Developmentally Appropriate Practice Essay

Developmentally appropriate practice is both accepting children as they are and helping them achieve new skills. Every child is different, and learns at their own rate. My definition of developmentally appropriate practice that I came up with is; Teaching children in a way that fits them best, while supporting them and helping them to reach their goals in learning. Of course more goes into this definition, but that is the main concept of DAP.

Developmentally appropriate practice is all about what is individually and age appropriate for a child. It's about helping a child reaching those challenging but achievable goals. Each child has their own way of learning with timing and growth so it's important to not keep your expectations too high …show more content…
Children's personalities, strengths, weaknesses, interests, and abilities should all be taken into consideration as no child is the same and should be treated as the individual that they are. Children don't learn the same way or the same time, and teachers shouldn't expect any less. Keeping track of what children know and what they can and cannot do, what they struggle with, what they are successful at, and what fits their individual needs are all important parts of developmentally appropriate practice.

The teacher's role is also a huge and important part of developmentally appropriate practice. Teachers should be a caring community of learners that help to enhance children's learning and development. Planning curriculum to achieve important goals and children's learning and development should also be an important part of the teacher's role.

In conclusion, developmentally appropriate practice is focusing on the child individually, and doing what is best for them as an individual and according to their age group. Every child is different, and the teacher should always be understanding of that while doing what's best for the child so they can be at their best and be a successful

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