Play is the work of childhood. It is the single most important source of curriculum activity and the primary catalyst for all domains of learning during childhood. Creative play naturally encompasses social, emotional, physical, motor, perceptual, intellectual, and linguistic development. Play is a constant across ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural divides.

Literacy is the development of the ability to listen, speak, read, and write. This is a lifelong process that begins in infancy when parents and caregivers of infants and toddlers speak to them and read them stories, poems, and nursery rhymes. Literacy skills develop progressively and interdependently in children. Children’s literacy development will be fostered through conversation, books, print knowledge, phonics, comprehension, and writing.

The ability to think logically, to notice and understand relationships, and to find order in the world help develop knowledge of mathematics in young children. Mathematics for young children is not simply counting or recognizing numbers; children also learn mathematics by exploring, manipulating, and organizing concrete objects.

Young children are natural scientists. They are naturally curious about their world and are eager to explore it. Children observe their surroundings and test things out in order to understand and make discoveries.

Preschoolers enjoy learning about people—past and present—and how they live, work, and get along with others in the world. The surrounding community and its activities offer many opportunities for children to learn about their world, how it works, and what it all means.

The arts (visual arts, music, and movement) are important ways for children to express themselves. Art is a symbolic “language” that children use to express themselves and understand and interpret events in their lives.

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