Developmental Stages
 
Typical Skills Children Learn in Family Day Care
Parents:  Here are some examples of the skills your child will learn and practice during a typical day in a family day care setting. 
 
Finding toys or learning material to work by self or with others
Cognitive: Makes decisions about interests and abilities.
Self-help: Finds toys by himself or sets up environment for play.
Social/Language: Learns to share, barter, manage conflict, and ask for help.
Emotional: Learns about acceptance and rejection.  Expresses needs.
 
Block Play
Physical: Learns to balance blocks and line them up (small motor coordination).
Cognitive: May count blocks, sees pattern and design.  Learns to build and plan structure.  Matches blocks that look alike.
Social: Learns to share and cooperate.
 
Dramatic Play
Social: Plays adult roles.  Develops self-image and coordinates with others.
Language: Learns to express self in another role.
Cognitive: Decides appropriate dress and apperance for role; uses visual perceptions to assess self, others, and play environment.  Learns and remembers behaviors to imitate.  Developes abstract thinking abilities.
Self-help: Dresses self.  Sets up play environment and finds props.
 
Setting the Table
Cognitive: Counts silverware, glasses, and napkins, or places an object by each setting.  Follows pattern of place settings.
Social: Cooperates with other children.  May teach younger children to help.
Physical: Picks up and places objects (small motor coordination).
 
Sitting Down to Eat
Physical: Pours milk, passes the dish (small motor coordination).
Cognitive: Measures to pour.  Understands directions.
Social/Language: Learns appropriate table conversation and manners.
 
Story Time or Listening to Music
Cognitive: Listens and retains information.  Follows story line (sequencing) with eyes and/or ears.  Recognizes words, pictures, instruments and rhythms.
 
Fingerplays and Songs
Cognitive/Language: Learns words, gestures, and melody (sequencing, repetition, speech and listening skills).  Follows directions.
Physical: Coordinates movements (large motor).
 
Dance
Cognitive/Language: Listens to music and rhythms.  Learns to understand simple movement directions and their relationship to the music.
Physical: Coordinates movements (large motor).
 
Climbing/Riding
Cognitive: May count the rungs to the top of a climbing structure; plans his climb.  Maps out direction and distance to ride; watches for others in path.
Physical: Large motor coordination, balance.
Social: Takes turns, interacts.
 
Sand Play
Cognitive: Measures sand and maps out roads (spatial relationships).
Physical: Pours, dumps, pushes, gathers, scoops, packs (small and large motor).
Social: Shares, interacts, cooperates.
 
Putting Toys Away
Cognitive: Sorts toys, follows directions.
Physical: Places object on the shelf, replaces lids, opens and shuts doors.
Social: Takes turns, learns to handle toys carefully.
 
 
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