Early childhood education

I am an early childhood education student. I have been in this program for two years. This glossary will be useful to early childhood education students and anyone wishing to learn more about this profession. It was designed to facilitate the understanding of some important concepts used in education. It contains 20 theoretical and early childhood education-specific terms. I based it on my theory textbooks and the definitions was on google. I want you to understand some of my vocabulary words and maybe you will used them.

active learning: Noun; Ctive learning is an instructional approach that engages students directly in the learning process through activities, discussion, and collaboration, rather than passively receiving information via lecture. It emphasizes higher-order thinking—such as analyzing, evaluating, and applying knowledge—to deepen understanding and improve retention.; Example: Active learning allows the child to discover for themselves by manipulating objects.; en: Apprentissage actif
attachment: Noun; An extra part or extension that is or can be attached to something to perform a particular function.; Example: The quality of attachment influences the child's emotional development.; en: L'attachement
awakening to science: Noun; Awakening to science is a profound shift in perception that involves abandoning limited, subjective frameworks to understand the world through observation, verification, and empirical evidence. It represents a shift towards analyzing reality using the scientific method to find truth, often transforming one’s worldview from dogmatic belief to rational investigation.; Example: Science education encourages children to observe, experiment, and draw conclusions.; en: L'éveil aux sciences
cognitive development: Noun; Cognitive development is the lifelong process of growth in mental capacities, including thinking, reasoning, memory, language, and problem-solving. It involves how individuals acquire knowledge, process information, and understand the world, transitioning from simple sensory-based exploration in infancy to abstract, logical thought in adulthood.; Example: Cognitive development allows the child to understand and learn new things.; en: développement cognitif
Ecological approach: Noun; An ecological approach is a framework focusing on the interdependent, bidirectional relationship between individuals (or organisms) and their environment, emphasizing how social, physical, and cultural contexts shape behavior and development. It prioritizes understanding how settings—such as families, communities, and ecosystems—influence actions and promotes holistic, sustainable interventions.; Example: The ecological approach emphasizes the importance of relationships between the child and the significant people in their life.; en: Approche écologique
educational action: Noun; Educational action, often framed within Educational Action Research (EAR), is a collaborative, systematic, and reflective process where educators investigate their own teaching practices to bring about immediate, practical improvements in student learning. It moves beyond traditional research by turning practitioners into researchers who solve, analyze, and refine classroom issue.; Example: Educational action aims to support the overall development of the child.; en: L'action éducative
executive functions: Noun; The set of mental skills that enable goal-directed behavior, involving the organization of thoughts and purposeful activities.; Example: Executive functions include working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility.; en: Fonctions exécutives
fine motor skills: Noun; Fine motor skills are the coordination of small muscles in the hands, fingers, wrists, and sometimes toes, working with the eyes (hand-eye coordination) to perform precise, voluntary movements.; Example: Fine motor skills allow the child to perform precise movements with their hands and fingers.; en: Motricité fine
global development: Noun; A child's overall development is a continuous and integrated process that refers to the simultaneous evolution of all its dimensions: physical and motor, cognitive, linguistic, emotional, and social.; Example: The overall development of the child includes physical, emotional, social, cognitive and linguistic aspects.; en: Développement global
humanism: Noun; Early childhood humanism is a cornerstone of the educational program (Welcoming Early Childhood), placing the child at the center of their own development. It views each child as a unique, competent, and curious individual, capable of reaching their full potential. Adults support this growth through a positive outlook, respect for each child's pace, autonomy, and learning through play.; Example: Humanism in education places the child at the center of learning and respects their needs.; en: L'humanisme
Joint attention: Noun; When one person purposefully coordinates his or her focus of attention with that of another person, we refer to the behavior as “joint attention.” Joint attention involves two people paying attention to the same thing, intentionally and for social reasons.; Example: Joint attention develops when the child and adult look at or interact with the same object together.; en: Attention conjointe
language development: Noun; Language development is the lifelong process of learning to understand and use communication, encompassing listening, speaking, reading, and writing, from early babbling to complex conversations, involving sounds (phonology), words (semantics), grammar (syntax), and social rules (pragmatics), essential for thinking, learning, and building relationships.; Example: Language development allows the child to understand and express their ideas.; en: Développement langagier
physical and motor development: Noun; Physical development is the overall growth of a child's body, including brain, senses, and physical health, while motor development is a subset focusing on gaining control over muscles, coordination, and movement.; Example: Physical and motor development includes gross motor skills and fine motor skills.; en: Développement physique et moteur
prelinguistic language: Noun; Prelinguistic language (or communication) refers to the non-verbal behaviors, sounds, and gestures infants and toddlers use to communicate needs, emotions, and intentions before developing spoken language, typically from birth to around 12–13 months. These foundational skills include eye gaze, cooing, babbling, pointing, and facial expressions.; Example: Prelinguistic language includes the sounds, cries, and babbling that a child produces before their first words.; en: Langage prélinguistique
sensory development: Noun; Sensory development is the process by which infants and children refine their ability to perceive, interpret, and respond to environmental stimuli through their senses.; Example: Sensory development allows the child to discover the world through their five senses.; en: Développement sensoriel
social skills: Noun; Social skills are the learned abilities used to communicate, interact, and build relationships with others effectively, both verbally and nonverbally.; Example: Social skills allow the child to play and communicate with others.; en: Compétences sociales
temperament: Noun; Temperament is defined as “the constellation of inborn traits that determine a child's unique behavioral style and the way he or she experiences and reacts to the world.; Example: Some children have a calmer temperament, others are more active or sensitive.; en: Le tempérament
the basic principles: Noun; Five fundamental principles focused on the child: he is unique, learns through play, is an active participant in his own development, develops holistically (physically, cognitively, socially, linguistically) and benefits from an educator-parent partnership.; Example: The basic principles promote the overall development of the child.; en: Les principes de base
the process of educational intervention: Noun; An educational intervention is a structured, intentional process used by educators to provide targeted support to students struggling academically or behaviorally.; Example: Observation, planning, action and reflection are all part of the educational intervention process.; en: Le processus de l'intervention éducative
the scribble: Noun; To scribble means to write or draw something quickly, carelessly, and often illegibly, resulting in messy handwriting or meaningless marks, like a child's drawing or a doctor's note that's hard to read. It can refer to the act itself (verb) or the resulting messy writing/drawing (noun).; Example: The first scibble often appear around the age of two to three months.; en: Le gribouillis