Questions to Guide Selection: Ensuring Developmentally Appropriate Materials

Training & Curriculum Specialist Learning Environments Lesson 4 Apply Questions to Guide Selection: Ensuring Developmentally Appropriate Materials Guide	WWW.VIRTUALLABSCHOOL.ORG ACTIVITY ID: 16451 Name Certifier Date
Use this guide to help staff think broadly about whether materials support children’s interests, offer a variety of ways to explore and play, and connect to children’s individual learning and development goals. Do these materials reflect the children’s current interests and help spark new interests? Tell me more about this toy, book or material. How did you choose it? How do the children use it? How did you go about identifying the kids’ interests? What are the children in your room or program interested in right now? How do you know? What learning standards tie into the children’s interests? What have you tried that the kids loved? What have you tried that the kids disliked? How do they let you know they like or dislike materials or activities? Do these materials allow children to play in a variety of ways? What kind of play do you see the kids doing with these materials? What behaviors are you seeing in the room or program? Do any of the toys seem to spark more violent play or cooperative play? Which ones and why? How long do children typically stick with these materials? Do they play for a long time or do they move on to something else quickly? What messages do you think this toy sends about how to play with it? What roles can a child take on with this toy? How many different ways can these materials be used? How do families feel about this toy or material? Do these materials help us reach important learning goals for children? What learning goals do you have in mind for these materials? Can these materials meet different learning goals? Which ones? How many different ways can these materials be used? How do children respond to these materials? What do you like or dislike about these materials? What would make them more useful to you?

Guide

WWW.VIRTUALLABSCHOOL.ORG

ACTIVITY ID: 16451

Name

Certifier

Date

Use this guide to help staff think broadly about whether materials support children’s interests, offer a variety of ways to explore and play, and connect to children’s individual learning and development goals.

Do these materials reflect the children’s current interests and help spark new interests?

Tell me more about this toy, book or material. How did you choose it? How do the children use it?
How did you go about identifying the kids’ interests?
What are the children in your room or program interested in right now? How do you know?
What learning standards tie into the children’s interests?
What have you tried that the kids loved? What have you tried that the kids disliked? How do they let you know they like or dislike materials or activities?

Do these materials allow children to play in a variety of ways?

What kind of play do you see the kids doing with these materials?
What behaviors are you seeing in the room or program? Do any of the toys seem to spark more violent play or cooperative play? Which ones and why?
How long do children typically stick with these materials? Do they play for a long time or do they move on to something else quickly?
What messages do you think this toy sends about how to play with it?
What roles can a child take on with this toy?
How many different ways can these materials be used?
How do families feel about this toy or material?

Do these materials help us reach important learning goals for children?

What learning goals do you have in mind for these materials?
Can these materials meet different learning goals? Which ones?
How many different ways can these materials be used?
How do children respond to these materials?
What do you like or dislike about these materials? What would make them more useful to you?