what does developmentaly mean in a pre school setting?

Answer 1

Sarah W has nailed it on the head!

If you need more specifics, check out the National Association for the Education of Young Children as they have lists of what is developmentally appropriate for kids birth through age 8.

www.naeyc.org

Answer 2

It means that you are/are not requiring the children to do something that is in alignment with what they are physically and cognitively ready to do. For example, asking preschoolers to copy a list of words from a chalk board would not be developmentally appropriate, while having them trace letters in a sand tray or some other tactile material would be.

Answer 3

it means that you should think of what a 2,3, or 4yr old should be doing at there ages not pushing them to do things like reading, math, or science.

children of these ages need to learn things like how to interact with each other, how basic things in life work (hot/cold, wet/dry), they need to learn how to choose things to do, and how to clean up after themselves, and most of all be able to take care of some of their own self-help skills(using the bathroom on their own, dressing, feeding themselves,) and being able to work on social skills (sharing, taking turns) all of the other things like reading, math, and other things come with time.

children need a good base with which to start--if they do not other things do not come in the right order and often children can be more aggressive and stop or definitely slow down learning later (usually around 7-10yrs) this is why some european countries do not have children start formal education till 7 or later