EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENTAL DOMAINS

Motor/Physical
Awareness of ones body in space
Large/small muscle movement and coordination
Moving while holding objects
Approaches
Learning
Gross muscle skills: balance,
walking,torunning,
jumping, skipping, hopping,
(how children
learn,
attitude
toward learning, learning styles)
throwing,
catching,
kicking,
climbing
curiosity
Interest
Fine muscle
skills: drawing, painting, cutting, using manipulative materials
Pleasure/Enjoyment
enthusiasm
such
as
and play dough,
acting
out finger
plays
puzzles
Motivation-desire
to explore,
control
and have
effects on the environment
Awareness of health and safety concepts: growing independence in
master new challenges, become competent
hygiene,
personal care,
nutrition
Attentionability
maintain focus, ability to shut out distractions
Ability
to follow health
and safety
rules
Persistence-ability
to tolerate
frustrations
and work through difficult tasks
Flexibility-ability to develop innovative and creative ways of handling
Social/Emotional
challenges
(self-concept, self-control,
self-help,
relationships,
Self-regulation-ability
to act in cooperation,
a deliberate, planned
manner
to govern own
feelings,
family,
community)
behavior
Self- esteem
Language and Literacy
(understanding,
Individual/unique communicating,
temperament
alphabet knowledge, book usage,
Personal name recognition, written
reading,
and oral
print
awareness)
Follows directions, rules and
routines,
manages transitions
Showing
interest
in
reading
and
related
activities
Problem solving
Discriminating
identifies sounds in spoken language
Participating
in and
a group
Listening
speaking,
singing,
writingto others
Being sensitive to others,
listening
Asking for
andothers,
answering
questions
Caring
expressing
empathy, sympathy
Associating
symbols for
withones
objects/ideas
Taking
responsibility
actions
Describing
objects/events:
telling,
restating,
explaining
Understanding difference between reality
andparaphrasing,
fantasy
Writing: drawing,
scribbling, invented spelling, conventional forms of
Identifying
feelings
spelling
Expressing feelings in an appropriate manner
(e.g.
Usingitsigns
symbols to
words
and ideas
is notand
appropriate
to represent
hit someone
when
you
Storytelling
are angry)
Vocabulary
Dealing
withdevelopment
social conflict in an appropriate
manner
Expressing thoughts in complete sentences
Sharing
and and
taking
turns
Sequencing
recall
Identifying
family
Awareness with
of the
sounds of letters and phonemes
geography
of home and community
Identifying
Awareness with
of rhyme
and alliteration
Cognitive
Understanding how a community
works, different roles in a community
(constructing
knowledge
and understanding)
Understanding of cultural diversity
Learning
through active
participation
and exploration
Individual/unique
learning
style
Using imagination, creativity and invention to extend learning

Copyright Protected. May not be duplicated without permission of the Wolf Trap Foundation.
Revised 8/2010
Page 3-12

Memory, short term and long term

Mental imaging
Beginning to recognize own strengths and needs
Sharing ideas, thoughts, and knowledge
Applying new knowledge, associating it with prior knowledge and
experiences
Growing ability to maintain concentration and persistence to complete
variety of
tasks, projects, activities and experiences
Increasing ability to set goals and follow through on plans
Adapted from the Virginia Early Childhood Development Alignment
Project's Milestones of Child Development and the Head Start Bureau's
Child Outcomes Framework

Copyright Protected. May not be duplicated without permission of the Wolf Trap Foundation.
Revised 8/2010
Page 3-12