Early Learning Progressions

North Carolina Early Learning and Development Progressions: Birth to Five

Domain: NC Foundations for Early Learning: Cognitive Development (CD)

Subdomain: Construction of Knowledge: Thinking and Reasoning

Goal: Children demonstrate the ability to think about their own thinking: reasoning, taking perspectives, and making decisions

Skill Progression: Taking perspectives

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List of Skills by Age

1-2 Months

2-4 Months

Tries to imitate adult mouth movements

4-6 Months

Shows interest in others’ facial expressions

6-8 Months

Tries to get adults to laugh

8-10 Months

Follows what someone points to

Shows objects to others

10-12 Months

Participates in games of give-and-take and turn-taking

Imitates others actions and sounds

12-15 Months

Watches adults and anticipates their actions

Knows what adult wants them to do

15-18 Months

Represents self and others in dramatic play

18-21 Months

Follows the lead of others, doing what they do or following their directions

21-24 Months

Knows what will make others laugh and shares humor

24-27 Months

Dramatizes roles in familiar routines using props to remember actions performed by others in real life situations

27-30 Months

Incorporates others into dramatic play and understands their intentions

30-33 Months

Ascribes thoughts and feelings to dolls and action figures

33-36 Months

Tries alternatives if first attempt at problem solving doesn’t work; may then ask for help

36-42 Months

Describes own feelings and is aware of other peoples’ feelings and perspectives

42-48 Months

Discusses how others’ feelings, attitudes, and beliefs are different from his own

48-54 Months

Knows what to do to please others and takes steps to do so

54-60 Months

Compares and negotiates his ideas with others in play

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 2015

©2015 by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.