acquiring skills for sustaining their attention, focusing their thinking and problem-solving, managing their behavioral impulses, and controlling their emotions. Even so, lapses in self-regulation are as apparent as young children’s successes, and developmentally appropriate expectations for children’s self-control are essential.

Figure \(\PageIndex{6}\): This group of children is working together, with their teacher, to connect these pieces.

Therefore, a thoughtfully designed preschool curriculum that supports social-emotional development devotes considerable attention to the direct and indirect ways that children’s classroom experiences shape the development of self.

The foundations for Self include those for self-awareness, self-regulation, social and emotional understanding, empathy and caring, and initiative in learning:

Self

1.0 Self-Awareness

Self-Awareness Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
2.1 Describe their physical characteristics, behavior, and abilities positively.	4.1 Compare their characteristics with those of others and display a growing awareness of their psychological characteristics, such as thoughts and feelings.

2.0 Self-Regulation

Self-Regulation Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
4.2 Need adult guidance in managing their attention, feelings, and impulses, and show some effort at self-control.	2.1 Regulate their attention, thoughts, feelings, and impulses more consistently, although adult guidance is sometimes necessary.

3.0 Social and Emotional Understanding

Social and Emotional Understanding Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
4.3 Seek to understand people’s feelings and behavior, notice diversity in human characteristics, and are interested in how people are similar and different.	4.1 Begin to comprehend the mental and psychological reasons people act as they do and how they contribute to differences between people.

4.0 Empathy and Caring

Empathy and Caring Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
4.4 Demonstrate concern for the needs of others and people in distress.	4.2 Respond to another’s distress and needs with sympathetic caring, and are more likely to assist.

5.0 Initiative in Learning

Initiative in Learning Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
4.5 Enjoy learning and are confident in their abilities to make new discoveries, although, may not persist at solving difficult problems.	4.3 Take greater initiative in making new discoveries, identifying new solutions, and persisting in trying to figure things out.

Teachers can support children’s development of the Self with the following:

• Provide ample space, use child-sized shelves and furnishings, and adapt materials to make all learning areas and activities accessible
• Designate learning areas to help children select preferred sites for exploration
• Place active play zones away from quiet areas to better support children in their choices for play
• Make use of adaptive tools and play materials to help the autonomous exploration of children with special needs
• Attentively observe individual children during a variety of activities
• Incorporate artwork and play materials that reflect children’s home cultures
• Describe aloud for children observations of what they do and express as they play, explore, and participate in group activities
• Compare aloud children’s past and present abilities as you observe them
• Give specific feedback to children about their efforts
• Use planned activities and children's observations to draw attention to people’s similarities and differences, including preferences and feelings
• Set up opportunities to practice problem-solving with children who have not yet developed those skills
• Use appropriately stimulating aesthetic elements such as soothing colors, natural woods and fibers, and soft textures
• Eliminate or reduce background noise to help children attend to what you want them to hear
• Model behavior and attitudes that are warm, respectful, and caring
• Maintain developmentally appropriate expectations for preschool children’s behavior
• Guide and coach children’s behavior
• Prompt and guide desired behavior
• Reinforce children’s good choices and link their actions to positive outcomes
• Provide a consistent but flexible daily routine
• Alternate between active and quiet activities
• Time group experiences to match children’s developing attention spans, social skills, and self-control
• Introduce children to relaxation exercises
• Plan developmentally appropriate transitions
• Play games with rules periodically to help children learn to focus their attention and regulate their impulses to achieve a goal
• Observe the levels of social and emotional understanding that children already have
• Label the emotions people express and communicate with children about what may be provoking those feelings
• Discuss characteristics openly and answer their questions about differences, being thoughtful to counter stereotypes by using concrete examples
• Make use of the experiences and emotions of characters in stories
• Acknowledge and express appreciation for children’s empathic responses
• Encourage empathy and caring for the natural world, including plants and animals
• Model curiosity and enthusiasm when you learn new things
• Engage in play and exploration with children instead of simply supervising their activities
• Provide ample time for free exploration, scheduling play and exploration periods of at least one uninterrupted hour at a time
• Help children generate ideas for solving problems they encounter
• Model persistence during challenging tasks; explaining that unsuccessful attempts to do something are not failures, but simply steps toward learning what will work

Figure \(\PageIndex{7}\): Careful planning will ensure that group times are just the right length.

Pause to Reflect

There were a lot of strategies listed for teachers to help support children’s developing sense of self. What are the top five that stood out to you? Are there any that you are unsure about?

Vignettes

A child in a wheelchair enters the housekeeping area, where three children are pretending to be a family. They have dishes on the table and dolls in the doll bed. The child in the wheelchair moves closer to the table and tries to join the play, but cannot get close enough. After a few minutes, one of the children takes some dishes and puts them on the wheelchair tray. The two children play together. Mr. Luke comments, “I like your idea to use Andy’s tray as a table.”

---

Chloe cries in Ms. Julia’s arms. Ms. Julia pats her back softly and communicates soothingly. “It sounds like that hurt. You can tell Paz you don’t like that. Say, ‘I don’t like that, Paz.’” Chloe tucks her injured arm in toward Ms. Julia’s body, shakes her head slowly side to side, and looks out warily at Paz. Paz stands close with her head lowered. “Chloe is upset because you pinched her arm. It hurt her quite a bit. Is there something you think we could do to help her feel better, Paz?” asks Ms. Julia.

Paz responds softly, “Sorry, Chloe,” and reaches forward to hug Chloe.

Chloe whimpers and clings more closely to Ms. Julia. “When a friend is hurt, giving a hug often helps. I guess Chloe isn’t ready for a hug right now. Thank you for trying, Paz. Maybe we can ask her again later.”

Supporting Children’s Social Interaction

Group learning always involves social interaction. The ease and skill with which children interact with adults and peers (in a preschool classroom or family child care program) and the competence with which they assume their roles and responsibilities as group members significantly influence how they learn. The development of these skills in the preschool years is a foundation for children’s capacity to be socially skilled and competent classroom members in the primary grades.

For some children, unfor­tunately, difficulties in social interaction, because children are timid and inhibited, are aggressive or disruptive, struggle with being cooperative, or have physical or behavioral characteristics that often result in them being excluded, can pose significant obstacles to benefiting from social interactions with adults and peers. For them and all children, attention to social interaction skills can be a signifi­cant contribution to preschool children’s learning in early childhood classrooms.

Figure \(\PageIndex{8}\): This teacher stays close to support children as they navigate the problem-solving of both the computer program and working together.

A thoughtfully designed preschool curriculum that supports social-emotional development devotes considerable attention, therefore, to the direct and indirect ways that classroom experiences shape the growth of children’s social interaction skills. This includes interactions with adults, peers, and in groups, as well as cooperation and responsibility.

1.0 Interactions with Familiar Adults

Interactions with Familiar Adults Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
1.1 Interact with familiar adults comfortably and competently, especially in familiar settings.	1.1 Participate in longer and more reciprocal interactions with familiar adults and take greater initiative in social interaction.

