Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)
Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP), is a practice that requires caregivers or teachers to get to know their children, teach to their needs, and form realistic, strengthening, and achievable goals (Copple & Bredekamp, Pg. 2). Whenever a subject is being taught it must be appropriate to the child’s age and level of development. DAP is both reliable and valid. It is based off on knowledge, not assumptions, which is why using it yields success. Where teaching practices are founded on principles discussed in DAP children will achieve, learning gaps will reduce, education systems will be better connected, and curriculum and its delivery will be more effective (Copple & Bredekamp, pg. 4).
There are key considerations to acknowledge when implementing developmentally appropriate practice. First is to draw from the knowledge about age-related characteristics. Studies have been done, results have been accumulated, and hypothesizes have been verified. By understanding the areas of physical, cognitive, emotional, and social skills a child exhibits at different developmental levels it allows us to predict what strategies would be optimal for learning and development. Preliminary decisions can be made with confidence about how to structure an environment, materials, interactions, and activities. Second, to be effective teachers it requires observing and assessing each child including their strengths, interests, preferences and abilities. Developmentally appropriate practice is adaptable and responsive to individual variations. Lastly, an effective teacher must respect and understand social and cultural contexts in which children live. Each child should be looked at as a unique individual within a context of family, culture, community, social group, and while considering their past experience (Copple & Bredekamp, pgs. 8-9).
Below I have created an example of a Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) activity for Infants through school-age children.
Activity: Moving to the beat
Age: Infants (0-12 Months)
Purpose: Music helps develop areas in the brain that use language and reasoning and ties them together. Music can help babies recognize beats, activate the neural pathways responsible for various skills, boost creativity and encourages movement.
Activity: Try to sing or sing-speak music that is easy and many people can pick up quickly. Either hold the baby and gently rock or sway in sync with the beat or have the baby comfortably laying down while you move their hands or feet with the beat.
Example Song: Itsy-Bitsy Spider
The
itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the water spout.
Down came the rain and washed the spider out.
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain.
And the itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.
Note: Be sensitive towards the baby’s cultures, choose songs that are in their home-language (example, Spanish version of The Itsy-Bitsy Spider below).
La araña
pequeñita subió, subió, subió,
Vino la lluvia y se la llevó.
Salió el sol y todo lo secó.
Y la araña pequeñita subió, subió, subió.
Activity: Moving to the Beat
Age: Mobile-Toddler (1-3 years)
Purpose: Toddlers are extremely physical creatures-constantly moving. They react joyfully for any opportunity to create dance and movement (Copple & Bredekamp, pg. 113). Music also helps children’s memory by repeatedly signing lyrics with movement as well as increase their spatial intelligence.
Activity: Make individual plastic eggs with small amounts of dried rice, beans, sand, and pebbles. Securely glue the eggs shut. Reinforce them by covering them with tape. Let the infants begin the activity by exploring the different sounds each shaker egg makes. Once everyone has picked an egg sing the song;
Shake it high (hold the egg overhead)
Shake it low (hold the egg by the feet)
Shake shake shake (in rhythm)
Watch us go (shake it as you turn in a circle)
Repeat the song as you change the rhythm to faster or slower. Encourage the children to exchange eggs.
Activity: Moving to the Beat
Age: Preschool-Kindergarten (3-5 Years)
Purpose: Children at this age are fascinated in learning how their body’s function, and music can help them to self-regulate. They like to experiment in how fast they can run, how skillfully the can move and begin to practice their coordination (Copple & Bredekamp, pgs. 188-189). Music at this stage can help in practicing connect basic skills learned throughout the day; such as ABC’s, counting, colors, shapes, animals, etc.
Activity: For this activity, pick a topic you’d like to focus on for that day. For this example, we will use shapes with colors. Before class, create shapes with basic colored paper and assigned colors (squares are blue, circles are green, etc). Make one small version of the same set for your own personal use. In various places of the room place the shapes on the floor (tape them if needed), each shape should be duplicated at least twice. By each shape on the floor have a “treasure box” with a lid. Inside the box put other items that are that same color. For example, by the blue square your box could hold a blue bunny, a blue crayon, a picture of a girl with blue eyes, a photo of the sky, etc. Each box should be filled with different items, even if it’s the same color/shape.
The teacher will explain how the game works. As the music plays the teacher holds up one shape to the class and sings “Oh where or where did the blue square go? Or where or where could it be, it is not in the lunchroom it is not down the hall, or where or where could it be? Children are to find where one of the matching shapes is and once they find it they are to sit down. Once everyone has found their spot the teacher talks about the shape and color. What things are squares? What things are blue? The teacher then lets the separate groups open their treasure boxes and show each other what’s inside. If something that is blue is also green, the teacher will talk about it with the children.
Note: by making small groups children are able to integrate previously acquired motor skills and build from their personal levels. It also helps with concentration and limits over stimulation.
Activity Moving to the Beat
Age: Grade school (6-9 years)
Purpose: Although primary grade children have greater control over their bodies they have lots of energy and need to be active. Children at this age are refining their find motor development, learning to collaborate with peers, practicing respect, and enhancing their self-esteem (Copple & Bredekamp, pgs. 264-265). Through music these children are able to foster creativity, learn discipline, engage with others, and practice confidence.
Activity: In preparation for the class collect different types of instruments that make noise. Some ideas of instruments may be;
-Kazoo, Bell shakers, Maracas, Shoe-box guitar, mini mandolin.
Some may have access to actual instruments, if this isn’t your case noise makers can be created out of household and classroom materials. Be creative
When you’re ready to begin the activity have each child pick their instrument. As a group, the teacher will ask that everyone play their instrument at the same time. The teacher discusses why it doesn’t sound very good. The teacher will then teach various beats with the different instruments. It would help if the teacher had the beat designed out on the board with the name and picture of instrument for each beat. Once the whole class has successfully completed the beat the class will discuss why it sounds better.
Divide the class into 3-4 size groups. Each group will have 5 minutes to design their own beat. Make sure that as a teacher, you walk around and help with the decision-making process as needed. At the end, let everyone share the beat with the class. In conclusion, discuss what they liked about the activity, what was hard, what was easy and any additional thoughts.