Scribd
Upload
880 views

Assignment 4

This document discusses the importance of curriculum in early childhood education. It begins by defining curriculum and what it entails. It then discusses what constitutes an early childhood curriculum, emphasizing developmentally appropriate practices. Key aspects of early childhood curriculum are explained, including its focus on play, relationships, and physical development. The conclusion reinforces that a well-designed curriculum following children's developmental needs is crucial for shaping early learning experiences and preparing children for future success.

Uploaded by

Juna Corazon Garcia Poblacio
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
880 views

Assignment 4

This document discusses the importance of curriculum in early childhood education. It begins by defining curriculum and what it entails. It then discusses what constitutes an early childhood curriculum, emphasizing developmentally appropriate practices. Key aspects of early childhood curriculum are explained, including its focus on play, relationships, and physical development. The conclusion reinforces that a well-designed curriculum following children's developmental needs is crucial for shaping early learning experiences and preparing children for future success.

Uploaded by

Juna Corazon Garcia Poblacio
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 6

1

Assignment 4: Child Development and Curriculum

Juna Corazon Garcia – Poblacio- Student ID 202204796


Kamalpreet Kaur- Student ID 202206405
Kavalpreet Kaur- Student ID 202206407
Kiran- Student ID 202206095
Rochelle Abara Layugan- Student ID 202203836

Department of Early Childhood Education, Pures College of Technology


EC1093 Introduction to Early Childhood Education
Instructor Maria Lopez
July 25, 2023
2

Introduction

What Is a Curriculum?
When children attend school, it is generally understood that they will learn new
information. That new information that students are supposed to learn is called the curriculum.
Each curriculum is built with a set of expectations and learning objectives that they are to meet.
Each assignment and learning task is supposed to be an effort to reach those learning objectives.
The curriculum is also designed with assessments that help to evaluate whether or not the
students are learning the information that is being taught. These assessments take the form of
individualized and standardized tests.
The curriculum is also made up of everything that a student learns explicitly and
implicitly. Explicit learning is when a child learns information that was intended to be taught.
Implicit learning is learning that happens over time based on the environment. It is the process
of learning without awareness that one is learning.

Body

What Is an Early Childhood Curriculum?


Early childhood education programs, although they are less structured in the learning process
because the children are so young, still require a curriculum to keep the children reaching
specific goals. Within early childhood education, when creating a curriculum, it is important to
look at Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP). Developmentally appropriate practices
are looking at what stage of development a child is in and working on what tasks are important
for that stage of development. Once those goals have been identified, a person can create a
curriculum that helps the child to gain those developmental skills in early childhood education.
Now that the goals have been established through DAP and an understanding of what those look
like is established, the way that the curriculum works needs to be established next. There are
many different techniques to implement the curriculum, such as routine activities, play
activities, scaffolding techniques, parent engagement, and intentional teaching. Routine activity
helps to create some independence in children because they understand what comes next and are
able to make assumptions about what is expected. Play activities help to encourage children to
3

have fun while learning. Scaffolding is a technique that builds upon other learned skills. For
example, today kids learned how to put on their shoes. Tomorrow they will learn to tie their
shoes. It simply builds on previously learned information. Parent engagement is also
encouraged so that children are learning outside of the classroom and in the home as well.
Intentional teaching within the curriculum is making a point to educate certain children on
specific tasks and being intentional with the teacher's instruction.

Why is curriculum important in early childhood education?


An early childhood curriculum helps illustrate activities and teaching practices that meet
developmental expectations or standards. This is important because, when you adopt a
curriculum, you also adopt its program goals. Once you have program goals, you can determine
whether they are consistent with the goals of the early learning standards set by your state that
align with the age-appropriate milestones for child development and education.
In early childhood education, you must be continuously building on the knowledge and skills of
the children. The curriculum you use reinforces this. Because it determines your sequence, the
curriculum also ensures that your program moves your children closer to the desired learning
objectives they need to meet to be successful in kindergarten and beyond.
Lastly, the curriculum is important because having a system in place means it can be assessed.
Being able to assess a child’s progress based on the curriculum goals gives you an idea of how
successful the curriculum and your approach is and whether they need to be updated—for
individuals or the group—to make your early childhood program more effective.