2.0 Interactions with Peers

Interactions with Peers Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
2.1 Interact easily with peers in shared activities that occasionally become cooperative efforts.	2.1 More actively and intentionally cooperate with one another.
2.2 Participate in simple sequences of pretend play.	2.2 Create more complex sequences of pretend play that involve planning, coordination of roles, and cooperation.
2.3 Seek assistance in resolving peer conflict, especially when disagreements have escalated into physical aggression.	2.3 Negotiate with each other, seeking adult assistance when needed, and increasingly use words to respond to conflict. Disagreements may be expressed with verbal taunting in addition to physical aggression.

3.0 Group Participation

Group Participation Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
3.1 Participate in group activities and are beginning to understand and cooperate with social expectations, group rules, and roles.	3.1 Participate positively and cooperatively as group members.

4.0 Cooperation and Responsibility

Cooperation and Responsibility Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
4.1 Seek to cooperate with adult instructions, but their capacities for self-control are limited, especially when they are frustrated or upset.	4.1 Have growing capacities for self-control and are motivated to cooperate to receive adult approval and think approvingly of themselves.

Teachers can support children’s development of the social interaction foundations with the following:

• Get to know and create a warm and secure relationship with each child

• Be at the child’s level as much as possible

• Initiate conversations with children about their activities and experiences

• Describe what you see children doing with comments or questions that they can respond to

• Provide specific feedback to children about their efforts instead of general words of praise

• Show respect for cultural differences in your expectations of adult–child communication

• Encourage children to see familiar adults as resources and become comfortable asking for help and support

• Model effective and respectful interaction by joining pairs or groups of children as they play and work together

• Incorporate play materials that promote and encourage peer play

• Suggest extensions for children’s cooperative play

• Coach young children, step by step, as they learn conflict resolution skills

• Use books, puppet stories, and group discussions to reinforce children’s social interaction skills

• Plan for project work, based on children’s emerging interests, in pairs and small groups

• Plan large-group gatherings with flexibility

• Rehearse and prompt desired responses

• Acknowledge positive choices

• Build a sense of community through planned group experiences

• Arrange spaces for focused small-group work and effective large-group meetings

• Be thoughtful about group sizes

• Prepare materials ahead of time

• Incorporate nonverbal prompts to remind children of routines and expectations

• Ensure that adult expectations for children’s behavior are developmentally appropriate

• Move beyond rules to expectations to emphasize guiding principles or values

• Enlist children’s participation in creating examples of school or classroom expectations

• Focus on building a sense of classroom community

• Refer children to each other, instead of to an adult, for assistance to facilitate connections

Figure \(\PageIndex{9}\): How do you think these children are going to navigate this conflict of wanting the same thing? 

As children mature, they can better understand the perspectives of other people and can negotiate more constructively with peers to resolve conflicts.

Table 4.3.1: Developmental Sequence of Conflict Negotiation

Level	Description of Level
Beginning level	Children can express to each other (using words, actions, or facial expressions) their desires, but adults need to provide ideas for resolving disputes.
Next level	Children begin to use appropriate words and actions to express their perspectives and desires to each other and seek adults' help during disputes.
Next level	Children not only express their own needs and desires to each other during a conflict, but can also suggest simple solutions based on their own perspectives.
Mature or proficient level	Children can consider each other’s perspectives when there is a disagreement and can suggest and agree on some mutually acceptable solutions.

Vignettes

Ju-Hye paints her palms and fingers with a rainbow of colors. With focused concentration, she slowly pushes her palm onto a piece of paper where she has already painted a “stem.” She lifts up her hand quickly. Ju-Hye smiles widely and then picks up her paper to show Ms. Betty, who is playing on the floor with two babies. Ms. Betty looks up and responds with a grin: “You finished your flower. You worked hard at mixing colors to make the color of green you wanted for your stem.”

---

Lucas stands close to his caregiver, Ms. Mai, who is sitting in the block area. Ms. Mai observes Lucas watching his peers at play as they build a large train. “This train is getting really big,” she comments to Lucas with a soft smile and a gentle hand on his back. Lucas nods his head slowly. “I wonder if Martin needs a helper. He said he is the engineer, but an engineer needs a conductor. Would you like to hand out and collect tickets?” 

Lucas nods his head again and reaches for Ms. Mai’s hand as she gets up to move closer to the train. Ms. Mai provides Lucas with her hand and another reassuring smile. “You could let Martin know you want to help. Tell Martin, ‘I can collect the tickets.’” 

Lucas pauses and then mumbles (or signs), “Martin, I can collect tickets.” 

“You all look like you are having fun over here. Lucas wants to help, too. Where are the tickets for Lucas to pass out to your riders?” restates Ms. Mai. 

“Oh! Over there,” responds Martin, pointing over to the basket of torn pieces of paper. 

“Thanks, Martin, for your help. Lucas, let’s go get the tickets and hand them to our friends. I think these builders will want to fill the train with passengers,” observes Ms. Mai excitedly. 

Pause to Reflect

One of the most challenging aspects of caring for and educating groups of young children can be helping them develop socially appropriate ways to express themselves and get their needs met. How skilled do you feel you would be in helping children develop conflict resolution skills? Why?

Supporting Children’s Relationships 

Relationships shape young children’s learning. From infancy, parent–child and family relationships guide and motivate children’s love for discovery and learning and provide a secure foundation for the growth of exploration and self-confidence. In the classroom, special adults and friends make preschool an inviting place for children. The teacher is a bridge for the child, connecting her to relationships at home and in the classroom. Young children’s close relationships contribute in concert to the growth of early learning.

Figure \(\PageIndex{10}\): These children are proud of the structure they built with blocks.

Relationships 

1.0 Attachment to Parents

Attachment to Parents Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
1.1 Seek security and support from their primary family attachment figures.	1.1 Take greater initiative in seeking support from their primary family attachment figures.
1.2 Contribute to maintaining positive relationships with their primary family attachment figures.	1.2 Contribute to positive cooperation with their primary family attachment figures.
1.3 After experience with out-of-home care, manage departures and separations from primary family attachment figures with the teacher’s assistance.	1.3 After experiencing out-of-home care, comfortably depart from their primary family attachment figures. Also, maintain well-being while apart from primary family attachment figures during the day.

2.0 Close Relationships with Teachers and Caregivers

Close Relationships with Teachers and Caregivers Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
2.1 Seek security and support from their primary teachers and caregivers.	2.1 Take greater initiative in seeking the support of their primary teachers and caregivers.
2.2 Contribute to maintaining positive relationships with their primary teachers and caregivers.	2.2 Contribute to positive cooperation with their primary teachers and caregivers.

3.0 Friendships

Friendships Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
3.1 Choose to play with one or two special peers whom they identify as friends.	3.1 Friendships are more reciprocal, exclusive, and enduring.

