Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) is an approach based on scientific knowledge about how children learn and develop and should be considered when planning preschool’s curriculum. DAP, which is currently applied in some pre-schools abroad, was created by the National Association for the Education of Young Children ((NAEYC)) in 1987 against the practices centered on academic achievement in pre-school education. It is one of the largest organizations in the world working on issues related to education.
Developmentally Appropriate Practices is based on child-centered education, a perspective that argues that children actively learn and build their own knowledge by interacting with their peers, teachers and materials. DAP can be defined in different ways, such as "Using child development knowledge in making thoughtful and appropriate decisions about early childhood programs", "Basing how children learn and develop on knowledge, not assumptions". The DAP is a research-based framework for children's development and learning and develops practices that optimally support their development and learning.
The term is mostly used in the United States to describe expectations from the classroom setting for children and this approach has strongly influenced the field of early childhood education. According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, Developmentally Appropriate Practices encompasses a research-based teaching approach about how children develop and learn and what influences early education. DAP arises when teachers use their knowledge of what is individually appropriate for children in their classroom and what is culturally important to children and their families.
Research has revealed that in the United States, children, who have education with Developmentally Appropriate Practices, are more mature socially, creative, less stressed and more engaged in school than children who have not had education with Developmentally Appropriate Practices. Therefore, the positive impact of DAP on the development of children has popularized this concept in various westernized countries of the world.
The empirically-based principles of how a child develops and learns, guided by the Developmentally Appropriate Practices, are as follows;
1. There is a close relationship between the developmental areas of the child and these areas affect each other.
2. A relatively predictable developmental sequence emerges with the addition of skills and knowledge that are subsequently added to the acquired knowledge.
3. The pace of development in different areas varies from child to child.
4. There are favorable periods for certain types of development and learning.
5. The progress of development has a predictable course towards greater complexity, organization and internalization.
6. Development and learning are influenced by the social and cultural contexts in which they occur.
7. As active learners, children use their direct social and physical experiences and culturally transmitted knowledge to form their own understanding of the world.
8. The interaction between biological maturation and the environment is effective in development and learning.
9. Games are important to support children's social, emotional and cognitive development and are also a reflection of a child's development.
10. Development progresses when there are opportunities to practice newly acquired skills and when the child is allowed to experience challenges beyond their current skills.
11. Children show different ways of knowing and learning and they represent what they know in different ways.
12. Children develop and learn best when their communities value them, feel safe and have their physical needs complete.
