Age & stage guides
PreschoolLetter Play for a Three-Year-Old Who Likes Pictures
Introduce print through familiar images and voluntary exploration. A child can notice the M beside a familiar name without reciting the alphabet.
10 min readFOR THE GROWN-UPS BEHIND THE LITTLE EXPLORERS
Age & stage guides
Age & stage guides. Practical activities for children ages 3–8: letters, counting, shapes, colors, science, and social learning, with examples and tips for parents.
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30 guides to explore
Age & stage guides
PreschoolCounting Invitations for Three-Year-Olds
Explore very small groups with concrete objects. One, two, three can describe three moved blocks.
9 min read
Age & stage guides
PreschoolShape Play for a Three-Year-Old on the Floor
Notice simple outlines through handling and movement. A paper circle has a curved boundary that can be followed with a finger.
9 min read
Age & stage guides
PreschoolColor Exploration for Three-Year-Olds with Two Choices
Compare two distinct color examples in a low-demand activity. A blue object can be placed on the blue card.
9 min read
Age & stage guides
PreschoolRead-Aloud Conversations for Three-Year-Olds
Share attention around a familiar picture and simple spoken idea. A child can point to a pictured dog when it is named.
9 min read
Age & stage guides
PreschoolSorting Play for a Three-Year-Old
Place familiar objects together using one visible property. Round blocks can go together while square blocks form another group.
9 min read
Age & stage guides
PreschoolFour-Year-Old Letter Hunts with a Familiar Name
Recognize a chosen letter across repeated meaningful examples. The first letter of a nickname can appear in another title.
9 min read
Age & stage guides
PreschoolFour-Year-Old Counting Games That Include Movement
Connect a small quantity with a sequence of actions. Three gentle claps can represent the numeral 3.
9 min read
Age & stage guides
PreschoolFour-Year-Old Pattern Play with Two Materials
Notice a repeated arrangement through direct copying. Block, circle can repeat as a two-part pattern.
9 min read
Age & stage guides
PreschoolFour-Year-Old Story Retelling with Toys
Recount a short familiar event using concrete props. A toy goes out, finds a friend, and comes home.
9 min read
Age & stage guides
PreschoolFour-Year-Old Listening Games with One Clear Direction
Follow a manageable spoken instruction using familiar words. Put the bear in the box names one action and one location.
9 min read
Age & stage guides
PreschoolFour-Year-Old Drawing as Early Communication
Use a drawing to tell someone about an idea. A few marks can stand for a favorite playground.
9 min read
Age & stage guides
KindergartenFive-Year-Old Letter-and-Sound Connections
Connect selected printed letters with sounds in familiar words. M can connect with the first sound in map.
9 min read
Age & stage guides
KindergartenFive-Year-Old Addition through Joining Groups
See addition as a change that brings two small sets together. Two counters joining three counters make one group of five.
9 min read
Age & stage guides
KindergartenFive-Year-Old Shape Descriptions beyond Naming
Describe a shape with visible properties. A triangle has straight sides and corners.
9 min read
Age & stage guides
KindergartenFive-Year-Old Color Patterns with a Missing Piece
Reconstruct a short repeated pattern. Blue, red, blue, blank continues with red.
9 min read
Age & stage guides
KindergartenFive-Year-Old Turn-Taking during a Learning Game
Coordinate a simple rule with a predictable social exchange. The marker shows whose turn it is to choose a card.
9 min read
Age & stage guides
KindergartenFive-Year-Old Science Talk through Observation
Describe a visible feature before offering an explanation. The leaf has a long line through its middle is an observation.
9 min readAge & stage guides
1st gradeSix-Year-Old Word Building with a Small Tile Set
Change one sound-spelling position while maintaining a meaningful word. Mat becomes map when the final tile changes.
9 min read
Age & stage guides
1st gradeSix-Year-Old Subtraction Stories with Visible Objects
Explain a taking-away situation using a concrete model. Eight counters with three moved away leaves five.
9 min read
Age & stage guides
1st gradeSix-Year-Old Place Value with Bundles
Connect ten grouped units with a two-digit representation. Two bundles and one loose strip represent twenty-one.
9 min readAge & stage guides
1st gradeSix-Year-Old Maps and Simple Routes
Translate between a small model and a drawn route. The route goes from the house past the tree to the pond.
9 min readAge & stage guides
1st gradeSix-Year-Old Reading Conversations about Why
Support an explanation with a story detail. A character may carry a bucket because the next scene shows watering.
9 min read
Age & stage guides
2nd gradeSeven-Year-Old Math Explanations with Two Models
Explain one calculation using different representations. Nine plus four can be shown as a joined set or four forward moves.
9 min read