Alliteration-the repetition of the same consonant sounds in a series of two or more neighboring words or syllables (e.g., bouncing baby boy, ba-be-bi-bo-boo, etc.).
Attachment-the strong emotional tie children feel with special people in their lives (family members and other caregivers).
Attend-to pay attention to something.
Attention-the ability to concentrate on an object, person, or event; to carefully observe or listen to something.
Attribute-a characteristic used to describe an object such as shape, color, size, etc.
Blending-the process of forming a word by combining parts of words. For example, when you blend the sounds /b/a/t/ together, they become the word "bat."
Cardinality-the concept of "how many" or the understanding that the last number identified when counting objects in a set represents "how many" are in the set. For example, the cardinality of the set {1 - 2 - 3} is 3.
Classify-to arrange or organize according to class or category. For example, a child might arrange a set of blocks according to color, with all of the red blocks are in one group and all of the blue blocks in another group.
Comparative Language-using words that note the degree of similarity or difference between two or more objects.
Conflict Resolution-learning to resolve a disagreement or argument in a calm and constructive manner.
Cooperative Play-any organized play among a group of children in which activities are planned for the purpose of achieving some goal (e.g., pretending to be a group of firefighters).
Culture-characteristics of a particular group of people that are based on shared knowledge, experiences, beliefs, values, attitudes, and/or understandings. May be expressed through shared or common language, religion, music, cuisine, art, and/or social habits.
Digital Tools-a broad range of electronic devices such as computers, tables, multi-touch screens, interaction whiteboards, mobile devices, cameras, DVD and music players, etc.
Empathy-the ability to understand or identify with another person's situation and/or feelings.
Engaged-to take part in; to be involved with an object, activity and/or person.
English Language Learners (ELL)-refers to children to who are learning a second language at the same time they are learning English.
Expressive Language-the ability to use words or gestures to communicate meaning.
Family Culture-a family's way of life, this includes their beliefs, customs, and behaviors.
Fiction-literature (e.g., books, stories, poems) where the people and events are imaginary.
Fine Motor Skills-tasks that use the smaller muscles of the body such as those in the wrists or fingers. Includes skills such as reaching, grasping, writing/drawing, or picking up small objects.
Gross Motor Skills-tasks that use the gross or large muscles of the body like those in the arms, legs, and core. Includes skills such as running, climbing, kicking, throwing, etc.
Hypothesize-to come up with an explanation or idea about something that can be tested by further investigation. For example, a child might hypothesize about what will happen when blue and yellow paint is mixed together.
Imitate Inflection-mimic changes in an adult's voice (e.g., changes in pitch or tone).
Intense Attention-an ability to focus intently or with great effort.
Joint Attention-a state in which the child and the caregiver pay attention to the same object or event, and the caregiver often talks about what they are looking at.
Learning Scheme-refers to the way in which young children begin to learn about their environment and how they organize information they take in from the environment. For example, a toddler discovers that a ball bounces when dropped from the high chair, and begins to experiment to see if other objects will bounce when dropped.
Locomotor-refers to movement; basic locomotor skills include walking, running, hopping, jumping, skipping, etc.
Manipulatives-materials that allow children to explore, experiment, and interact by using their hands. Such items include, but are not limited to, beads and laces, puzzles, small blocks, playdough, lacing cards, and items that can be snapped, zipped or hooked together, to name a few.
Melody-a series of musical notes arranged in succession.
Numeral-the symbol that is used to represent a number (e.g., 3 or III).
One-to-One Correspondence-the ability to match each item in one set to another item within a different, but equal set (e.g., matching a set of socks with a set of shoes).
Onset-a part of spoken language that is smaller than a syllable, but larger than a phoneme. It is the initial consonant sound of a syllable (The onset of bag is b-; of swim, sw-).
Open-Ended Questions-a question that tends to be broader and will require more than a one- or two-word response (e.g., How? Why? Where?).
Ordinal Number-a whole number that names the position of an object in a sequence (e.g., first, second, third, etc.).
Palming-scooping small objects, such as Cheerios, into the palm of their hand. This is called palming objects.
Pantomime-communicating by way of gesture or facial expression.
Parallel Talk and Self-Talk-
Parallel Talk-Adults talking to a child, describing what the child is doing.
Self-Talk-words or dialogue adults use to describe what they are doing.
Persistence-a child's ability to continue an activity or continue working on a task in spite of challenges that could discourage the child from continuing to try.
Phoneme-a sound unit of speech.
Phonemic Awareness-ability to hear and identify parts of the spoken language and auditorily divide into phonemes.
Pincer Grasp-the child's use of the thumb and forefinger to pick up or manipulate small objects.
Positional Words-words that are used to describe the location of something or to give directions related to movement (e.g., up, down, left, right, etc.).
Problem-Solving-behaviors practiced by young children that allow them to explore questions or situations and try different solutions.
Raking Grasp-infants use their hands to "rake" objects toward them and open their fingers to grasp an object.
Receptive Language-the child's ability to understand what is being said or communicated by others.
Replicate-to reproduce, imitate, or copy.
Rhythm-musical term that refers to the repeated pattern of sounds or silences. Also referred to as the "beat" of a song.
Rime-the part of a syllable that contains the vowel and all that follows it (e.g., the rime of bag is ag; of swim, -im).
Segment-the ability to identify how many words are in a sentence (e.g., children will clap to each individual word) or how many syllables are in a word (e.g., children will clap to each syllable, "ba-by").
Self-Concept-the set of attributes, abilities, attitudes, and values that an individual believes defines who he or she is.
Self-Efficacy-belief in one's ability to accomplish a task, goal or outcome.
Self-Regulate-the ability to control one's emotions and/or behaviors.
Self-Soothe-the ability to calm oneself when upset or to soothe oneself to sleep.
Seriate-the ability to arrange items in order along a dimension such as height, length, or weight (e.g., putting pegs in holes shortest to tallest or arranging pictures of three bears in order littlest to biggest, etc.).
Social Stimulation-opportunities that children have to interact and develop relationships with others.
Stamina-the ability to sustain prolonged physical or mental effort.
Standard Measurement vs. Non-Standard Measurement-
Standard Measurement-a measure determined by the use of standard units such as inches, feet, pound, cups, etc.
Non-Standard Measurement-a measure that is not determined by the use of standard units (e.g., blocks, string).
Subitize-to perceive how many objects are in a group, without counting. For example, recognize at a glance that there are three objects in a group.
Syllable-a part of a word that contains a vowel or, in spoken language, a vowel sound.
Sympathy-acknowledging how another person is feeling and perhaps trying to provide some comfort or assurance to the person.
Temperament-the combination of mental, physical, and emotional traits of a person; a person's natural predisposition.
Tempo-musical term that refers to the measure of how quickly a beat is played. Tempo is measured in beats per minute (bpm).
Tone-any sound considered with reference to its quality, pitch, strength, source, etc.
La. Admin. Code tit. 28, § CLIX-901