Teachers can support children’s development of relationships with the following:

• Establish a warm and collaborative relationship with each child’s family

• Talk with children regularly about their families

• Create predictable arrival and departure routines

• Communicate frequently with family members about children’s preschool activities, progress, and any concerns you have

• Build and maintain a pattern of warm, nurturing interactions with each child

• Encourage child–adult collaboration in learning

• Plan a program that offers choices of activities and associations with peers

• Provide spaces in the classroom that only accommodate two or three children

• Use ongoing observations to inform your social structuring of experiences

• Use books, puppet plays, and group discussions to identify and reinforce friendship skills

• Communicate with children’s families about their preschool friendships and encourage out-of-school contact with school friends, if possible [20]

Figure \(\PageIndex{11}\): Supporting relationships like this one is an important part of an early educator’s work 

Vignettes

Tanya eagerly comes through the front door and greets caregiver Natalya with her news: “Ms. Natalya, we went to the fair last night, and I got to pet goats and sheeps and chickens, except Papa said to stay back from the ducks, because they have bills that can bite you fast!” 

Ms. Natalya knelt down, and Tanya reached out to her. “Wow, Tanya! You sound really excited about your night at the fair. Did your whole family go, Grandpa too?” she asked, looking at Tanya’s papa, who had accompanied her to the family child care home. Mr. Terebkov smiled and nodded, responding that it had been an enjoyable but late night for all of them. Ms. Natalya prompted Tanya to hug Papa goodbye, and then Tanya reached for Ms. Natalya’s hand as they moved together into the play area. Ms. Natalya asked Tanya more about her favorite part of the county fair.

---

“No, you’re not!” shouts Michelle. “Yes, I am! I’m the Mommy!” screams Lily. 

“Well, you are a Silly Pilly. You’re not my friend anymore,” counters Michelle, standing with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. 

At Michelle’s words, Lily’s lip begins to quiver. Tears form in her eyes as she yells, “I am your friend! I am!” 

Miss Sandra moves over to the confrontation, kneels between the girls, and says with concern, “You both look really upset. Something is wrong. Can you tell me what is happening?” 

“She said I am not her friend!” exclaims Lily, trying to overcome her tears. 

“She is being a mean-y pants. I don’t like her,” says Michelle. 

“It sounds like both of you have hurt feelings. Being friends with someone means that sometimes we disagree, and we get mad or sad. It sounds like that is happening right now. What can we do?” 

“I am going to play with David,” huffs Michelle as she marches off. 

Lily leans into Miss Sandra. Miss Sandra considers what she knows about each child’s temperament before responding: “It’s tricky sometimes with friends. Why don’t we take a little break from playing with Michelle? I’ll bet she will be ready to play later when you are both feeling better.” Miss Sandra helps Lily get involved in a new activity and then makes a mental note to check with each child’s parent at departure time. 

Pause to Reflect

Separating from parents is challenging for both children and families. How can you support children and the adults with whom they are attached through this transition? Some of the strategies above are a great starting place.

Engaging Families 

Teachers can make the following suggestions to families to facilitate their support of the visual and performing arts for their children:

• Share stories about when they were babies and the ways they have grown and changed.

• Share ideas about the many ways people can be the same and different.

• Model constructive coping strategies when frustrated.

• Wonder aloud about how characters in a book might be feeling and why.

• Help children find a balance between vigorous activity and calm and focused times.

• Have conversations with children about things they are thinking, planning, and doing.

• Encourage children to work out a disagreement with a sibling or friend by suggesting to each other ideas for solving the problem. Remind children to consider each other’s needs and feelings as they choose a solution to try. Stay close by to help children as they practice using words to resolve a conflict.

• Ask children for help with household chores or projects. Discuss, while working together, some things each person can do to help the family.

• Emphasize to children the family’s values about such things as cooperation, teamwork, good manners, and kindness toward other people.

• Start a special good-bye ritual to use with a preschool child every day. A predictable routine is reassuring and makes the transition easier.

• Find at least a few minutes every day to spend as special time with each child (read a book, run an errand, complete a chore together, etc.

• Recognize that opportunities out of school to play with other children build positive social skills. 

Figure \(\PageIndex{12}\): Books are a wonderful way to share examples and create discussion about social and emotional development. (Your Village is licensed by CC BY-3.0)

Conclusion 

The heart of a curriculum that nurtures children’s social-emotional development is play. A play-based, active learning approach allows many opportunities for practicing social interaction and relationship skills. It provides support for the growth of age- and developmentally appropriate self-regulation abilities. It encourages children’s own curiosity and initiative. Finally, play in a well-planned early learning program provides each child with a network of nurturing, dependable adults who will actively support and scaffold their learning in a group setting.

Figure \(\PageIndex{13}\): Play provides opportunities for children to practice their developing social skills (Community Playthings is used with permission)

To be effective in accomplishing early learning goals, an active, play-based program must allow children to freely choose and pursue interests and activities, both alone and with others. It must encourage them to translate their own thoughts, ideas, and preferences into new activities and experiments. It must give them access to these opportunities for activity and exploration in a thoughtfully planned environment for a substantial portion of each preschool day. And most importantly, it must be planned and led by teachers who actively participate as co-explorers in children’s chosen activities. In this context, play is essential and is enhanced if materials are available to encourage creativity and problem solving, and if teachers are attentive to the social interactions that surround children’s play. This active, enthusiastic engagement of children and adults together in a learning community can lead to dramatic growth in children’s social-emotional understandings and competencies and their readiness for the challenges of school.

History and Social Science

Learning Objectives

By the end of the section, you should be able to: Explain how history and social sciences are appropriate to plan for in early childhood education programs.

• Describe the foundations in history and social science that high-quality early childhood education programs support
• Discuss how the environment supports children’s understanding and participation in history and social science
• Identify ways educators can support children’s engagement in and understanding of history and social science.
• Summarize ways to engage families in the curriculum for history and social science.

For many educators of young children, the terms history and social sciences conjure up images of children studying past presidents, learning about other countries, and exploring related topics during the primary school years. Yet, a look at young children’s emerging sense of identity, their growing interest in the larger social world in which they live, and their developing understanding of time and place shows that history and social sciences are relevant to them also.

Figure \(\PageIndex{14}\): Early childhood education programs are Social Science in action.

Young children are natural historians when they talk about their experiences and enjoy hearing family stories of “long ago.” They are intuitive geographers when they recognize the route to the grocery store and create a map of the preschool room. Children are simple ecologists when they worry about a plant that is wilted or a bird’s egg on a nature walk. They learn about democracy through their participation in shared decision-making and taking turns on the playground. Their interactions with other children acquaint them with the diversity in culture, languages, backgrounds, and abilities in society. Young children are also everyday economists as they begin to understand how money, bartering, and exchange work in the world around them.

Preschoolers’ understanding of history and social sciences naturally derives from their expanding knowledge of the world and their place in it. It also provides a foundation for the study of history, culture, geography, economics, civics and citizenship, ecology, and the global environment that begins in the primary grades and continues throughout life. Those topics are important because they provide a basis for understanding the responsibilities of citizens in a democratic society, the legacy of past generations who built society, the importance of caring for the natural world, and the rich diversity of other people.

In preschool, they are introduced to these important issues through everyday activities such as caring for a plant, remembering a recent trip to the zoo, deciding as a group on a name for the class pet, creating a shoe store, engaging in imaginative play with adult roles, or sharing family traditions from home. In other words, young children learn about history and social sciences from personal experiences, as they are enrolled in a preschool curriculum, and also from their experiences at home.

