The ability to convey daily needs, ask questions, express emotions and concepts, speak in a group, and listen and respond to others. This includes an understanding of how others are likely to react.
Critical thinking is ability to question assumptions and the ongoing search for valid and reliable knowledge to guide beliefs, decisions and actions.
Kahneman, Daniel (2011). Thinking Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux. Kahneman won a Nobel prize for his groundbreaking work on associative thinking, decision making and the role of critical thinking. This book is his summation of his work written for non-scientists.
As children mature, they develop empathy and the ability to recognize and manage their own emotions.
A set of skills that are crucial to mental development. They are important for completing tasks, prioritizing needs, self-control, and problem solving.
Movements involving smaller muscle groups such as those in the hand and wrist.
The mental attitude that skills and talents are static and innate, a part of who you are, as in: “I have a great fashion sense” or “I’m not good at art.”
The ability to ignore distractions and focus on the task at hand. The ability to control impulses and delay gratification. This is part of the executive function and is tied to later success in school.
Movements related to large muscle groups such as movement of legs and arms.
The interactions and relationships that take place among group members, as well as between the group and the rest of society. It includes interdependence of group members, collective problem solving, decision making, and group conformity.
The mental attitude that one’s skills and talents are not innate or static but can be developed over time.
Knowing the names and sounds of printed letters.
Activities involved in speaking, listening, reading, writing, and appreciating spoken and written language.
Understanding the relationship between things and grasping how they are related. This association skill is a vital part of how we learn and understand the world.
Kahneman, Daniel (2011). Thinking Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux. Kahneman won a Nobel prize for his groundbreaking work on associative thinking, decision making and the role of critical thinking. This book is his summation of his work written for non-scientists.
Helps us sustain or shift attention in response to different demands or apply different rules in different settings.
The ability to recognize and understand numbers and use them in real world situations.
Recognizing and considering others’ feelings and perspectives. The understanding that these are different from one’s own perspective. This skill is important for connecting to others and preventing conflict.
Ability to detect and manipulate sounds used in spoken language, including the awareness that words are made from smaller units of sound: i.e., syllables or phonemes.
An understanding of concepts about print and the way printed letters and words represents spoken words. For example, awareness of the title, where the story starts, and in what order the pages are read.
Learning initiated by the child, who sets their own strategies and goals. This type of self-directed learning engages the executive functions and is a vital skill for problem solving.
Sequencing identifies the order of events in a story or event. It aids comprehension and is an important element of problem solving.
As children develop, they begin to see themselves as independent from their caregivers and assert their own agenda. Children are learning that they can make their own plans and are learning to problem solve and deal with consequences without assistance.
Life is full of stresses and challenges. Children who are willing to take on challenges (instead of avoiding them or simply coping with them) do better in school and in life.
Time without predetermined activities or goals for children. Unstructured play allows children the freedom to explore, create and discover. It fosters social, emotional, and physical development, and encourages creativity and problem-solving skills.
Leading experts on child development argue that the problem begins as early as preschool, where children have already learned stereotypes or acquired negative attitudes toward "others." The process of countering those negatives with positives begins at an early age.
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