Developmentally Appropriate Practice

Developmentally Appropriate Practice

To design the appropriate programs for a child’s development, one must take note of all descriptive facts of that child, other than their age and gender. Additional crucial facts include their family, community, abilities, culture, current circumstances, social and emotional well-being, and past experiences. Secondly, one must consider what children are like, then create routines, expectations, and activities that accommodate and complement these attributes. Lastly, one must consider the unique ways in which children are children and not minuscule grown-ups (“Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)”). Creating such learning environments for children is known as Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP). DAP includes techniques that encourage a child’s ideal learning and development through a play-based, strength-based tactic that makes learning engaging and joyful for each child. DAP is crucial when working with young children because it gives them the chance to build on their strengths at their own pace.

Ten lessons learned from the NAEYC website include;

DAP research is primarily based on a Western perspective, and it is only now that other groups are being taken into consideration. However, advanced research shows that culture and experience play a major role in the development of a child (Sanders et al. 1380).

The best way to support a child’s development is by focusing on the various aspects of their individuality, like personalities and preferences.

The environment they are raised in can negatively affect a child’s developmental process, for example, being raised in an impoverished situation can cause chronic stress, which in turn affects the brain’s developmental process.

Playing is very crucial in the development of a child, and therefore, every educator should find the best plays that suit a child’s individuality.

For a child to continue learning, they have to be motivated to do so. DAP has to ensure the child is motivated by fostering their sense of agency.

Taking advantage of technology and interactive media can enhance DAP. However, these advancements must be used responsibly.

One of the core foundations of DAP is constantly challenging children, depending on their developmental level, to accomplish the next level.

In DAP, educators must apply ethical conduct; they should ensure that their biases do not interfere with their teaching methods when dealing with children from different cultures.

Educators using DAP should have close relationships with the families of the children they teach to gain deep knowledge about the child.

Educators in DAP are responsible for ensuring that families participate in a child’s learning process.

Works Cited

“Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)”. NAEYC, 2022, https://www.naeyc.org/resources/developmentally-appropriate-practice

Sanders, Kay, and Flora Farago. “Developmentally appropriate practice in the twenty-first century.” International handbook of early childhood education. Springer, Dordrecht, 2018. 1379-1400.

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Visit the NAEYC website as instructed in the DAP Introduction and submit your assignment here.

After visiting the NAEYC website to learn about Developmentally Appropriate Practice, please complete the following assignment in Microsoft Word:

Define Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) in at least 1 paragraph (8-10 sentences) and describe why you think it is important to know about DAP when working with young children.
List 10 things that you learned about Developmentally Appropriate Practice from the NAEYC website in complete sentences; please number your statements from 1 to 10. Do not simply copy and paste statements from the website, put your statements in your own words.