A thoughtfully designed early childhood program includes many activities that contribute to children’s understanding of history and social sciences. Some activities are carefully planned by a teacher to help children learn about weather patterns, bartering for goods and services, responsibilities as a class member, adult occupations, and many other ideas and concepts. Other activities emerge from the opportunities created by children’s spontaneous interests and a teacher’s capacity to build these into teachable moments. Taken together, they reflect the assumption that young children develop knowledge of history and the social sciences as they are encouraged to enact their understanding in everyday interactions with other children and adults. This knowledge helps young children understand themselves in a wonderfully expanding world. Here are some guiding principles on how to help children gain this knowledge.

• Build a cooperative, inclusive preschool community by ensuring that the curriculum maximizes children’s opportunities to work together in ways that require responsible conduct, fairness, and respect for others.
• Create activities that will actively engage children’s social skills and understanding.
• Affirm children’s home cultures, experiences, and values.
• Build on preschool children’s natural interest in their social world, and in the similarities and differences among the people in it.
• Model social behavior and attitudes with explanations.
• Actively teach and practice the essential skills of democratic participation.
• Encourage children to incorporate their knowledge of adult roles and occupations into their dramatic play.
• Observe and converse with children during play to learn about their current understanding of time and history.
• Help children deepen their sense of place.
• Nurture children’s sense of wonder about nature.

Figure \(\PageIndex{15}\): Part of good citizenship, even in preschool, is using your voice to vote

When planning an environment to support children’s learning in history and social science, effective teachers consider the physical, curricular, and social elements. The physical environment and daily routine set the stage for children’s inquiry and should include ample time for children’s self-initiated work, different spaces for solitary play and for collaborative play, and engaging materials that children are encouraged to use creatively. The curricular plan needs to provide opportunities and adult support for both group learning and informal discovery and skill development. The key to a positive social environment is a teacher who actively models curiosity, openness, and engagement and who is eager to explore the world together with children. An environment that supports children’s learning in history and the social sciences has the following characteristics:

• Extended projects that are centered on a topic in history or social science and emerge from children’s interests and inquiries
• Reflective of diversity, as opposed to a tourist approach, teachers and children participate in authentic experiences with culture
• A balance between child choice and adult direction
• A variety of materials to support children’s inquiry-based learning and practice in the skills of social science
• Materials that connect children to times and places
• Real experiences with nature and other environmental education materials
• Tools and practices for appreciating and caring for the Earth and its resources
• Display of children’s work and experiences
• Dramatic play props and materials that represent firsthand experience with social roles and occupations, as well as consumer actions
• High-quality children’s books with content related to self, family, and community
• Extension of learning into the local community to help children learn in the “here and now” of the world around them
• Family involvement in program planning that is inclusive of community goals and values

Research Highlight – Anti-bias Curriculum Approach

High-quality early childhood programs support children in developing their physical, cognitive, social, and emotional potential. The settings encourage children to explore their sense of self and to develop an awareness and appreciation of others. Such experiences are foundational to becoming positive and constructive members of society and the world.

Creating an inclusive community of learners—one in which all individuals feel comfortable, confident, and competent— requires that educators take an anti-bias approach to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of their program. Educators who embrace an anti-bias curriculum approach reflect on their own identity and experiences. They extend their knowledge of different cultures and communities through conversation and discussion with children, families, and colleagues. They also confront bias in the preschool setting (e.g., “Girls can’t play here” or “His eyes are a funny shape”) to send a message that all children should be respected and that one’s words can hurt other people.

Instead of using a one-size-fits-all curriculum, anti-bias educators design environments and activities that reflect the real experiences of children’s lives. Educators routinely partner with families and community members to further enhance the early childhood program. Throughout the day, the adults in the preschool setting engage children in developmentally appropriate conversations about similarities and differences, and promote justice and fairness for all by helping children think critically about teasing, bullying, and other hurtful behavior. Activities that promote anti-bias education are integrated throughout the daily routine, thereby avoiding a tourist approach. “The heart of anti-bias work is a vision of a world in which all children are able to blossom, and each child’s particular abilities and gifts can flourish.” For more information on the anti-bias approach, refer to Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves, by Louise Derman-Sparks and Julie Olsen Edwards.

Source:

L. Derman-Sparks and J. O. Edwards, Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves (Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2010), 2.

The preschool learning foundations for History and Social Science are organized into five broad categories or strands:

• Self and Society: children’s growing ability to see themselves within the context of society
• Becoming a Preschool Community Member (Civics): Becoming responsible and cooperative members of the preschool community
• Sense of Time (History): developing understanding of past and future events and their association with the present
• Sense of Place (Geography and Ecology): developing knowledge of the physical settings in which children live and how they compare with other locations
• Marketplace (Economics): developing understanding of economic concepts, including the ideas of ownership, money exchanged for goods and services, value and cost, and bartering.

Figure \(\PageIndex{16}\): This child explored aeronautics and space through a mobile exhibit.

Supporting Self and Society

An early childhood education setting acquaints young children with people who have different backgrounds, family practices, languages, cultural experiences, special needs, and abilities. In their relationships with teachers and peers, preschoolers perceive how others are similar to them and how they are different, and gradually they learn to regard these differences with interest and respect rather than wariness or doubt. This is especially likely if early childhood educators incorporate inclusive practices into the preschool environment. The relationships that young children develop with others in the preschool provide opportunities for understanding these differences in depth and in the context of the people whom the child knows well. One of the most valuable features of a thoughtfully designed early childhood program is helping young children to perceive the diversity of human characteristics as part of the richness of living and working with other people.

Young children are beginning to perceive themselves within the broader context of society in another way. Their interest in adult social roles, occupations, and responsibilities motivates pretend play, excitement about visits to places such as a fire station or grocery store, and questions about work and its association with family roles and family income. Teachers can help young children explore these interests as children try to understand the variety of adult roles

1.0 Culture and Diversity

Culture and Diversity Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
1.1 Exhibit developing cultural, ethnic, and racial identity and understand relevant language and cultural practices. Display curiosity about diversity in human characteristics and practices, but prefer those of their own group.	1.1 Manifest stronger cultural, ethnic, and racial identity and greater familiarity with relevant language, traditions, and other practices. Show more interest in human diversity, but strongly favor characteristics of their own group.

2.0 Relationships

Relationships Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
2.1 Interact comfortably with many peers and adults; actively contribute to creating and maintaining relationships with a few significant adults and peers.	2.1 Understand the mutual responsibilities of relationships; take initiative in developing relationships that are mutual, cooperative, and exclusive.

3.0 Social Roles and Occupations

Social Roles and Occupations Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
3.1 Play familiar adult social roles and occupations (such as parent, teacher, and doctor) consistent with their developing knowledge of these roles.	3.1 Exhibit a more sophisticated understanding of a broader variety of adult roles and occupations, but are uncertain how work relates to income.

