Child Development: Connecting to Play (0-5)

To construct a meaningful curriculum for young children, educators need to have a sound understanding of anticipated learning trajectories for many different ages, while understanding that all children will develop and learn at their own pace.

Between the ages of birth to five years incredible growth, physically and cognitively, occurs as children learn about their own identities.

They are able to communicate their thinking through rapidly developing language skills and their imaginations run wild.

By observing play, we can learn more about children’s development, particularly if recognize that that play is telling us about each child’s learning.

Unpacking play theories, stages and types will help educators understand where children are at in their development and learning needs.