Component 2: History and Geography
Learning Goal 2.a: Children understand concept of time (past, present, and future) and place.
By 9 months, most children:
By 18 months, most children:
By 24 months, most children:
- Have a general understanding of the passing of time and the meaning of phrases like “not now” and “after lunch”
- Use spatial cues to find or describe the location of object s (e.g., “behind the book shelf,” “on top of the table”)
By 36 months, most children:
- Demonstrate an awareness of a daily routine
- Demonstrates an awareness of familiar buildings and signs and know their meaning (e.g., recognizing a stop sign and knowing the car must stop; says “Hey! There’s the zoo”)
By 48 months, most children:
- Communicate about personal history (e.g., “When I was little . . . ”)
- Use such words as “today” or “day” and “night”
- Communicate with increasing specificity about the location of objects and areas at school and home
By 60 months, most children:
- Use such terms as “today,” “tomorrow,” and “next time” with some accuracy
- Use and understand concepts of “before” and “after”
- Recognize the passage of time through day-and-night cycles and through changing seasons
- Recognize common features in their immediate environment (e.g., talking about the apple tree outside their back door, or commenting on the river they cross on their ride to school)
- Create drawings of home and school
- Create simple maps of home and school and talk about the things that are in certain areas (a bed or a closet in their bedroom)
- Identify familiar landmarks (police or fire station, grocery store)