Teachers can support children’s development of the self and society foundations with the following:

• Practice a reflective approach to build awareness of self and others by examining your own attitudes and values
• Maintain a healthy curiosity about the experiences of others; ask authentic questions to build understanding
• Partner with families in goal setting and program design; learn individual family values and each family’s goals for their child’s care and education
• Prepare an active learning environment that incorporates the full spectrum of the human experience, including diversity of cultures, ethnicities, gender, age, abilities, socioeconomic class, and family structure
• Create an environment, both indoors and outdoors, that is inclusive, meaning every child can fully participate and engage in the learning environment regardless of gender, home language, or abilities
• Address children’s initial comments and inquiries about diversity with honest, direct communication
• Have discussions about similarities and differences
• Sing songs and share stories in different languages
• Plan meaningful and authentic celebrations with the support of the children and families
• Read and talk about books that:
  • Accurately represent the lives and experiences of children
  • Deal with the theme of friendship and relating to others
  • Include images and stories of different workers
• Develop meaningful, nurturing relationships with the children in your program
• Prepare an early learning environment and daily routine that fosters peer interaction
• Support children’s development of interaction strategies and relationship-building skills through:
  • Modeling
  • Explicit instruction during large-group times
  • Coaching and providing prompts
• Offer sensitive guidance through challenges
• Facilitate positive social problem solving
• Provide children with play props for exploring occupations and work settings
• Get to know the workers in your community
• Convey respect for the roles of adults who work at home
• Highlight the roles that elders play in family life and society
• Include the pursuit of further education among work options
• Invite family members to share their work experiences, including those that may diverge from traditional gender roles
• Talk about future career goals
• Visit community stores, businesses, and service providers to observe workers in action

Vignette

“You always get to do the money,” complains Emma. Beck announces, “No, Tommy, I’m the customer. I was here first.” Ella and Maya argue about the pieces of a plastic hamburger: “You can’t have it again. It’s the only one ...” These and similar interactions between children have been typical in the area ever since Ms. Berta added the ”Restaurant” prop box to it.

Now, Ms. Berta is struggling to figure out how to foster more cooperation among children playing in this dramatic play area. The restaurant theme is very popular, but children’s play is currently dominated by arguments over who gets to use which items from the restaurant prop box. Each child seems to be trying, independently, to hoard the most items from the box.

Ms. Berta shares her dilemma with Ms. Galyna, the school’s mentor teacher, who says she can come in for a quick visit during the next day’s play time. She follows her visit with some suggestions that help Ms. Berta rethink the area’s design for the following week.

On Monday, the children entering the area are greeted by a large restaurant sign. A waist-high shelf unit defines the front of the area. On top of it sit two toy cash registers, supplied with ample paper bills, plastic coins, receipt pads, and pencils. A clear plastic jar labeled “Tips” sits in between. On a hook, hang clip-on badges: Cook, Cashier, Server, and Customer. There are several of each. The shelves under the front counter hold stacks of paper, drink cups, and trays. The cooking pans and utensils are clearly displayed on the area’s stove and sink shelves, as are multiples of food items and dishes in the refrigerator and cupboard. The eating table is set for customers.

Ms. Berta begins play time as a restaurant customer, placing her order, asking questions of the employees, and helping the other players think about what a cook, server, or cashier in a restaurant would do. She refers them to each other with their ideas and questions, and soon they are having restaurant conversations with her and with each other “in character.”

Over the next two weeks, the group makes changes and additions to the restaurant. At a class meeting, the group votes to make it a pizza restaurant, and the teacher adds donated pizza rounds that children cover with drawn-on toppings. With Ms. Berta’s help, interested children work in pairs to write and post menus. Several small groups of children remain intensely interested in the theme, and their play in the restaurant area becomes more elaborate and content-rich. With active teacher support and modeling, friends can constructively solve conflicts that occur.

Pause to Reflect

1. What are some of your own biases and “blind spots” about people whose racial or cultural backgrounds are very different from yours?
2. In what ways could you partner with the families to support attitudes of acceptance and inclusion?

Supporting Becoming A Preschool Community Member (Civics)

An early childhood program is a wonderful setting for learning how to get along with others and for understanding and respecting differences between people. It is also an important setting for learning about oneself as a responsible member of the group. In an early childhood education setting, young children are enlisted into responsible citizenship for the first time outside of the family, encouraged to think of themselves as sharing responsibility for keeping the room orderly, cooperating with teachers and peers, knowing what to do during group routines (e.g., circle time), cleaning up after group activities, participating in group decisions, supporting and complying with the rules of the learning community, and acting as citizens of the preschool.

 

Figure \(\PageIndex{17}\): Knowing expected behavior during a large-group time is an important skill. (Jackie is licensed under CC BY 2.0)

Many formal and informal activities of an early childhood education setting contribute to developing the skills of preschool community membership. These include group decision making that may occur during circle time (including voicing opinions, voting on a shared decision, and accepting the judgment of the majority); resolving peer conflict and finding a fair solution; understanding the viewpoints of another with whom one disagrees; respecting differences in culture, race, or ethnicity; sharing stories about acting responsibly or helpfully and the guidance that older children can provide younger children or children with less positive experiences about being a preschool community citizen.

1.0 Skills for Democratic Participation

Skills for Democratic Participation Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
1.1 Identify as members of a group, participate willingly in group activities, and begin to understand and accept responsibility as group members, although assistance is required in coordinating personal interests with those of others.	1.1 Become involved as responsible participants in group activities, with a growing understanding of the importance of considering others’ opinions, group decision making, and respect for majority rules and the views of group members who disagree with the majority.

2.0 Responsible Conduct

Responsible Conduct Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
2.1 Strive to cooperate with group expectations to maintain adult approval and get along with others. Self-control is inconsistent, however, especially when children are frustrated or upset.	2.1 Exhibit responsible conduct more reliably as children develop self-esteem (and adult approval) from being responsible group members. May also manage others’ behavior to ensure that others also fit in with group expectations.

3.0 Fairness and Respect for Other People

Fairness and Respect for Other People Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
3.1 Respond to the feelings and needs of others with simple forms of assistance, sharing, and turn-taking. Understand the importance of rules that protect fairness and maintain order.	3.1 Pay attention to others’ feelings, are more likely to provide assistance, and try to coordinate personal desires with those of other children in mutually satisfactory ways. Actively support rules that protect fairness to others.

4.0 Conflict Resolution

Conflict Resolution Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
4.1 Can use simple bargaining strategies and seek adult assistance when in conflict with other children or adults, although frustration, distress, or aggression also occurs.	4.1 More capable of negotiating, compromising, and finding cooperative means of resolving conflict with peers or adults, although verbal aggression may also result.

