UNESCO’s program “Education for all” is the basis for Estonian plan of action, aiming to monitor individual characteristics of children’s development so that everyone’s developmental needs could be adequately met.
The goal of education is to master different aspects of learning:
1. Learning to acquire knowledge, to know: to develop the capacity to think and to acquire deeper knowledge.
2. Learning to act, to do: to act creatively in own environment, in a team, to apply what has been learned.
3. Learning to live with others: to understand and respect fellow beings history, traditions, spiritual values, to resolve conflict peacefully.
4. Learning to be, learn for life: to develop decision-making ability, independence and personal responsibility, every individual’s hidden talent must be found and used.
Pre-schooler’s developmental milestones (click the links below):
3–4 years old
PLAY SKILLS
• Plays with other children
• Follows simple rules of the game
• Focuses attention to a task up to 10 min
• Imitates previous activities
• Builds something from toy blocks
• Able to solve 15-piece puzzle
• Has interest in competitive games
• Co-operates with other kids
• Shares his toys with other kids
• Joins activities with grown-ups
• Creates friendships with other kids
• Solves problems by using speech
• Follows the rules of the authority
• Wants to be successful in the game
PERCEPTUAL AND LEARNING SKILLS
• Finds self-motivation for an action
• Waits for his turn, knows how to wait
• Uses perceptual symbols while operating with things
• Has acquired vocabulary for self-expression
• Participates in a dialogue, uses language to receive information
• Follows simple stories, actions on pictures
• Recognizes true story from fiction
• Groups objects by one or more properties, characteristics
• Sorts things by size (up to 5 items)
• Knows some colours
• Uses location prepositions: in, on, under, over, in front, behind
• Learns through active experiences, practical situations, speech
• Wants feedback for his activity
• Operates unsupervised
• Understands simpler puzzles, stories
• Understands the concept of number, has interest in letters
• Uses plural in speech
• Rolls clay into a ball, long snake-like shape
• Can use scissors
• Knows his name, age, gender
SELF-MANAGEMENT AND SOCIAL SKILLS
• Understands that people have different emotions
• Expresses strong emotions, his inner self
• Is afraid of unknown situations and things
• Self-esteem is fluctuating, needs security
• Starts conversation with different partners on different topics
• Follows the routine of everyday life
• Follows easier social rules
• Verbalizes his emotions, wishes
• Wants to be independent
• Sets and achieves easier goals
• Values his achievements, wants to gain recognition from adult
• Tries to help and comfort others
• Understands the etiquette when around other people
• Tries to follow the rules of the house
• Understands that lying is inappropriate
• Takes care of himself (eating, dressing, drinking, toileting)
4-5 years old
PLAY SKILLS
• Participates in different games, creative activities
• Follows simpler rules of the game
• Has interest in competitive games, wants to be successful
• Takes part in group activities, co-operates with other kids
• Operates independently, needs some supervision when interacting with others
• Partially plans his activities
• Focuses attention to a task up to 15 min
• Wants to play with kids in same age group
• Prefers gender-appropriate games
• Imitates adults’ activities, roles, speech
• Builds specific objects from toy blocks
PERCEPTUAL AND LEARNING SKILLS
• Regulates his behaviour and emotions with the help of an adult
• Uses speech to form agreements, solve assignments
• Experiments and explores different possibilities
• Talks about situations and objects that were in the past, fantasizes
• Pays attention to details, describes features, forms connections
• Identifies and describes rhythm, compares and finds similar features
• Has an idea about numbers, letters, symbols
• Gains knowledge through experience and speech
• Draws simpler recognizable things
• Speech is based on memory
• Understands easier metaphoric comparisons
• Cuts and glues simpler objects
• Shapes forms from 2-3 pieces
• Moves each finger separately during finger-play
• Can mechanically count to 10
• Tells a simple story by looking at the picture
• Knows more common professions
SELF-MANAGEMENT AND SOCIAL SKILLS
• Understands other people’s feelings and thoughts
• Expresses and talks about his emotions
• Communicates and acts independently
• Takes partial responsibility for his actions
• Is sensitive about other’s judgement
• Enjoys other children’s company and belonging to a group
• Pays attention to compliance with the rules
• Knows how to behave in public places
• Expresses verbally his simpler emotions, wishes and opinions
• Wants to be independent
• Engages in self-help activities (dressing, eating, drinking, toileting)
• Knows his name, age, gender
• Sets and achieves simpler goals
• Values his achievements, wants to gain recognition
• Helps and comforts others
• Tries to follow the rules of the house
• Understands that lying is inappropriate
• Uses spoon, fork
• Wipes his nose, doesn’t need to be reminded
• Manipulates buttons, zippers, snaps
• Walks down stairs alternating feet
5-6 years old
PLAY SKILLS
• Knows different games and creative activities
• Prefers gender-appropriate games
• Prefers same-gender playmates, forms first friendships
• Is able to play and collaborate short time in a group without adult supervision
• Follows the rules of the game, explains them when needed