Figure 1: Shows the curriculum values for children,


their relationships, and their environments,
emphasizing play as a vital factor in learning and
development. It covers all aspects of children's
development, encourages children to follow interests,
passions, and strengths, and supports child-care
providers in forming relationships and sharing the
wonder of being a child.
4

Curriculum in Play
Research has proven that children learn the best and the most when their learning is done
through play activities. Play activities encourage children to use their imagination to create and
solve problems, which develops their problem-solving skills and their decision-making skills.
Developing these skills also encourages a child's critical thinking skills because they are
thinking about things from multiple perspectives because they have made up the situation
through play.
Teachers, while they may not be actively playing with a child, are also important in the role of
learning through play. First, they are facilitators. They encourage the children to play, and they
may give ideas that help guide the children into playing with themselves or others. Teachers are
also observers of the playtime and the skills that the children are using and learning when they
are playing. When children have difficulty in their play, the teacher that is observing can step in
and assist the children and provide them with the language to work out whatever they are
experiencing.

Curriculum in Relationships
Early childhood education relies heavily on relationships between the children and with the
teacher. This stage in a child's life is an integral part of building social skills and the ability to
relate to others, which is why the relationship aspect of the curriculum is so important. One
aspect of the relationship curriculum is designed to teach children that even though they are
away from home and their small family unit that they know they are safe with; they can be safe
with others as well. They can learn that just because they are not at home, they can still be cared
for and enjoy their time with others.

Curriculum in Physical Development


Physical development is not something that people consider when creating a curriculum for
older children, but in early childhood education, gross motor development is a DAP that needs
to be addressed and cultivated through the curriculum, as well as the ability to run and climb.
Running and climbing are considered important aspects of the curriculum in early childhood.
The children also need to be taught how to self-soothe, sleep on their own, and use the
bathroom. These are all skills that take time to develop and take a lot of patience on the part of
5

the parent and the teacher. To encourage the development of this kind, routines are put into
place to help keep children calm and able to self-soothe if they experience difficulty, and it
helps their body get into a routine of sleep. To develop gross motor skills, playtime is important
as well as having a space where children can access the material that they need and have the
freedom to mess up at times.

Figure 2: Shows Early Childhood Education in a


nutshell.

What Is an Early Education Program?


Early childhood education programs may have different setups for their curriculum, but overall,
the goal of achieving DAP is present in all settings, especially in the daycare setting. The
daycare curriculum is established to create a method of teaching for children who are not yet of
school age to begin to learn social skills, motor skills, and developmental tasks with other
children. Throughout a child's time at daycare or preschool, they are learning how to have
relationships with other students and with their teachers where they learn that their family
members are not the only people that can take of them, which will help them grow and progress
in life.

Conclusion
It is indeed crucial to have a well-designed curriculum in early childhood education, as it plays a
significant role in shaping a child's learning experience. Developmentally Appropriate Practices
(DAP) are essential in creating a curriculum that supports a child's specific developmental
needs. Play activities are also crucial, as they enhance imaginative thinking and problem-
solving skills. Teachers play a vital role in facilitating and observing playtime, guiding children
and providing support when needed. Physical development, particularly gross motor skills, is
also important. The curriculum in early childhood education aims to optimize learning
experiences, support holistic development, and prepare children for future academic and social
success.
6

Reference

Albritton, Mamie. (2022). What is Curriculum in Early Childhood Education. Study Docu. New
York. Retrieved from

https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-curriculum-in-early-childhood-education.html

Mclachlan, Claire, et,al. (2018). Early Childhood Curriculum. Cambridge University Press.
Sydney Au. Retrieved from

https://books.google.ca/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=krpQDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR8&dq=early+childhood+curriculum&ots=
ccOdYTIm1T&sig=B0Ymsq_w7DRCMyCm1kHUejj27SA#v=onepage&q=early%20childhood
%20curriculum&f=false

You might also like