Teachers can support children’s development of the civics foundations with the following:

• Share control of the preschool environment with children
• Create community rules with children’s input and plan opportunities to continue discussing them with small- and large-group meetings
• Promote a sense of connection and community by using terms such as “we” and “our” when speaking with children and adults
• Incorporate class meetings into the daily routine of older preschool children
• Support freedom of thought and speech in individual investigations, as well as in planned group experiences
• Generate community rules and expectations to protect the rights of each individual and to create a community of trust and security
• Engage children in community brainstorming and problem-solving
• Make group decisions when appropriate
• Acknowledge emotions related to group brainstorming and decision making
• Model the skills and behavior you want children to exhibit
• Use guidance to redirect children to more appropriate actions and behavior by using positive descriptions of what you expect children to do
• Help children remember and meet community-generated rules and expectations by providing both visual and auditory cues and prompts
• Reinforce the positive actions of children by using descriptive language, emphasizing the positive impact of a child’s actions on others
• Facilitate problem solving
• Create an inclusive environment that values and encourages the participation of children from all cultural and linguistic backgrounds, as well as children with special needs

Figure \(\PageIndex{18}\): Puppets allow children to role-play social situations. (Airman 1^st Class Kevin West, public domain)

• Set the tone for responsible conduct by creating a high-quality learning environment and a thoughtfully scheduled daily routine
• Assign tasks for community care, such as watering plants, feeding program pets, or helping to prepare snacks, to help children practice responsibility
• Discuss the “whys” of fairness and respect
• Teach social skills, such as patience and generosity, by using social stories and role-play experiences
• Intervene and address negative interactions immediately
• Prevent conflicts by limiting program transitions and minimizing waiting time
• Provide children with a calm presence in conflict situations
• Support children’s conflict resolution by
• using descriptive language to help children make sense of conflict
• prompting children with open-ended questions and statements
• facilitating, rather than dictating, the solution process
• Create and refer children to problem-solving kits with visual cues
• Use and discuss books that have storylines around relationships, community, and conflict
• Use “persona dolls” or puppets and social stories to promote skill development and perspective taking

Vignettes

The children gather for circle time, and after the group’s gathering song, Ms. Anya begins dramatically. “Today, I am going to tell you a story about something that just happened in our room.

At the beginning of playtime today, two of our friends, Julia and Javier, told me their plan was to work with the medical kits in the house area. They were going to use the stethoscopes, bandages, and all the other medical tools to take care of the babies. I told them I would plan to visit later to see if their patients were feeling better.

A few minutes later, Julia and Javier hurried over to tell me that all the babies were missing. They had looked all over the clinic and had found no babies! Where do you think they looked?”

The children in the group call out their ideas about all the places the children could have looked. Ms. Anya continues, “You are right. They looked in all those places. No babies. So what did they do next?” Many children around the circle who are now recalling the incident call out, “They asked us to help!” “That’s right,” affirms Ms. Anya. “They know what good problem solvers you are and how good you are at teamwork, so they asked you. Pretty soon, you gave them lots of helpful suggestions of places to look. And did they find the babies?” “Yes!” the children call out. “And where were the baby dolls, Julia and Javier?” “They were out on the porch!” the children respond, laughing.

Ms. Anya concludes the story by repeating, “Yes, you are right. The dolls were out on the porch drying after yesterday’s bath. Thank you all for helping us solve the mystery of the missing baby dolls.”

Pause to Reflect

What are some ways educators can be a good example for children to follow as they learn skills for being members of a community?

Supporting Sense of Time (History)

One of our unique human characteristics is the ability to think of ourselves in relation to past events and to anticipate the future. The ability to see oneself in time enables us to derive lessons from past experiences, understand how we are affected by historical events, and plan for the immediate future (such as preparing a meal) or the long-term (such as obtaining an education). The ability to see oneself in time is also the basis for perceiving one’s own growth and development, and the expectation of future changes in one’s life.

The preschool years are a period of major advances in young children’s understanding of past, present, and future events and how they are interconnected. Yet their ability to understand these interconnections is limited and fragile. Young preschoolers have a strong interest in past events but perceive them as ‟islands in time” that are not well connected to other past events. As they learn more about events of the past, and with the help of adults, children develop a mental timeline in which these events can be placed and related to each other. This is a process that begins during the preschool years and will continue throughout childhood and adolescence.

A thoughtfully designed early childhood program includes many activities that help young children develop a sense of the past and future. The activities may include conversations about a child’s memorable experiences, discussions of a group activity that occurred yesterday, stories about historical events, circle-time activities in anticipation of a field trip tomorrow, and picture boards with the daily schedule in which special events can be distinguished from what normally happens. In these and other ways, teachers help young children construct their own mental timelines.

Figure \(\PageIndex{19}\): Children can share about things meaningful to them (from the past). (By woodleywonderworks, licensed under CC BY 2.0)

1.0 Understanding Past Events

Understanding Past Events Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
1.1 Recall past experiences easily and enjoy hearing stories about the past, but require adult help to determine when past events occurred in relation to each other and to connect them with current experience.	1.1 Show improving ability to relate past events to other past events and current experiences, although adult assistance continues to be important.

2.0 Anticipating and Planning Future Events

Anticipating and Planning Future Events Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
2.1 Anticipate events in familiar situations in the near future, with adult assistance.	2.1 Distinguish when future events will happen, plan for them, and make choices (with adult assistance) that anticipate future needs.

3.0 Personal History

Personal History Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
3.1 Proudly display developing skills to attract adult attention and share simple accounts about recent experiences.	3.1 Compare current abilities with skills at a younger age and share more detailed autobiographical stories about recent experiences.

4.0 Historical Changes in People and the World

Historical Changes in People and the World Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
4.1 Easily distinguish older family members from younger ones (and other people) and events in the recent past from those that happened “long ago,” although they do not readily sequence historical events on a timeline.	4.1 Develop an interest in family history (e.g., when family members were children) as well as events of “long ago,” and begin to understand when these events occurred in relation to each other.

Figure \(\PageIndex{20}\): Developmental Sequence: Sense of Time. (Image by Anthony Flores under CC BY 4.0)

Teachers can support children’s development of the history foundations with the following:

• Use predictable routines to facilitate children’s sense of time
• Incorporate time words into conversation, such as before, after, yesterday, first, next, and later
• Create opportunities to talk with children about meaningful experiences and build connections between current and past events, and to anticipate future events
• Extend and expand on children’s narrative descriptions with language relating to time
• Share your memories of the children’s abilities over time
• Ask questions to increase children’s recollections of events
• Document and display children’s work at their eye level to encourage recall and reflection
• Sing songs, recite poetry, and read books that involve sequencing
• Promote planning as children engage in child-initiated projects
• Acknowledge birthdays, with sensitivity to family preferences
• Provide activities that invite personal reflection
• Make use of children’s stories that explore growth and individual change
• Utilize familiar resources, such as parents, grandparents, family members, close friends, and community members, to share their own childhood experiences
• Read children’s stories about different places and times to expand children’s perspective
• Expose children to the arts
• Observe changes in animals, plants, and the outdoors
• Record significant events on a large calendar to create a program history
• Provide children with hands-on experiences with concrete artifacts and historical objects (e.g., toys, utensils, tools)

Vignettes

At outdoor play time, Mateo hurries over to a large tree limb lying at the edge of the playground. “Look what happened!” he exclaims. “Yeah,” agrees Luis, who had joined him, “the wind did it. It crashed down our big tree, too, right into the street. Some guys are coming to saw it up.” Luis pauses. “My grandma said that tree was really old.” Ms. Sofia, who has followed them to the area, joins the conversation. “Your grandma told me about that when she came with you this morning. It’s a big surprise when a tree that was there just yesterday suddenly isn’t there anymore today, especially when it had been growing there for a long, long time. Things like that can happen fast. What do you think will be different when you get home this afternoon?”

