Curriculum Design

Curriculum 

Curriculum contributes to all aspects of development and provides opportunities for children to learn about the world. Your task as an early childhood educator is to involve the children with whom you work in a variety of challenging and intellectually engaging experiences that will result in their constructing and understanding of the world, developing the skills they need, and acquiring attitudes that will lead them to become caring and productive human beings. The key part of curriculum is intentional learning experiences designed by an early childhood educator in response to what they know and observe about children.  The following is the key to curriculum planning: 

• Practice Intentional Teaching
• Incorporate Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)
• Child Centered Active Learning 

The following are approaches in the development of early childhood curriculum: 
 

• Montessori
• Emergent Curriculum
• Reggio Emilia Approach
• Project Approach
• High Scope
• Creative Curriculum
• Waldorf
• Play Based
• Multiple Intelligence

Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)

​Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) means the learning activities planned for children are placed at the correct level for their age and are suited to individual children’s abilities, preferences and cultures. 

NAEYC has identified the three core considerations of Developmentally Appropriate Practice:

1. Child Development and Learning
2. Individually Appropriate
3. Culturally Important   

NAEYC has identified 12 Principles of Child Development and Learning that informs Early Childhood Practices and curriculum development: 

1. All areas of development and learning are important.
2. Learning and development follow sequences.
3. Development and learning proceed at varying rates.
4. Development and learning result from an interaction of maturation and experience.
5. Early experiences have profound effects on development and learning.
6. Development proceeds toward greater complexity, self-regulation, and symbolic or representational capacities.
7. Children develop best when they have secure relationships.
8. Development and learning occur in and are influenced by multiple social and cultural contexts.
9. Children learn in a variety of ways.
10. Play is an important vehicle for developing self-regulation and promoting language, cognition, and social competence.
11. Development and learning advance when children are challenged.
12. Children’s experiences shape their motivation and approaches to learning.

To learn more visit the NAEYC website at www.naeyc.org.