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: Making decisions

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List of Skills by Age

1-2 Months

No observable skills

2-4 Months

Prefers studying people to objects

4-6 Months

Enjoys shaking and banging

6-8 Months

Shows attentional preferences when given a choice between two objects

8-10 Months

Deliberately seeks out and attends to preferred toys

10-12 Months

Moves from one toy to another to explore actions

12-15 Months

May know an action is out-of- bounds, but decides to do it anyway

15-18 Months

Makes decisions about activities and sequences of actions within activities

18-21 Months

Decides what to do by what will be approved or disapproved of by adults

21-24 Months

Decides not to do something she wants to do, but knows is wrong.

24-27 Months

Decides which role to play and what actions to perform

27-30 Months

Decides what others should do or say in dramatic play

30-33 Months

Determines what he is good at; preferences begin to strengthen

33-36 Months

Beginning to select friends

36-42 Months

Determines dramatic play themes and leads others

42-48 Months

Lies intentionally if she thinks the lie will keep her out of trouble

48-54 Months

Selects a variety of materials to create play scenarios

54-60 Months

Establishes rules for play

 North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 2015

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