• Pays attention to compliance with the rules
• Focuses attention to a task up to 20 min
• Builds different objects that are compatible with each other
PERCEPTUAL AND LEARNING SKILLS
• Regulates his behaviour with the help of an adult
• Uses speech to form agreements
• Constructs, experiments, explores new possibilities
• Talks about situations and objects that are not present, fantasizes
• Differentiates groups, knows how to compare, generalize
• Has an idea about letters, numbers, symbols
• Gains knowledge through experience and speech
• Uses simpler memory strategies to gain knowledge
• Plans his activities of daily living, sets goals, finishes what has been started
• Uses speech to gain information, waits for his turn in conversation
• Uses fluent speech, understands the necessity of repetition
• Participates actively in crafts and creative activities
• Narrates a story by looking at the series of pictures
• Writes easier words like his name correctly in capital letters
• Uses ordinal numbers up to five
• In comparison uses words like more, less, equal, same
• Uses and handles different art supplies independently
• Gives evaluation to his creations and activities
SELF-MANAGEMENT AND SOCIAL SKILLS
• Understands other people’s feelings and thoughts
• Expresses and talks about his emotions
• Communicates and acts independently
• Is responsible for his actions
• Sensitive about other’s judgement
• Enjoys belonging to a group, collaborates with others
• Accepts rules, as speech develops, resolves conflicts verbally
• Knows how to behave in public places, knows what is appropriate and what is not
• Sets and achieves goals
• Wants to gain recognition during activities
• Follows social routine
• Handles spoon, fork correctly, eats cleanly
PHYSICAL SKILLS
• Performs exercises according to teacher’s verbal instruction and explanation
• Keeps his position in different line-up (column, circle, row)
• Performs exercises with objects that require eye and hand coordination
• Works in a team for mutual goal
• Plays games with up to 4 rules
• Orientates in time and movement
• Accepts defeat in competitive games
• Balances on one foot
• Bounces and catches ball
• Balances and walks on a bench
6-7 years old
PLAY SKILLS
• Takes part in different games, follows and explains the rules
• Prefers same-gender playmates, has formed friendships
• Focuses attention to a task up to 30 min
• Controls his emotions and actions, knows how to reckon with others
• Acts independently, depends a little on parents, teachers
• Self-initiates games, activities
• Builds complex objects from Lego bricks
PERCEPTUAL AND LEARNING SKILLS
• Plans activities of daily living, sets goals
• Acts purposefully, finishes what has been started
• Regulates his emotions and behaviour
• Focuses simultaneously to multiple tasks
• Uses dialogue to communicate
• Is interested in social relationships
• Perceives the capacity of memory, intentionally repeats what needs to be learned
• Tells a fluent story by looking at the picture
• Uses composite sentences
• Knows letters, spells words with 1-2 syllables
• Writes 1-2 syllable words with capital letters
• Knows poems and songs by heart
• Has well-developed speech and uses correct grammar most of the time
• Spells words correctly
• Counts out a collection of up to “12” items
• Conducts addition and subtraction up to 5, knows, knows the symbols +,-,=
• Knows different mathematical shapes
• Names the days of the week, months, seasons
• Tells time to the whole hour
• Knows different units of money
• Expresses moods, fantasies in art
• Describes works of art, colours, moods
• Has developed a sense of beauty
• Names and describes different occupations
• Describes different weather conditions
SELF-MANAGEMENT AND SOCIAL SKILLS
• Understands other’s feelings and non-verbal expressions
• Tries to manage with everything, sensitive about other’s judgements, learns from mistakes
• Takes care of smaller children, offers help
• Creates friendships irrespective of the gender
• Follows the rules and considers the needs of the group
• Accepts changes and the absence of parents
• Discusses simpler ethical problems
• Knows difference between right and wrong
• Pays attention to personal hygiene
• Dares to say no to dangerous activities
• Understands and notices the influence of his and other’s actions on the environment
• Knows how to navigate streets on foot, by bicycle
• Describes possible dangers at home, in nature
• Ties shoe laces
• Uses knife, fork
MUSICAL SKILLS
• Keeps the tempo when singing in a choir
• Likes to sing songs by heart
• Likes to perform for an audience
• Recognizes learned songs by listening
• Plays simpler rhythm instruments, feels the rhythm
• Takes part in sing-alongs
• Performs easier rhythmical movements (walking, running, jumping)
• Imitates simpler dance elements
• Sings expressively with natural voice and correct breathing
• Sings age-appropriate folk and children’s songs
• Sings in a choir
• Is eager to perform alone
• Listens and describes a song
• Differentiates vocal and instrumental songs by hearing
• Plays different rhythm instruments
• Moves fluently in the rhythm of the music
• Dances in sync with others
PHYSICAL SKILLS
• Focuses on purposeful physical performance
• Performs fundamental movement skills effortlessly
• Is eager to try different exercises
• Has developed static and dynamical balance
• Dances together with a partner
• Uses different movement devices (bicycle, sled, skis)
• Follows the rules, accepts defeat
• Plays sports games (basketball, football)
• Balances and walks on a beam
• Follows safety rules during activities