---

For today’s circle time, Ms. Robin has prepared a two-column chart with the headings: “When I was a baby, I couldn’t...” and “Now I can...” She reads the first phrase and asks the group to think of things they were not able to do as babies. As children share their ideas, including “I couldn’t walk; I couldn’t ride a trike, I couldn’t eat apples...” she lists them in the first column. When they finish, she reads all the ideas aloud to the group.

Ms. Robin then points to the phrase, “Now I can...” and again asks for children’s ideas. After they finish sharing, she reads aloud the second list. As she points to each list, she comments to the group enthusiastically, “Look how many things you couldn’t do when you were a baby! Look how many things you can do now! You’ve grown so much!”

---

Nico looks through the familiar, homemade, photo-illustrated book titled Teacher Jen’s Broken Ankle that is displayed on the reading area book rack. “My papa fell and broke his arm when he was a little boy,” he tells Ms. Jen. She asks him how it happened, and he tells her the story his papa has told him. Ms. Jen wonders with Nico whether his papa had to wear a cast on his arm while it was healing. Nico says he thinks so, because he remembers that Papa was supposed to keep his arm dry for a long time. He then asks Ms. Jen to show him again the ankle cast she wore while her leg was healing. She keeps the two halves of her bright pink cast in the “Hospital” prop box that teachers use in the dramatic play area when children’s play signals interest in medical themes.

Pause to Reflect

How might you want to partner with families to make the preschool environment reflective of their diverse family stories?

Supporting Sense of Place (Geography and Ecology)

Each person has a sense of the places to which they belong: home, workplace, school, and other locations that are familiar and meaningful. Young children experience this sense of place strongly because familiar locations are associated with important people who constitute the child’s environment of relationships. Locations are important because of the people with whom they are associated: home with family members, preschool with teachers and peers. Preschoolers also experience a sense of place because of the sensory experiences associated with each location: the familiar smells, sounds, and sometimes temperatures and tastes combine with familiar scenes to create for young children a sense of belonging.

Developing a sense of place also derives from how young children interact with aspects of that physical location. Preschool children relate to their environments as they work with materials; rearrange tables, chairs, and other furniture; create maps to familiar locations; travel regularly from one setting to another; and work in other ways with their environments. Young children also interact with their environments as they learn to care for them. Young children’s natural interest in living things engages their interest in caring for plants and animals, concern for the effects of pollution and litter on the natural environment, and later, taking an active role in putting away trash and recycling used items.

These interests present many opportunities to the early childhood educator. Young children can be engaged in activities that encourage their understanding of the environments in which they live, whether they involve creating drawings and maps of familiar locations, talking about how to care for the natural world, discussing the different environments in which people live worldwide, or taking a trip to a marshland or a farm.

1.0 Navigating Familiar Locations

Navigating Familiar Locations Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
1.1 Identify the characteristics of familiar locations such as home and school, describe objects and activities associated with each, recognize the routes between them, and begin using simple directional language (with various degrees of accuracy).	1.1 Comprehend larger familiar locations, such as the characteristics of their community and region (including hills and streams, weather, common activities) and the distances between familiar locations (such as between home and school), and compare their home community with those of others.

2.0 Caring for the Natural World

Caring for the Natural World Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
2.1 Show an interest in nature (including animals, plants, and weather), especially as children have direct experiences with them. Begin to understand human interactions with the environment (such as pollution in a lake or stream) and the importance of taking care of plants and animals.	2.1 Show an interest in a wider range of natural phenomena, including those not directly experienced (such as snow for a child living in Southern California), and are more concerned about caring for the natural world and the positive and negative impacts of people on the natural world (e.g., recycling, putting trash in trash cans).

3.0 Understanding the Physical World Through Drawings and Maps

Understanding the Physical World Through Drawings and Maps Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
3.1 Can use drawings, globes, and maps to refer to the physical world, although often unclear on the use of map symbols.	3.1 Create their own drawings, maps, and models; are more skilled at using globes, maps, and map symbols; and use maps for basic problem solving (such as locating objects) with adult guidance.

Figure \(\PageIndex{21}\): Stages of Spatial/Geographical Awareness.(Image by the California Department of Education is used with permission)

Teachers can support children’s development of geography and ecology foundations with the following:

• Supply open-ended materials in the indoor and outdoor early learning environment to promote exploration of spatial relationships
• Set aside time for outdoor explorations each day
• Provide children with sensory experiences, especially those with sand and water
• Describe your actions as you travel between locations
• Play games about how to get from here to there
• Engage children in conversation about how they travel to and from preschool each day
• Take walks through familiar locations and neighboring areas
• Talk about the here and now, as well as encouraging later reflection
• Locate and explore local landmarks
• Promote children’s understanding of weather and its impact on their day-to-day experiences
• Comment on weather patterns and invite children to share their observations
• Read aloud books and engage children in storytelling related to
• Navigating familiar locations and daily routines
• Investigating the Earth and its attributes
• Integrate living things into the indoor learning environment
• Observe life in its natural setting
• Compare and contrast living and nonliving things
• Model respect and care for the natural world
• Use descriptive language to talk about the Earth and its features
• Teach young children easy ways to conserve the Earth’s resources
• Grow a garden in the program’s outdoor space
• Eat fresh produce at snack time and obtain food directly from a local gardener, farmers market, or food vendor when possible
• Engage children in conversations about maps, provide map-making materials, incorporate maps into dramatic play, use maps when planning outings, and make a map of the classroom/building and outdoor space
• Supply the learning environment with a variety of blocks and other open-ended materials to support the symbolic representation of the world the children see and experience each day
• Play board games that use trails and pathways
• View locations from different physical perspectives
• Prepare a treasure hunt

Figure \(\PageIndex{22}\): These girls are drawing a map.

Vignettes

Michael sits down with his peers and Mr. Sean at the snack table. “There was a huge dump truck going down my street today,” he tells everyone. Mr. Sean asked him what was in the truck. “Rocks and big sidewalk pieces,” replies Michael. “I know that,” adds Rio. “It’s by my house. Papa says they’re digging up the street for water pipes.” Several other children nod and agree that they know where that is and they have gone by it, too. Mr. Sean tells the children that the construction site they are talking about is just around the corner and down one block from their preschool. “Would you like to take a walk together to watch them work?” he asks. “It sounds like a big and exciting construction project is happening in our neighborhood.”

---

“I like this place,” shares Maya as she looks around the small reading area. “What do you like about it?” asks Ms. Nicole. “I like the green. It’s like un bosque.” Yes, agrees Ms. Nicole. The green plants do make it seem like a forest.”

---

This is the castle for the princess and her friends,” explains Grace to Tanya as she describes her unit block structure. “Here’s the bedroom over here, and the tower over there.”

