The HighScope curriculum is built around teacher and child-initiated learning activities in five main curriculum content areas: approaches to learning; language, literacy, & communication; social and emotional development; physical development, health, and well-being; and arts and sciences. Within these areas are 58 key developmental indicators (formerly called "key experiences") — observable early childhood milestones that guide us as teachers as we plan learning experiences and interact with children.
Preschool Key Developmental Indicators (KDIs)
A. Approaches to Learning
- Initiative: Children demonstrate initiative as they explore their world.
- Planning: Children make plans and follow through on their intentions.
- Engagement: Children focus on activities that interest them.
- Problem solving: Children solve problems encountered in play.
- Use of resources: Children gather information and formulate ideas about their world.
- Reflection: Children reflect on their experiences.
B. Social and Emotional Development
- Self-identity: Children have a positive self-identity.
- Sense of competence: Children feel they are competent.
- Emotions: Children recognize, label, and regulate their feelings.
- Empathy: Children demonstrate empathy toward others.
- Community: Children participate in the community of the classroom.
- Building relationships: Children build relationships with other children and adults.
- Cooperative play: Children engage in cooperative play.
- Moral development: Children develop an internal sense of right and wrong.
- Conflict resolution: Children resolve social conflicts.
C. Physical Development and Health
- Gross-motor skills: Children demonstrate strength, flexibility, balance, and timing in using their large muscles.
- Fine-motor skills: Children demonstrate dexterity and hand-eye coordination in using their small muscles.
- Body awareness: Children know about their bodies and how to navigate them in space.
- Personal care: Children carry out personal care routines on their own.
- Healthy behavior: Children engage in healthy practices.
D. Language, Literacy, and Communication
- Comprehension: Children understand language.
- Speaking: Children express themselves using language.
- Vocabulary: Children understand and use a variety of words and phrases.
- Phonological awareness: Children identify distinct sounds in spoken language.
- Alphabetic knowledge: Children identify letter names and their sounds.
- Reading: Children read for pleasure and information.
- Concepts about print: Children demonstrate knowledge about environmental print.
- Book knowledge: Children demonstrate knowledge about books.
- Writing: Children write for many different purposes.
- English language learning: (If applicable) Children use English and their home language(s) (including sign language).
E. Mathematics
- Number words and symbols: Children recognize and use number words and symbols.
- Counting: Children count things.
- Part-whole relationships: Children combine and separate quantities of objects.
- Shapes: Children identify, name, and describe shapes.
- Spatial awareness: Children recognize spatial relationships among people and objects.
- Measuring: Children measure to describe, compare, and order things.
- Unit: Children understand and use the concept of unit.
- Patterns: Children identify, describe, copy, complete, and create patterns.
- Data analysis: Children use information about quantity to draw conclusions, make decisions, and solve problems.
F. Creative Arts
- Art: Children express and represent what they observe, think, imagine, and feel through two- and three-dimensional art.
- Music: Children express and represent what they observe, think, imagine, and feel through music.
- Movement: Children express and represent what they observe, think, imagine, and feel through movement.
- Pretend play: Children express and represent what they observe, think, imagine, and feel through pretend play.
- Appreciating the arts: Children appreciate the creative arts.
G. Science and Technology
- Observing: Children observe the materials and processes in their environment.
- Classifying: Children classify materials, actions, people, and events.
- Experimenting: Children experiment to test their ideas.
- Predicting: Children predict what they expect will happen.
- Drawing conclusions: Children draw conclusions based on their experiences and observations.
- Communicating ideas: Children communicate their ideas about the characteristics of things and how they work.
- Natural and physical world: Children gather knowledge about the natural and physical world.
- Tools and technology: Children explore and use tools and technology.
H. Social Studies
- Diversity: Children understand that people have diverse characteristics, interests, and abilities.
- Community roles: Children recognize that people have different roles and functions in the community.
- Decision making: Children participate in making classroom decisions.
- Geography: Children recognize and interpret features and locations in their environment.
- History: Children understand past, present, and future.
- Ecology: Children understand the importance of taking care of their environment.
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