Ms. Julia, sitting in the block area to observe children’s play, responds, “It looks like a very long way from the bedroom to the tower. Do the princess and her friends ever get lost in the castle?” “Well...sometimes they do,” replies Grace. “I wonder if we could draw something to help them find their way,” suggests Ms. Julia. “Like a map!” exclaims Tanya to Grace.

Ms. Julia offers to bring the clipboards, equipped with paper and pencils, from the art area. She takes one and begins describing her drawing plan. “First, I’m going to draw a square for the bedroom in this corner . . . ” The girls begin by imitating her technique and soon are exchanging ideas with each other as they draw their versions of the castle. When they are finished, Ms. Julia asks questions about the parts of their castle maps and offers to label them. When the maps are finished, labeled, and signed, Ms. Julia asks the girls’ permission to display them on the block area wall.

Pause to Reflect

What would be ways you would be comfortable bringing caring for the natural world into your own classroom? What might be some things to try beyond that?

Supporting Marketplace (Economics)

Young children’s interest in adult roles and occupations extends to the economy. Preschoolers know that adults have jobs, and they observe that money is used to purchase items and services, but the connections between work, money, and purchasing are unclear to them. This does not stop them, however, from enacting these processes in their pretend play and showing great interest in the economic transactions they observe (such as a trip to the bank with a parent).

Moreover, young children are also active as consumers, seeking to persuade their families to purchase toys or access to activities that they desire, sometimes hearing adult concerns about cost or affordability in response. On occasion, they also learn about economic differences between people and families, such as when a parent is unemployed or when families are living in poverty. All of these activities convince them that the economy, while abstract to them, is important.

A carefully designed early childhood education setting provides many opportunities for young children to explore these ideas through play, conversation, and the creation of economic items to buy, sell, or exchange.

Figure \(\PageIndex{23}\): A cash register is an excellent prompt for exploration of economics. (Image by the California Department of Education is used with permission)

1.0 Exchange

Exchange Milestones

At around 48 months of age	At around 60 months of age
1.1 Understand ownership, limited supply, what stores do, give-and-take, and payment of money to sellers. Show interest in money and its function, but still figuring out the relative value of coins.	1.1 Understand more complex economic concepts (e.g., bartering; more money is needed for things of greater value; if more people want something, more will be sold).

Teachers can support children’s development of the economic foundations with the following:

• Introduce economic concepts (e.g., production, exchange, consumption) through children’s books
• Provide open-ended materials to support children’s spontaneous investigations of business and the economy
• Offer dramatic play experiences that allow children to explore economic concepts
• Explore alongside children, expanding on their initiative
• Draw attention to trends of consumption in the preschool setting
• Discuss wants and needs with children and allow children to help make economic decisions
• Explore all forms of exchange
• Visit local businesses
• Create an opportunity for children to make and sell their own product; discuss how the money made will be spent

Vignettes

Ms. Jen settles into the reading chair to begin large group story time. She holds a tall empty jar, a small cloth bag, and a book.

“Today I brought something with me to help me tell a story,” she begins. Then she holds up the small drawstring bag and shakes it. “Money!” call out the children. “Yes, it is money. My little bag is full of coins: nickels, dimes, and quarters,” she says, pulling out one of each. “This book is all about a family who collects coins and saves them in a jar that looks a lot like this one. It’s called A Chair for My Mother, and Vera B. Williams is the author. She wrote the words. She is also the illustrator, which means she painted the pictures.”

As Ms. Jen reads the book, she stops frequently to converse with children about what is happening in the story. “The mother in this story works as a server in a restaurant. That’s how she earns money to buy the things her family needs.” After reading the page that describes the “tips” that Mother brings home and puts into the jar, Ms. Jen asks the group if anyone they know gets tips at work. After explaining the idea, she pours the coins from her small bag into the tall jar she has brought as a story prop.

When she reads the pages about the family’s moving day, when all their relatives and neighbors brought things they needed to replace the ones lost in the fire, Ms. Jen talks about how people don’t always buy all the things they need. Sometimes people receive gifts and things that others share with them.

As each economic concept is introduced in the book, Ms. Jen pauses to draw attention to it while maintaining the flow of the story. At the end, she holds up the jar of coins and asks the group how long they think it took for Josephine’s family to collect enough coins to buy the chair. She responds to their comments, listening as they share their own related ideas. She concludes by telling them that the book will be in the reading area tomorrow for them to enjoy again.

Pause to Reflect

What resources are in your neighborhood that a preschool teacher could use to introduce children to the community’s economic life?

Engaging Families

Teachers can make the following suggestions to families to facilitate their support of history and social science.

• Encourage families to tell stories and sing songs to their child about their home culture
• Remind families that they are the child’s most influential models.
• Support families to help their child develop strong, warm relationships with adults and children among their family and friends.
• Suggest ways that family members can talk with their child about the daily work they do.
• Suggest that adults find household projects to work on with their child.
• Remind adults to notice and recognize times when their child is being cooperative and responsible.
• Encourage adults to talk with their child about respect and fairness.
• Work with adult family members as they establish some simple, age-appropriate rules to be followed at home and help children understand that there is a reason for each rule.
• Share ways to establish some dependable family rituals and routines.
• Remind families to discuss family plans and events with children before they occur.
• Share with family adults the importance of recounting past shared events with their children. Suggest that they use storytelling to help children remember the sequence and details of both everyday and special experiences.
• Suggest that families find a special place for items that document children’s growth.
• Encourage adult family members to tell children stories about their family’s history.
• Suggest that they look for maps in places where their family goes.
• Suggest taking different routes when going to familiar places.
• Encourage families to talk about nature (i.e., weather, seasons, plants, animals, and so on) with their child.
• Encourage families to have conversations about ways they can help the earth (reduce waste, conserve natural resources, compost, etc.)
• Suggest that adult family members share with their child elements of the natural world they especially enjoy.
• Encourage families to talk with their child about the connection between cost and decisions to buy items and services.
• Assure families that it is fine to have conversations about “wants” and “needs.”
• Suggest that families show their child some alternative ways to acquire things the family needs or wants, as well as ways to help meet the needs of others.
• Encourage families to begin to share with preschool children their own values about money.
• Prepare yourselves, as early care and education professionals, to play an active role in supporting families facing personal economic crises. Educate yourselves about available community services and, when possible, help families to obtain access to them.

Figure \(\PageIndex{24}\): This three-year-old boy is helping with the dishes. (ThreeIfByBike is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)

The knowledge and skills in history and social science that preschoolers acquire in an early education setting provide a foundation for their understanding of themselves and the world in which they live. Adults benefit from the perspective of history (of society, families, and one’s past). People are connected deeply to the physical settings and natural ecologies in which they live. People learn about themselves and others by comparison with people who differ in culture, language, ethnicity, traditions, and abilities. Human lives are shaped by the economy and its influence on people’s roles as workers, consumers, and investors. Citizens participate with others in the political process and in building their communities. As preschoolers learn about these topics through instruction, enactment, and play, they are introduced to issues that will remain important to them for years to come.

References

The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3 by the California Department of Education is used with permission.